Renaissance Society at The Univ. of Chicago

Purpose: Sustaining Cultural Heritage As a noncollecting museum, the Renaissance Society's contribution to the museum field resides in the documentation of its exhibitions and events. The museum runs an active publishing program and has published dozens of catalogs that document singular exhibitions and are designed to provide social and art historical context for the works shown. New technologies and the rapid ascent of the Internet as a mainstream information tool provide unprecedented opportunities for the museum to fulfill its essential mission-to encourage the growth and understanding of contemporary art-through dissemination of current programming and archival materials. In a three-part project, the society will expand and enhance the museum's Web site, addressing how it disseminates programming and materials and how it meets the needs of its varied users. Phase 1 of the project (already under way) involves restructuring the Web site to include a searchable database and to accommodate audio and video clips. Phase 2 involves determining the Web Site's content beyond the current scope-reviewing documentation of exhibitions between 1975 and 1996 and selecting material for the Web site, and digitizing microfilm archives documenting 1915 through 1975. In phase 3, the Web site will be promoted and marketed to broaden and diversify its audiences.