The Prehistory of Computer Applications in Archaeology
I'm thinking its time I finished my PhD. I began it in the early 1980's while working at the Museum of London. I was enrolled for a PhD (part-time) at Birbeck College. On the retirement of Vera
Evison, my supervisor, I was transferred over to the Institute of Archaeology. It was in
Computer Applications in Archaeology. ( This link takes you to the BBC Billingsgate Film and a few seconds in you will hear me talking about using Computers.)
Progress was slow although I published quite a lot of early articles on the subject.
The research was based on an IDMS relational database which lived on a Mainframe Computer at QMC in Mile End, although I remember some visits to the Computer Centre at Guildford St. It ground to a halt mainly 6 years into the research and it was now all on PC's or UNIX mini-computers. The Museum of London supported my work and within a few years I had set up the first computer systems in both the Museum of London and then the V&A.
I then resigned from the V&A to write, with my colleague, Paul Herbert an interactive video disc of the history of London and to become a Information Technology consultant for Museums.
I never wrote up the PhD because I felt Ihad published most of my work and much of my research was now as dead as a dodo as far as technology was concerned. I considered writing it up for an MPhil but never got around to it.
It feels like work unfinished. Or should I say I feel it might be worth writing it up as a history of computing in Museums.
 | |||
| Early Computer Graphics site plan (from GPO site) |
Progress was slow although I published quite a lot of early articles on the subject.
The research was based on an IDMS relational database which lived on a Mainframe Computer at QMC in Mile End, although I remember some visits to the Computer Centre at Guildford St. It ground to a halt mainly 6 years into the research and it was now all on PC's or UNIX mini-computers. The Museum of London supported my work and within a few years I had set up the first computer systems in both the Museum of London and then the V&A.
I then resigned from the V&A to write, with my colleague, Paul Herbert an interactive video disc of the history of London and to become a Information Technology consultant for Museums.
I never wrote up the PhD because I felt Ihad published most of my work and much of my research was now as dead as a dodo as far as technology was concerned. I considered writing it up for an MPhil but never got around to it.
It feels like work unfinished. Or should I say I feel it might be worth writing it up as a history of computing in Museums.
Comments