Transforming The Museum Experience
Transforming The Museum Experience
The International Tennis Hall of Fame has embarked on a multi-year project to digitize our vast museum collection. Through the generous support of Dell Technologies, we have acquired a Dell EMC Isilon Scale-out NAS storage system that will enable us to build a comprehensive digital archive that can be used to engage with tennis fans around the globe, to encourage online learning, and to build new programs.
THE IMPACT
To understand the scope of this project, consider the vastness of the ITHF collection. The 25,000+ objects include more than 1,100 racquets representative of the evolution of the sport and of great moments in tennis history. More than 250 scrapbooks chronicle the lives and careers of tennis’ greatest champions. There are 3,500+ video and audio recordings, over 600 pieces of tennis inspired decorative art, and more than 2,500 books.
Due to space constraints, at any given time, the public has access to see just over 2,000 pieces, less than 10% of the overall collection of objects. A digitized collection will allow us to provide access to much more and will engage with fans worldwide, not just those who visit Newport. These assets will afford the ITHF many new opportunities to promote tennis history through exhibitions, video production, educational programming, and mobile applications. Digitization will be an ongoing project, but through the support of Dell Technologies, the crucial first step has been accomplished—having the right equipment to store the files.
THE TECHNOLOGY
- 4 Dell EMC Isilon NAS 50 Terabyte Servers
- Total Storage: 200 TB
- Dell Technologies ESRS support and monitoring
- Piction Software
- To Come: Development of an online interface, which will be used to create a digital experience for use by tennis fans.
THE FUTURE
A primary aim of this initiative is to create an application on our website that will make the entire collection accessible online. Sharing the inspiring stories of the Hall of Famers and the impact of the sport will open a limitless environment where tennis fans’ curiosities are instantly entertained. Our goal is to transform the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s online museum into the first stop for all things tennis, where fans can learn from and be motivated by the sport’s great history.
