Nestled within one of the few remaining apricot orchards of Santa Clara Valley, the Los Altos History Museum (LAHM) has been open since 1977. Believing that history “inspires imagination, stimulates thought and transforms society,” they tell the story of the area by “preserving and sharing our local history to enrich our community and to shape a more informed future.”
Museums are at the forefront of addressing issues facing California—they are tackling social justice issues, communicating about climate change, and serving audiences with specific needs, as well as experimenting with sustainable business practices, distance learning, crowd-sourced content, and new technologies.
In the last year there have been many seismic changes in the museum landscape of the United States. Ironically, accessibility to collections and information has blossomed through digital channels while access to the actual collections has taken several steps backwards. In this age of constant information these changes surface then seem to slip off the radar very quickly. This essay is intended to return to two such events that occurred in the past year and reconsider their outcomes.
