Archiving and disseminating web history in a museum context - the case of webmuseum.dk

Abstract

Traditionally, the role of museums has been to collect historical objects and contribute to the dissemination of our cultural heritage. With the advance of the information society, however, museums are now faced with challenges in relation to preserving and disseminating digital material. Among these challenges are issues concerning the collection and archiving of non-static or immaterial objects, selection criteria for inclusion in collections, and the presentation of digital objects, their use and context. This paper will address these challenges with an emphasis on the following questions: How is a web museum established? What are the challenges in relation to the responsibilities of a traditional museum? How does a web museum differ from a traditional museum? In closing, these questions will be exemplified through a concrete case: webmuseum.dk, a Danish online museum for web design history.