Access for All:
Integrating Cultural Heritage, Media and Technology

October 27-30, 1999
Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

An Invitation / Other Information / Travel and Hotel
Why Attend? / Conference Schedule / Conference Registration
Conference Scholarship Fund

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An Invitation

Do you work in or with the cultural heritage community? Do you deploy digital technologies as part of that work? If so, then MCN '99 is for you! Every year MCN hosts the largest, longest-running not-for-profit conference devoted to issues at the intersection of museums and technology. If this is your world, then this is the place to be. The MCN Conference, like the MCN organization, is a not-for-profit community-driven phenomenon, directed by a board elected directly from the broad community that MCN supports. Because of this, MCN does not focus on any one specific project, topic, or product, and thus is able to create a conference allowing far-ranging discussion and the opportunity for professionals to compare many different ideas and approaches. For the same reason, the MCN conference orients itself toward practical solutions, addressing immediate working needs as well as long-term issues that face the cultural heritage community. MCN delves into the latest uses and developments of new media enabling public interaction, and also pays attention to how technology works in the back-end, enabling the organization.

This year, MCN '99 breaks into new territory and brings you up-to-date on the changing landscape of cultural technology. Some new emphases reflect the expanding and maturing role of technology in museums; including several educational topics, evaluation techniques, digital preservation, digital art, and 3-D learning tools. Updates include planning for technology, standards (from Dublin Core to Vocabularies), security, and much more. Most importantly, the MCN Conference brings you together with colleagues.

As much as your own institution is your vertical community, MCN is your horizontal community, joining you with other professionals tackling and talking about the same issues as you. As new technologies effect changes that bring the larger society together in new ways, so does the cultural heritage community, your community, shift and expand, bringing new ideas and new faces into the fold. The world is getting bigger—come see it!

Richard Rinehart
President, MCN, 1999

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Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

Join forces with other members who share your specific educational needs and interests. Discuss issues relating to art museums, standards, the internet, archaeological and anthropological collections, MIS managers, controlled vocabularies, and visual information.

Exhibit Hall

Take advantage of a two-day exhibit hall showcasing the hottest trends and the latest programs in museum technology. Take a walk through the future. Feel the pulse of the industry. Sample the best in the museum technology market.

Industry Reception (Friday, Oct. 29)

Sponsored by the Philadelphia Museum of Art

A perfect way to wind down the day! Mix, mingle and network with your industry peers as you enjoy the beautiful Philadelphia Museum of Art.

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Hotel Reservations:

To receive the group discount, make your hotel reservations by September 25, 1999. Be sure to identify yourself as an MCN Conference attendee. Room Rates are $155 single or $165 double occupancy.

Call (215) 448-2000 and make your reservations today!

Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel
17th & Race Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 448-2000
(215) 448-2853 Fax

Transportation To and From the Airport:

The Wyndham Franklin Hotel is approximately 20 minutes from the airport. Lady Liberty Shuttles is offering discounted door-to-door service from the Airport to the Wyndham Franklin Hotel for $7 each way. Make your transportation arrangements by going to the ground transportation desk when you arrive at the airport and dialing #27.

Airline Information:

American Airlines is offering special group rates for the MCN Conference. Call (800) 433-1790 and mention authorization number 20-Oscer9UZ to get your discounted fares today!

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MCN 99 Is a Must Attend Event

• Meet colleagues from around the world who are attempting to manage the everyday issues you face.
• Learn new skills to further develop your institution's information resources.
• Hear papers highlighting the issues facing institutions like yours.
• Discuss current issues and controversies.
• See demonstrations of the best tools to do the job.
• Discover the latest commercial products and services available to you.
• Explore the best new resources on the Web.

Who Should Attend?

• Anyone sitting at the intersection of technology and cultural heritage.
• Museum educators, registrars, curators, IT managers, community liaisons, librarians, and archivists using or managing new media.
• Educators and scholars who are producers, users, and collaborators in cultural heritage content delivered with new media.
• Consultants and Technology vendors with services and applications for the cultural heritage community.

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1999 MCN Conference Schedule

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1999
8am-6pm	Registration
9am ö 12pm	Rapid Prototyping of Multimedia Applications in a Museum Setting Speaker ö Slavko Milekic
9am ö 12pm	Donors, Patrons, Visitors: Strategies and Tools for Management Speaker ö Sharona Justman & Gary Rubenstien
9am ö 4pm	Metadata and Museums: The CIMI/Dublin Core Experience Speaker ö Angela Spinazzi & Jay Hoffman
9am ö 4pm	Strategic Information for Museums in the 21st Century Speaker ö Jennifer Trant & David Bearman
9am ö 4pm	Try this at Home: Implementing Standards Speaker ö Elisa Lanzi & Susanne Warren
9am - 4:30pm	QuickTime Virtual Reality in Cultural Heritage Speaker - Jim Devine & Andrew Mac Donald
10am ö 10:30am	Break
12pm ö 1pm	Lunch on Own
1:30 ö 4:30	Building a Methodology to Evaluate your Web Site Speaker ö John Chadwick
1:30 ö 4:30	Session TBD
1:30 ö 4:30	Designing Educational Programs for Museums using Technology Speaker ö Sarah Shor
2:30 ö 3pm	Break
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1999
Time
7am - 5:30pm	Registration
9am ö 10:30am	Keynote: Designing for the Dedicated Visitor and the Visit without Walls Speaker - Jamie McKenzie
10:30am - 11am	Break in Exhibit Hall
11am ö 12:30pm	The Reluctant Learner: Making New Technologies Attractive with Fresh Approaches to Design and to Professional Development Speaker - Jamie McKenzie
11am ö 12:30pm	Telecommunications Usage Policies in Museums Speaker - Sandy Moore, Toledo Museum of Art
11am ö 12:30pm	The Last Expression: Art From Auschwitz Speaker - David Mickenberg & Dennis Glenn
12:30 ö 2pm	Box lunch in Exhibit HallÊ
2pm ö 3:30pm	Distance Learning: Two Innovative Applications Speaker - Julie Bishop
2pm ö 3:30pm	Intellectual Property Management Speaker - Amalyah Keshet
2pm ö 3:30pm	Data Standards and Anthropoligical Collections Management Speaker - Kevin De Vorsey
3:30pm ö 4pm	Break in Exhibit Hall
4pm ö 5:30pm	Kids, Museums, and Technology: New Media to Enhance Field Experiences Speaker - Tina Littlejohn
4pm ö 5:30pm	Web Applications Speaker - Peter SiegelÊ
4pm ö 5:30pm	Finding Museum Resources on the Web: A Report on the CIMI DublinCore Metadata Test Project Speaker - Angela Spinazze
5:30 ö 7pm	Reception in Exhibit Hall / Silent Auction
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1999
Time
8:30am ö 5pm	Registration
9am ö 10:30am	Extending an Exhibition's Impact: Two Dynamic Approaches Speaker - Kevin Walker
9am ö 10:30am	Data Security - How Tight is your Data? Speaker - Sharona Justman
9am ö 10:30am	Innovations in Access Speaker - Susanne Warren
10am ö 10:30am	Exhibitors Meeting
10:30am ö 11am	Break in Exhibit Hall
11am ö 12:30pm	Session TBD Speaker - Greg Spurgeon & Jim Fox
11am ö 12:30pm	Flightdesk: Taking off with the Private Sector Speaker - Andre Mercier
11am ö 12:30pm	Preserving Electronic Data in the Museum Speaker - Fynnette Eaton
12:30pm ö 2pm	Lunch / Business Meeting
2pm ö 3:30pm	PACSCL, Collaborative Solutions to Collections Access Speaker - Eric Pumroy
2pm ö 3:30pm	Knowledge Management Speaker - Sharona Justman
2pm ö 3:30pm	Professional Development TBD Speaker - Cynthia Scott
3:30pm ö 4pm	Break in Exhibit Hall
4pm	Exhibit Hall Closes
4pm ö 5:30pm	Intellectual Property SIG
4pm ö 5:30pm	MIS SIG
4pm ö 5:30pm	Small Museums SIG
4pm ö 5:30pm	Standards SIG
6:30 ö 9pm	ReceptionÊ - Philadelphia Museum of Art
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1999
Time
9am ö noon	Implementing Technology in Museums: How to Jump on the Fast-Moving Train Speaker ö Susan Patterson
9am ö 10am	Visual Information SIG
9am ö 10am	Archaeology & Archaeology SIG
9am ö 10am	Controlled Vocabulary SIG
9am ö 10am	Education SIG
10am ö 10:15am	Break
10:15 ö 11:45am	Digital Art: From Cradle to Grave Speaker - Richard Rinehart
10:15 ö 11:45am	How to Gain More visibility: CHIN's New Version of the Guide to Canadian Museums and Galleries Speaker - Katie Geber
10:15 ö 11:45am	Designing Webe Pages for the Hearing and Visually Impaired Speaker - Jim Angus
11:45 ö 1pm	Lunch on Own
1pm ö 3pm	Poster SessionÊ
1pm -Ê	Tours
*Note: All speakers are not listed on this schedule.Ê Go to www.mcn.edu/mcn99/program.html for session descriptions and speakers.

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Conference Registration

	On or before 8/31/99	After 8/31/99
Member	$300	$350
Non-Member	$350	$400
Student (photocopy of full-time student ID required)	$175	$225
Guests (includes receptions only)	$25	$25

Conference Workshops

Seats are limited, so register soon.
Half-Day Workshops ($125 each)

• Rapid Prototyping of Multimedia Applications in a Museum Setting (AM)
• Managing Those Donors: Museum Patron
• Membership and Development Management (AM)
• Designing Educational Programs for Museums using Technology (PM)
• Building a Methodology to Evaluate Your Web Site (PM)

Full-Day Workshops ($250)

• Digital Access to Cultural Heritage Resources: Implementing the Dublin Core in Museums
• Strategic Information Management for Museums in the 21st Century
• Try this at Home: Strategies for Implementing Standards

Saturday Workshop ($50)

• Implementing Technology in Museums: How to Jump on the Fast-moving Train

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Conference Scholarship Fund
MCN has established a limited fund to assist colleagues who wish to attend the 1999 MCN Conference in Philadelphia, PA. The awards cover conference regis-tration only. MCN individual members or representatives of MCN institutional members are eligible. To apply, send the following to the address below:

• A brief letter detailing why you wish to attend the conference and how the conference and/or a specific workshop will assist you in meeting your insti-tution‰s museum computing goals; and
  
  
• A short letter from your institution‰s senior administration supporting your attendance and explaining why full financial assistance from the institution is not possible.
  
  
• Or, for students, a brief letter explaining why you wish to attend the confer-ence and how the conference will assist you in meeting your career goals.
  

All applications must be received by September 15, 1999. Awardees will be notified by September 30, 1999. Please direct your applications to:

Bill Tompkins
National Collections Program
Smithsonian Institution
900 Jefferson Drive, SW, Room 3101
Washington, DC 20560-0404
Fax: 202.633.9214 - Tel: 202.357.3125 - e-mail: tompkinw@si.edu