"With state-of-the-art technology, the exhibition provides a personalized experience where each visitor will find their own meaningful connection to our past through National Archives records." -Franck Cordes, Capital Campaign Project Director at the National Archives Foundation
The new permanent exhibition at the National Archives Museum, The American Story, and the accompanying Discovery Center, highlight the treasures of the National Archives through a groundbreaking visitor personalization system powered by machine learning.
Located in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C., the National Archives serves as the record keeper of our nation’s history, with billions of records spanning more than 250 years. Over the past seven years, the National Archives and National Archives Foundation have worked together with Cortina, C&G Partners, and Carolynne Harris Consulting to create over 40 custom interactives and films.
The National Archives’ goal was to highlight the breadth and depth of its records while creating personalized connections. As visitors reserve their timed-entry ticket or while in The American Story’s first gallery, they can select topics of interest which are associated with their unique ticket barcode number. From a dataset of two million records, the various interactive exhibits provided recommendations of records connected to the visitor’s interests and the subject of each gallery. A microsite allows visitors to save records and access them after their visit while sharing data insights about their experience.
In the civics-focused Discovery Center, the system allows visitors to save points earned at interactives and work towards a prize in an arcade-like environment. Targeted towards a middle school audience, these interactives encourage playful engagement with records from the National Archives through a range of retro-inspired technology.
The American Story also features 18 films, ranging from floor to ceiling projected immersive mediascapes to original interviews documenting how the National Archives impacted the lives of everyday citizens. These stories, along with all others throughout the exhibition, amplify the power of the National Archives and its role in preserving our shared history.
Project Team
Media Design and Production by Cortina Productions
Exhibit Design by C&G Partners
Museum Planning by Carolynne Harris Consulting
AV Systems Design by Phase Shift
Fabrication by Design and Production Incorporated
AV Systems Integration by Design and Production Incorporated
Accessibility Consulting by Deque Systems