A museum on the US founding can now fit in your pocket
Google has teamed up with world-renowned preservation organizations to bring a museum about the founding of America directly to your smartphone or computer.
The “Making of the Nation” exhibit uses thousands of documents scanned from the National Archives and dozens more collections that can tell the founding of America in a more linear story. The museum can be viewed on the Google Arts and Culture app.
“It takes that history and culture and brings it to life using everything from 3D imaging, video,” said Karan Bhatia, global head of government affairs and public policy at Google. “You really can feel like you’re doing a tour of American history brought to life for people who may be very distant.”
You can scroll through the app-based exhibit and immediately learn the “10 Things You Never Knew About the American Revolution.” A little further down, detailed histories of Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers.
“I loved the parts of the exhibit that focused on the first ladies,” Bhatia said. “I thought those were an extremely interesting element.”
Beyond reading facts and looking at scans of historical documents, artificial intelligence is also a component of the exhibit. Google is powering the exhibit with a research tool called NotebookLM.
According to Bhatia, NotebookLM enables these historic preservationists to upload documents, videos and sound recordings. Then it draws the information in those sources to allow users to do everything from create synopses and lesson plans, to create an AI podcast where two virtual people will have a discussion around the content selected.
“It’s going to take all that information, compile it and actually tell it in a story,” said Grace McCaffrey, acting executive of external affairs and communications at the National Archives. “Everyone learns differently. Everyone wants to learn facts differently. Not everyone is able to come here and actually see things in person.”
“And one thing that we’ve been missing here at National Archives is a way to put everything together and tell it in a story,” she said.
McCaffrey said this new virtual exhibit, which launched Monday, is perfect for both novices first learning about the Revolution and seasoned history buffs looking at the more detailed accounts and obscure moments from the time period.
The launch of the online exhibit comes alongside the National Archives’ new exhibit “Free and Independent,” which details the writing of the Declaration of Independence and its impact over the course of American history.