American history is rich, vibrant and steeped in tradition – just take President’s Day, which is celebrated on the third Monday of February each year, in honor of George Washington’s birthday.
America’s great museums play a huge role in maintaining this presidential identity and collective memory. For example, The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan displays a vast array of presidential history, most notably, extensive collections on the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. And in a truly innovative fashion, The Henry Ford has made this presidential history, along with many of its other 26 million artifacts, available to everyone around the globe by digitizing it. An incredible example of the digital transformation our world is witnessing.
Of The Henry Ford’s 26 million items archived, only 5% of them are actually on physical display. Digitizing and showcasing the other 95% is where Hostway comes in.
Hostway has provided The Henry Ford with a highly reliable virtual private cloud solution that allows it to digitize and bring to life previously unseen artifacts through a rich online multimedia experience for people all over the world who cannot physically visit the museum.
“You can’t replace the experience of being inside this bus, seeing where she [Rosa Parks] actually sat. But what we can do is tell stories about this bus that have never been told, through the lens of our expertise and the lens of our collection, said Matt Majeski, Director of Digital and Emerging Media at The Henry Ford.
“[…] We digitally have told stories about where we found this bus in Alabama, the restoration process, stories about social transformation.”
For the full story on how Hostway is helping The Henry Ford preserve and bring American history to life, check out this inspiring video and learn more about the Hostway Virtual Private Cloud or read our full case study.
