Introduction [Museums and the History of Computing: Objects, Narratives and Practice]

Museums and the History of Computing interrogates how museums shape digital heritage - the cultural heritage surrounding computers and digital technologies. Due to the ephemeral and ever evolving nature of digital technology, this heritage is constantly at risk of being lost or misunderstood. The relational, multi-faceted and reflexive character of the museum provides a powerful antidote to this risk, offering new pathways for rethinking the meanings and implications of digital objects, cultures, and practices in contemporary societies. At the same time, however, presenting narratives and artefacts related to the history of computing pose significant challenges to museums. The practices and strategies for the preservation and exhibition of computing artefacts need to adapt to a variety of hardware and software objects and to changing technological standards and supports. Moreover, as narratives about histories of computing circulate in the public domain, museums are invited to incorporate and respond to new directions that characterize the representation of computing and digital media in the broader public sphere. By examining and reflecting on these ongoing challenges, this book aims to develop new insights on how existing curatorial practices adapt to new subjects and on how innovative curatorial practices help tackle new kinds of problems and questions. Bringing together leading museum and university researchers, and mobilizing cross-cutting debates and approaches in areas such as museum studies, cultural heritage, history of technology, anthropology, and media studies, Museums and the History of Computing challenges us to think critically about what ‘digital’ is when examined not only as a tool but as a cultural object within the museum.