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PRESS RELEASE
Knowledge Creation - Knowledge Sharing - Knowledge Preservation
The 1998 Museum Computer Network Conference

Conference Agenda Points to Growth of Information Technology Use in
Museums

For today's museums, technology provides new opportunities to create and
share knowledge -- and many new challenges.

Los Angeles, September 11, 1998 -- The 1998 Museum Computer Network
Conference takes place September 23-26, in Santa Monica, California. The
agenda for this year's conference points to the growth in information
technology use by museums around the world.

Not so long ago, index cards and ledgers were the main tools for
documenting the collections of museums, which catered to the elite.
Now, with increased efforts to reach new audiences, and growing interest
in "museum content" on many fronts, the museum is turning itself
outward. Some of the museum's new tools are the digital camera and
scanner, the World-Wide Web, and interactive exhibit technology -- and
with this new technology comes inherent challenges.

The Museum Computer Network Annual Conference has witnessed this
development. This year's keynote presentation will be by Richard Lucier,
Executive Director of the new California Digital Library. Another
highlight of the conference will be a closing plenary by Robert
Chenhall, a pioneer in museum automation and an early advocate of
sharing museums' knowledge, an issue of critical importance to museums
today.

Information is the greatest resource of museums, and managing knowledge
is one of their key challenges. MCN '98 explores the current issues of
creating, sharing, and preserving cultural knowledge. 400 museum
professionals and other delegates are expected at this year's
conference, which also features an exhibit hall with commercial vendors.

Media passes are available.

For Details,
Contact:
Leslie Johnston
MCN'98 Chair
(650) 725-5383
http://www.mcn.edu/MCN98