History Information Stations at the Oakland Museum

The History Information Stations at The Oakland Museum are three, stand-alone, interactive touch-screen computers that combine text, graphics and motion video to providevisitors with an array of information from various points of view about the history exhibition "California: A Place, A People, A Dream." They bring together a combination of needs: the curator's commitment to labels, the collector's curiosity about objects, the multicultural community's need for a voice and recognition, the scholar's concern for historical interpretation, the visitor'sdesire to understand, and the youth in all of us with a chance to play. They are also the museum's first successful foray into interactive computer media, and our experiences in conceiving and creating them may be helpful to those of you about to make your first trip into computer land orto guide someone else's first trip. After a general system description, we will share our two perspectives on the development of the system from concept to final implementation.