The Online Collection Cometh

This post is from our guest blogger, Allison, who handles new media for our Education Department. I apologize for not crediting her yesterday.

More than 1,000 visitors from around the world have visited the Museum’s Online Collection since it launched on our website last month. The idea for the Online Collection began about a decade ago when Trustee Judah Gribetz suggested that we post the Museum’s collection online allowing anyone anywhere to experience our artifacts, which include objects that have been on constant rotation in the Museum and the treasures that we have never had the opportunity to display. Over time the idea of the Online Collection has expanded. For example, we know that visitors to the Museum want to know more about the people who have donated artifacts to the Museum. To meet this need, we made it easy to see other objects donated by the same family as well as other objects that reflect similar themes. This capability is only one part of the online viewing experience. Visitors to the online collection can also zoom into the images of our artifacts which makes it easier to read the fine print on a Ketubbah (marriage contract) or see the embroidery on a Chuppah (wedding canopy) used in countless wedding ceremonies at Displaced Persons camps after the war.

The Online Collection is an ongoing work-in-progress. We are continuously adding new artifact descriptions written by Museum staff, new artifacts, and new images. As the website continues to grow we hope that you will contribute feedback on how you use the website, what new features you want to see us implement and what changes would make it even easier for you to use the website. In the future we would like to add new functionality which may include the ability for visitors to send e-cards to friends or the opportunity for teachers to make a slideshow of artifacts to show their class. Click here to browse the Collection.