Public History in the Digital Age

As society is continuing to become digitally integrated, many museums and archives are facing difficulty appealing to newer generations, especially those that are raised on digital availability of resources. Beginning with an explanation of the history of museums, my thesis expands on the evolution of museums, focusing on the current digital climate. The current digital revolution is an exigent matter that museums and non-profits must respond to, and without proper financial assistance and adaptation of new technologies, museums and non-profits cannot fully achieve digital integration. New technologies allow museums to appeal universally: rather than being available to only a specific community, digitization has allowed museums to dissipate information globally. Ultimately, the question for archives and museums has evolved from how to provide information to the public to how museums and other non-profit organizations can better adapt to the growing needs of the digital age and those within it.