Voices of Old Technology - A Museum in the Making Perspectives on Our History Through Technology     More About Us

Y2K Bug Stuffed Animal

The Tech Muse
Voices of Old Technology is the creation of Syd Lefkoe, aka The Tech Muse. A longtime member of the Queens College (CUNY) community, she is afflicted with the dreaded collector's disease, and with the desire to share some of its fun with others. The focus of her variation of this disease is old technology (defined rather broadly).  Ms. Lefkoe is a member of the Society for the History of Technology, and a member of the Oral History Association.

The Collections
Voices of Old Technology - A Museum in the Making is not an official museum at the College.  As a startup museum, it is a member of the American Association of Museums (AAM). The items that appear in exhibits are drawn from a collection of College items being developed and maintained as a College collection, as well as items from private collections.  The collections are not limited to computer technology, and have broad interdisciplinary interest.  By looking at the these collections from different persectives, we have a unique view of our history. We hope to develop a searchable catalog of the collections that will facilitate exploration through various perspectives.

The Queens College portion of the collection greatly expanded with the Summer 2000 closing of Powdermaker Hall forrenovation.  The resultant shortage of space had one incredible benefit --- it was a collector's dream!  But finding space tostore the discards and time to work on it all has been, to say the least, a challenge.  It continues to grow as new technologies rapidly replace the old.  We appreciate the help of our friends.

We hope to develop a permanent physical exhibit area (or areas) where members of the college community can view some ofour treasures more closely.

Why Do We Care About This Old Junk Anyway?
We consider all of the programs of Voices... to be Beyond-the-Box Programs,emphasizing

• they are designed to stimulate beyond-the-box thinking; and that
• there is much more to the items we collect than each box itself.

We see that all disciplines are really interrelated.  Thinking about the development of various technologies also encourages us to reflect on the continuum of inventions, creativity and progress, and to know that we too can contribute in many ways to that continuum.

We can read about history, but coming close to the gadgets and devices themselves and learning about the people who created them and used them, and the times in which they lived, gives additional dimensions to our understanding.

And besides, it's fun.

Queens College and CUNY have played important roles in the development of technology, and of course the development ofa broader range of technology has been reflected at Queens College.

Through display and interpretation of some of the developments in technology, we hope to offer students

• some perspective on selected developments in technology
• enjoyment in studying how some of our technology has evolved
• food for thought and for their own interpretations
• motivation to look further into related areas
• an understanding that people like themselves have been at the forefront of much of the change, and that they can be the ones to create the next changes
• encouragement in the development of their own creativity and ideas
• reasons for pride in their institution
• resources that may be of use in some of their courses and beyond.