The Visual Index to the Virtual Archives is an innovative visually-based interface that uses a 3-D computer model of Manhattan as a click-on map, allowing visitors to view the city, present and past, and to access the Museum’s collections through an on-line, searchable database. The idea of a visual index to the collection recognizes the importance of graphic representation in both the medium of the website and in the way that visitors, virtual or actual, come to understand and comprehend a city through its geography and landmarks. An index to the Museum’s archives based on the image of the city allows web visitors or researchers to explore specific buildings or districts and their histories without, necessarily, coming to the site with a specific topic or question in mind.
Visual Index to the Virtual Archives
