When is the next
Museums and the Web?


Archives & Museum Informatics
158 Lee Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M4E 2P3 Canada

info @ archimuse.com
www.archimuse.com

Search A& MI

Join our Mailing List.
Privacy.

Copyright
Archives & Museum Informatics
2000

Stamp Quest - A physical exhibit goes virtual

http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/cmceng/npmeng.html

Session: Demo Session 1

The Canadian Postal Museum, a division of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, located in Hull, Quebec, Canada, has developed a virtual exhibit named Stamp Quest. This exhibit is based on a permanent, physical exhibit at the Canadian Postal Museum in the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Our virtual Stamp Quest exhibit was developed using colour schemes and imagery evocative of, yet not dependent on, the physical exhibit. Rather than demo a virtual exhibit developed with new and innovative technologies and the latest tools and applications, I propose to demo a virtual exhibit developed using basic technologies and tools. As a national institution, part of our mandate is to ensure access to our programmes and exhibits for as broad an audience as possible. In adopting a ‘low-tech' approach - using simple technologies requiring no plug-ins or downloads - not only were we able to keep costs down, we were also able to meet our mandate by ensuring broad public access rather than limiting access to those with the latest and most powerful computers and software.

One of our main goals in developing the virtual Stamp Quest exhibit was to keep the cost of development low without sacrificing interactivity or graphic appeal. Inherent in this was the need to make the subject of stamp collecting visually appealing, ‘cool' looking and interesting to kids. By taking advantage of internship programmes, re-using text and images from the physical exhibit and keeping the technology simple we have achieved our aims. We have an interactive exhibit created at virtually no cost, pages that were simply developed and are interactive and appealing both visually and on a content level. For the Canadian Postal Museum, developing the virtual Stamp Quest exhibit has proven to be a very successful case of doing much more with mush less. Stamp Quest URL: www.civilization.ca/membrs/npm/stampquest/entree.html