Essay

Glassberg in his conclusion discusses how there are several factors to the increase in historical activity. The first he mentions is the shift of economic and political power away from males of European origins to other ethnic, racial and gender groups that originally didn't have that power. This shift in power allowed for groups that were not represented or represented incorrectly or briefly to obtain the proper recognition in the pages of history. This led to an increase in monuments, museums and holidays celebrated over the course of the second part of the twentieth century. This new representation of racial, ethnic and social groups allowed for a greater sense of history within the country but also allowed for the story of immigration to take root thus allowing for a new appreciation for our past.

Another factor that Glassberg mentions is how as a people we are “narrowing the scale”  or looking for history on a smaller scale. This is due to the sense that history on the “larger scale” does not fully express the history of a town, community or even a family and because of that we as people have been active in trying to preserve and create monuments or museums on this smaller scale. An example of this that Glassberg mentions is the World War I memorial in Orange.

Technology has a huge impact on the increase in history in regards to the expansion of it’s audience but also the experience itself. Technology has allowed for easy access to public records, archival information, museum catalogs and exhibit information. This has led to anybody with access to technology to dive into history of their community and their past or the history of their state with ease. This has allowed for the expansion of history’s audience but also interest. Technology has also allowed for the experience to change drastically for the patron but also those exhibiting it. This ties in with the expansion of audience by using technology to create interactive projects enabling us to feel as if we are within specific time period or allows us to interact with history. Mike Wallace touches on this in his discussion of virtual reality used within museums.

History will continue to expand, attracting more people due to the accessibility and innovative ways it is presented to us. Wallace discusses how technology will shape her granddaughter’s life with Virtual Reality becoming a focus in her teen years. It is with this that history will allow for the audience to be placed within history to interact and to feel what it would be like to live in the day of their parents. For example they could travel to November 5^th 1955 and see how a typical day for their parents was in comparison to yours without the fear of altering time. This will lead to patrons and audience to fully experience history in a completely different way. Wallace also discusses the possibility of virtual museums which even today are becoming a reality. Galleries and exhibits that are partially or all virtual allows for artifacts to be viewed from the comfort of your home. It also allows for artifacts across the country and world to be easily seen and examined. Museums in the 21^st century should embrace these advances in technology and many others to help create a new museum experience for a new generation of viewers.