The Museum of Obsolete Media is an online museum started in 2013 by Jason Curtis, who began collecting media formats in 2016. The museum features 800 media formats of documentary heritage such as audio, video, data, film etc.
On the museum website, you can explore photographs and descriptions of obsolete media formats that once played a significant role in our lives. The museum does not have a physical exhibition space and primarily hosts media formats and not the devices for their use due to lack of space. The physical collections are in Shropshire in England but are not open to the public yet, part of the collection was exhibited at the British and Irish Sounds Archives (BISA). The collection grows with a wanted list for more media formats to be collected and documented.
The descriptions include ” ratings for media stability and obsolescence” which are a decisive factor in their preservation. The collection also features formats that are not yet obsolete, however, as more and more content is available on the internet they are soon to be.
The criteria for obsolescence:
- Defining the date a format goes out of production
- Introduction of a new format
“Media Preservation
Jason Curtis is a medical librarian who privately started collecting and decided to share his work in the virtual space.
Our take
The Museum of Obsolete Media is safeguarding documentary heritage and making it accessible to all. The initiative of Jason Curtis to collect and share media formats sets an example of how individuals are responsible for protecting and promoting heritage making it accessible to the global community. We hope to see the collection expand and one day, if possible, open to the public.
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