Millburn's History in Your Home

The Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society proudly launched a new Web site this past week, at the same address as the prior site:

http://mshhistsoc.org/

This new portal to Millburn's history will eventually allow site visitors to browse the society's collection of artifacts, in addition to items in the popular pages carried forward from the prior site, such as the map room and links to local history, preservation, artifact conservation and more. News, announcements, maps, collection items, links and more will continue to be added to the site, to bring Millburn's history conveniently to your home.

Researchers from all around the country--and the globe--regularly contact the historical society for information about local architecture, businesses or families. In response to similar requests to museums and libraries around the world, many of those institutions are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits to the organization, the public and the collection, of digitizing the museum's or library's resources.

There is an inherent conflict in the missions of most museums, which are usually charged with gathering and preserving artifacts that suit their mission and to use those collection items to educate visitors about that mission. The conflict arises because the use of the collection to educate visitors inevitably shortens the life of the object by exposing it to damaging conditions, such as from handling, UV rays from light, etc. That is why the majority of a museum's collection is usually stored safely away from exposure to potential damage.

Digitizing the collection is the ideal solution to that problem, as it enables visitors to browse the collection without exposing the items to damage. That solution, however, triggers debate among museum professionals as to the effect that will have on the organization. Do you feel less inclined to visit the museum if you can browse the collection online? Do you feel it is important to see--and possibly handle--the real item or can you learn enough about it from a digital reproduction? 

Please use the new online contact form to share suggestions or comments on the site or the digitization of a collection.