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Although we are in the business of old stuff, some old stuff isn’t good for business. Sometimes we need new stuff! Or rather, gently-used refurbished stuff. In this case the stuff in question is computers.

Earlier this year our IT contractor alerted us to the fact that our computers were old! Indeed, when asked what I should do with them he suggested they be added to our artifact collection. Oof. We would need to upgrade our hardware to make sure we had up-to-date software, decreasing risks across the board. Mitigating these risks is particularly important for the Museum & Archives department, although perhaps this might not be obvious to those who don’t frequently visit us down here in the basement.

While we still use those good old-fashioned methods of information management (the three-ring binder and the filing cabinet) for legacy paper records, our working records are increasingly created, managed, and accessed digitally. We have our database for collections management, which lets us enter, update, and pull up records with speed and efficiency. Much volunteer time and resources have gone into the digitization of our collections, allowing us to view digitized copies of archival records and digital images of artifacts with ease. This is also a preservation tactic as it limits the handling of aging and fragile artifacts and records. And, increasingly, we are collecting born-digital items! There is no point in printing out the photo you snapped on your iPhone to donate when you could just donate the digital file. This shift makes the need for secure and reliable digital preservation more important than ever.

If you are going to commit to a project of technological infrastructure replacement, why not assess what additions might benefit staff and volunteers at the same time? To this end, we decided to upgrade monitors as well. We often work with multiple programs at once, making a dual screen set up an essential asset. The administration team was ecstatic to be able to upgrade from a single monitor. No more toggling!

Downstairs, improved display image quality has made digitization a bit clearer. Chuck is our main digitization volunteer, and he always wants to get the best possible outcome from his scans. You could see the difference between his new monitor and his old one, which showed the quality of the scanned image was actually much higher than the old monitor could display! Less fidgeting around with specs! 

We were also able to add a laptop to our tech team. Given the size of R.J. Haney Heritage Village, having the laptop to take around is a huge help. Summer student Lydia is working on inventorying and photographing some of the artifacts that live on display in the Village this summer. Having a laptop expedites the process!

Overall, this essential and somewhat unglamorous project to upgrade our technological infrastructure has yielded unexpected joy! Our gratitude to project supporters and the IT team.

This project was funded in part by a grant from Shuswap Community Foundation.

Photographs top to bottom, left to right:

1. New computers at the South Canoe Elementary School, 1987. 2015.0002.0062

2. Clara Johnston at the computer, 1999. 2020.0002.0193

3. R.J. Haney Heritage Village administration with their new computer and monitor set up, 2026.