Philadelphia’s Jewish history museum to record visitors’ stories

    Philadelphia’s next major museum The National Museum of American Jewish History will have a touch of Web 2.0.

    As the internet has become more interactive, the museum is being equipped to record the stories of those visiting.

    The new building with a metal-mesh facade is nearly completed on Independence Mall, awaiting a fall 20-10 move-in by the National Museum of American Jewish History. A taste of what to expect is already on display at the Museum’s old site a block away.

    Philadelphia’s next major museum The National Museum of American Jewish History will have a touch of Web 2.0.

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    As the internet has become more interactive, the museum is being equipped to record the stories of those visiting.

    The new building with a metal-mesh facade is nearly completed on Independence Mall, awaiting a fall 2010 move-in by the National Museum of American Jewish History. A taste of what to expect is already on display at the Museum’s old site a block away.

    An automated video-recording booth invites visitors to tell their stories about freedom, religion, and family. The two-minute recordings will be stored on a server, potentially accessible by friends, family, or other museum visitors.

    Project manager Aaron Miller says the museum staff will curate selected videos for exhibition.

    “With this we’re really interested in something a little bit more personal,” says Miller. “Most people in the US have a not-too-distant family that came from somewhere else. That is important history. It’s something we want to capture.”

    The museum encouraged everyone – including non-Jews – to participate. The recording booth is a prototype for a more permanent version to by built into the new museum.

    The old museum will be closing in May to begin the move to the new space.

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