These electronic photos are then used on the Internet and on CD-ROMs. The exhibit, which opened in December, represents a trend that is transforming the nature of museums. The Smithsonian s goal is not only to digitize its own collections but also to make the public understand what it means to digitize. The centerpiece of the exhibition is the imaging lab. On the opposite side of the case, an interactive computer offers visitors more of the Superman collection, its history and, most impressive, a brilliant 3-D image of the action hero himself.
People are surprised by the interactivity of the exhibit.
Printing and graphic arts have been radically transformed by the process of digitizing. Secondly, it was an opportunity to take an older exhibition and give it a modern conclusion. As visitors approach the lab, they first encounter yesterday s iron printing presses. But key to the digitization of SI s collections have been those who take the electronic photographs. The increased use of digital photography is happening throughout the photographic profession.