1930s and 40s. E ducation is a m ajor part of this center, which has both individual “le arning"
e xp erie nc e s and public lectures. R ese arch for scholars is also an importa nt part of the
muse um, which has a de dic ate d archiv e on the low er level th at is av aila ble via prior
arra ng e m e nt. C onte xtu aliz ation of ev e nts is importa nt is key; photos, ne wsp a p er articles,
letters, and oth er prim ary sourc e material e ng a ge s visitors on an individual level—gu ests can
re ad as much or as little as th e y wish, customizing th e ir le arning exp erie nc e . Intera ctive media
is importa nt as well; archiv al foota g e of m ajor e ve nts runs continuously to complim e nt the
exhibit. P atrons can sit and w atch ne wsre els th at ela borate on parts of the exhibit. Th es e
te chnologic al e nh a nc e m e nts are be coming commonpla ce in most m ajor mus e ums and
collections.
T h e British Mus e um’s curre nt e xhibit A ncie nt Lives has brought the visitors’ exp erie nc e
to a n e w te chnologic al level. T h e e xhibit of 8 (mostly E gyptian) mummie s from th e mus e um’s
colle ction w ere submitte d to C A T scans. Th e mus e um the n made film foota g e of the scans,
producing a digita l “unwra pping” o f th e mummie s’ layers. A s on e stands in front of the
mummie s th e ms elv e s, th e ov erh e a d scre e ns rev e al the lay ers be hind the sarcoph agi. Visitors
ca n touch se p ara te scre e ns to z oom in on sp e cific parts of the mummy— pre-sele cted
highlights including a mule ts hidd en in the wra ppings, broken bones and injuries, hair braids, et
cetera . T h e cura tors ha ve also use d 3D printing te chnology to print th e amulets tucke d inside f
e a ch m um m y’s wra ppings; in this Way, visitors can ge t a close look at the obje cts adorning the
bodies, a ccomp a nie d by e xpla n ations and religious signific a nc e— all without the risk of causing
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