Smithsonian's Museum of African American History and Culture Introduces "Searchable" Online Museum

By Paige Boyd, Managing Editor

The Smithsonian's Museum of African American History and Culture has officially taken the first step towards online access by launching their "searchable museum" last week.

According to Black Enterprise, the museum started online access to its Slavery & Freedom exhibit on Thursday. The exhibit is the first that greets visitors to the Washington, D.C. collection, which spans from the 15th century to the present. In addition to exploring the exhibit's artifacts and interactive components, the searchable museum also provides access to previously restricted areas in the museum. One such area is the inside of the Point of Pines Slave Cabin, one of the two remaining slave cabins in South Carolina's Edisto Island. The 3D virtual tour, along with the online exhibit's videos, podcasts, and behind-the-scenes looks at the research that goes into creating the museum’s experiences, provides a unique experience that even the on-site experience can't provide. The plan is to make the entire museum accessible online in the future.

Museum director Kevin Young tells The Washington Post, “The goal was really to think about how we could bring history in your hands. I really think the experience of going to the museum is transformative. And what we wanted out of the site is something transformative as well. I really see it as an incredible resource for visitors who really want to either experience the museum for the first time or return again and again online.”

Access the searchable museum at https://www.searchablemuseum.com/.