In May 2018 we proposed to call an International Conference of all Computer Museums worldwide. The origin of most Computer Museums is quite recent as is the history of computers in general.

There are about 50 Computer Museums (see attached list). The majority of them started after the year 2000, they are mostly located in Europe (35) and North-America (14).

Bringing together people in charge or representatives from all these museums could open the way to a dynamism and a synergetic action leading to a permanent link possibly named “Computer Museums Network” (CoMuN).

Defining the term computer museum has to be a subject of discussion. There are many convergent or complementary institutions keeping track of the evolution of computing. Some museums are virtual, others specialise in retro-gaming or retro-computing. Technological museums or schools have a computing department while universities teaching computer science have objects on display. Even companies in the electronics or computing business may have something on show.

Possible subjects(to name just a few) for discussion at such a conference could be: specificity of a computer museum, conservation of hardware, software, data and documentation, electronic memory in the long term, pedagogical aspects of a computer museum, different audiences (kids, students, adults, team building, old people, etc). See the list  (translation from Cinde Moya of the Living Computers Museum + Labs in Seattle).

The Conference could be held at Namur University (and NAM-IP Computer Museum) on August 29-30 and September 1st, 2021.

Légende:

M : email address – T : Telephone – W : website address
C: Contact, xx : personal contact – H: Opening hours, conditions

Continent/Country	Name	Location	Date	M	T	W	C	H
Asia Pacific
South Korea	Nexon Computer Museum	Jeju-si, Jejudo	2013	x	x	x	x	x
Australia	Monash Museum of Computing History	Melbourne, Victoria	2000	x		x	x	x
Europe
Belgium	NAM-IP	Namur	2014	x	x	x	xx	x
Germany	Arithmeum	Bonn	2012	x	x	x	xx	x
Germany	Heinz-Nixdorf MuseumsForum	Padderborn		x	x	x	x	x
Germany	Oldenburger Computer Museum	Oldenburg	2009	x	x	x	x	x
Germany	Deutches Museum	München		x	x	x	x	x
Germany	Computer Museum der Fachhochschule Kiel	Kiel	2011	x	x	x	x	x
Germany	ZCOM, Konrad Zuse Museum	Hoyerswerda	2017	x	x	x	xx	x
Ireland	Computer and Communications Museum of Ireland	Galway		x	x		x	x
Italy	FWTUnesco Computer Museum	Padova		x	x	x
Italy	All about Apple Museum	Savona	2005	x	x	x		x
Italy	Museo Tecnologicamente	Ivrea	2005	x	x	x	x	x
Netherlands	Apple Museum Nederland	Westerbork	2012	x	x	x	x	x
Netherlands	Computer Museum Universiteit Amsterdam	Amsterdam	1991	x		x	x
Netherlands	Home Computer Museum	Helmond	2012		x	x	x	x
Netherlands	Tehuis voor Bejaard Computers (privé)			x			x
Netherlands	Het Bonami spelComputer Museum	Zwolle	2007	x		x	x	x
Poland	Museum Gry i Komputrey (jeux)	Wroclaw				x
Poland	Museum Historii Komputerow i Informatyki	Katowice	2012			x	x
Russia	Antimuseum of Computers and Games	Yekaterinburg	2013	x	x	x
Spain	Computer Museum Garcia Satermases (MIGS), Complutense University	Madrid	2003	x	x	x	x
Spain	Museum of Informatics, Polytechnic University of Valencia	Valencia	2001	x	x	x
Spain	Museu de la Facultat d'Informatica de Barcelona	Barcelona	2007	x	x
Switzerland	Musée Bolo	Lausane	2002	x	x	x	x	x
Switzerland	Enter-Museum	Solothurn	2011	x	x	x	x
Ukraina	Sotfware and Computer Museum	Karklhif	2018	x	x	x	xx	x
U.K.	The National Museum of Computing	Bletchley Park	2007	x	x	x	xx	x
U.K.	The Center for Computing History	Cambridge	2013	x	x	x	x	x
U.K.	Retro Computing Museum	Leicester		x	x	x		x
U.K.	Science Museum	London		x	x	x		x
U.K.	National Archive for the History of Computing, University of Manchester	Manchester		x	x	x		x
U.K.	Museum of Computing	Swindon	2003	x	x	x		x
U.K.	The Micro Museum	Ramsgate		x	x	x		x
U.K.	IBM Hursley Museum	Winchester		x	x	x	xx
U.K.	Computer Conservation Society		1989	x	x	x	xx
Noth America
Canada	Personnal Computer Museum	Brantford	closed	x	x	x
Canada	York University Computer Museum	Toronto		x		x
Canada	Nova Scotia First Museum (Museum of Industry) Annapolis Royal	Stellarton (NS)		x	x	x		x
U.S.A.	Computer History Museum	Mountain View (CA)	2011	x	x	x	xx	x
U.S.A.	Digibarn Computer Museum	Boulder Creek (CA)				x
U.S.A.	The Tech Museum of Innovation	San Jose (CA)	1998	x	x	x		x
U.S.A.	Intel Museum	Santa Clara (CA)		x	x	x	xx	x
U.S.A.	The Computer Museum of America	Roswell (GA)	2019	x	x	x
U.S.A.	American Computer and Robotics Museum	Bozeman (MT)	1990	x	x	x	xx	x
U.S.A.	Rhode Island Computer Museum	North Kingstown (RI)		x	x	x	xx
U.S.A.	InfoAge Science and History Center	Wall (NJ)		x	x	x	xx	x
U.S.A.	Living Computer Museum+Labs	Seattle (WA)	2012	x	x	x	xx	x
U.S.A.	University of Virginia Computer Museumnbsp;	Powhatan (VA)		x	x	x	x
U.S.A.	Museum of Computer Culture (San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology)	Austin (TX)		x	x	x	x
U.S.A.	The Museum of Hewlett & Packard Calculators

Conférence Internationale des Musées d’Informatique
(Namur, 30-31 août-1er septembre 2021)
A list of topics that could be discussed at this conference, most of which are of an everyday concern at LCM+L

• History of computer museums

• Associations for the preservation of information traces

• Specific characteristics of the museographic domain of computer science

• Contents of a computer museum

• The “steps” of calculating and informing machines (old and older)

• History of computer applications

• History and conservation of operating systems

• History and conservation of computer languages

• History and conservation of computer equipment

• History and conservation of numerical data

• Geek clubs and others (retro-programming, retro-gaming, and others)

• The pedagogies of the digital and the role of computer museums in this pedagogy

• Rights related to the use of old machines and software

• Educational workshops for different ages or levels of training

• Virtual museums of computing

• Inventories and search engines

• Still and moving images of the world of computers and other digital artifacts (including cinema); Inventory of the existent and needs

• Links or synergies between computer museums and universities or high schools

• Specialized workshops for the reconstruction and/or simulation of historical materials and software

• Computer museums and digital art (or art in general)

• Bibliography of the domain

• Management of the documentation of the domain

• Public support programs at computer museums

• Financial and economic management of computer museums

• Profiles of incorporating staff for the management of computer museums

• Temporary exhibitions (design, inventory of what exists and what is in progress or planned, possible exchanges)

• Catalogs of museums, exhibitions, audio-guides, tablets, QR-codes, and other visitor’s aids

• Technical resources: lighting, cleaning, projections, PMR, storage, showcases, object protection, quality control (temperature, humidity, and other)

R.-Ferdinand Poswick