First Blog Post
History 790
By Chelsea Mueller
The National Electronics Museum has
multiple programs and opportunities available to provide interns with a better
understanding of archival and museum work. The National Electronics
Museum (NEM) is dedicated to the study and preservation of electronics that helped produced technology which is
currently utilized (Mission Statement, 1). These artifacts include
items from specialized military equipment to everyday household electronics.
Throughout the summer of 2016, I will be assisting NEM in a variety of
tasks including maintaining public displays and researching various artifacts.
In addition to meeting the needs of
the institution, a majority of my time will be used in preparation for a storage move. Through this coordinated effort, I will
obtain a better understanding of both museum work as well as the mission and
goals of The National Electronics Museum.
The founding of NEM was due in part
to the Westinghouse Defense and Electronics System’s Family Day in the
1970's. At this event Westinghouse employees’
projects were showcased to their families. The success of Family Day
implemented a desire to display more of the employees work; however, specific
items could only be legally showcased in a nonprofit museum. As a result, the National Electronics Museum
was created to help showcase various pieces of technology. Throughout the
years NEM has moved from multiple locations and has increased their inventory
from donations outside of Westinghouse. The museum continues to
provide engineers and the general public knowledge in regard to the evolution
of technology (History, 2). To better
understand the work done by NEM my internship supervisor, Ms. Alice Donahue,
and I have developed a reading list with sources focusing on various aspects of
museum work, particularly in regard with the storage move.
At NEM my primary focus will be the storage move
which will act as my final project for Internship Historical Studies. Currently, NEM is in the early stages of the move
archiving and labeling items for transportation. One of the most influential
sources was Maureen McCormick’s article “Inventory,” which discusses the
various aspects of cataloging artifacts.
This article complements the work I have been completing for the last
four weeks. I have catalogued materials remaining at the museum, recorded
their location within the museum and have measured the space each item needs. NEM has recently begun to move and label items;
however, the actual move will not occur until late June and is expected to last
through early July. From the information and work I have performed thus far, I
have learned how meticulously the planning and moving of historical artifacts
needs to be. There are several components to ensure a successful move
including, ensuring the accurate archiving of items, proper labeling of each
artifact, the actual move, and checking to ensure all the materials are present
once moved.
The National
Electronics Museum is interesting and unique providing visitors with a better
understanding of the material created by Westinghouse, and shows how technology
applies to daily life. During my time at NEM I have already learned a
significant amount of knowledge and insight to better understand museum work.
Storage moves are not always a common occurrence within museums, through
my experience with NEM’s move I will be able to bring insight and experience to
future institutions.
References:
“Mission Statement.” National Electronics Museum Volunteer Manual.
May 10, 2008.
“History.” National Electronics Museum Volunteer Manual. May 10, 2008.
McCormick, Maureen. “Inventory.” In MRM5: Museum Registration Methods 5th Edition. Ed. Rebecca A Buck and Jean Allman Gilmore.
The AAM Press: Washington DC, 2010.
