Challenging Collections

Overview & Synopsis

Scientific research not preserved in some form may be considered in the future to never have been done, so far as the historical record is concerned. Likewise, museological research and practice not shared is not fully or usefully done. Thus the rationale behind the Artefacts consortium and its annual meetings is to provide a forum for communication for people from a range of disciplines concerned with the material culture of science and technology. In 2011, Artefacts XVI at Museum Boerhaave in Leiden addressed the theme of “Conceptualizing, Collecting and Presenting Recent Science and Technology.” Building on the research presented at the meeting, this volume will focus on the question of collecting post–World War II scientific and technological heritage and the equally challenging question of how such artifacts can be displayed and interpreted for diverse publics. However, this volume also has another aim, as indicated by the ambiguity of the title, Challenging Collections. In addition to examples of case studies, prominent historians and curators reflect on the nature of recent scientific and technological heritage and challenge the role of museum collections in the twenty-first century.