Historical Electronics Museum

Purpose: Supporting Lifelong Learning Currently, researchers and the general public find materials within the Historical Electronics museum's 11,000 books, journals, and manuals by browsing, using the paper printout of the collection (in alphabetical order), or talking to the librarian. After many comments from visitors and researchers about the limited search capabilities, the board of directors made accessibility one of the primary goals in the museum's strategic plan. The Library Access Project will entail the creation of a searchable database for the entire collection. To accomplish this, the museum will purchase two computers, a kiosk, and a software package. After setting up the new database and transferring information from the paper system, museum staff will create a subject search category for every listing, so that visitors and researchers can search on subject, author, or title. The museum will also hire a Web designer to update the Historical Electronics Museum Web site to support and feature the database online. This project will expand the museum's educational services for both student and adult researchers who are looking for hard-to-find books and journals on electronics history.