Museum Goes Digital

Cracow's City Historical Museum is about to become the first in Poland to digitise its collection on a massive scale - and will soon offer 'virtual visits'. Some 20,000 objects, pictures, documents and more are being digitised for the internet, in a project that began some 18 months ago. Now, according to Jacek Salwiński, the museum's director of research, the project is just a few months from going live. It will give anyone with internet access a chance to see the museum's stunning collection online, while at the same time creating an opportunity to see some of the treasures that are usually buried away from public view in storage. First to be available will be a selection of the museum's photographic collection, which Mr Salwinski said would be a valuable archive for journalists and researchers of the city's history during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. However, the museum is keen to explore the possibility that 3D objects will also be available for inspection online.