Trade Shows
Story Station: Fast, Easy Way to Record and Preserve Memories and Stories
What if museums and other cultural institutions offered a no fuss/no muss solution for visitors of any age or technical know-how to record their personal histories, memories, and experiences?
That’s the idea behind Story Station, the turnkey kiosk developed by Chicago Scenic that allows visitors to create short (1-3 minute) videos for curators to upload without the cost or labor of editing.
The thinking behind Story Station is – among other things – to help museums, particularly those focused on community and social history, to capture and preserve personal stories, reflections, and recollections of daily life that are increasingly at risk in today’s hyper-digital world.
If you’re in the museum field and attending the Annual Meeting and Museum Expo of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) – May 19-22 in New Orleans – please stop by Chicago Scenic’s booth #1737 to learn more about Story Station.
Story Station works with a variety of digital applications that capture the answers to customized questions. The idea is to provide museums with the ability to create a roster of relevant questions and have visitors choose one and – assisted by prompts and steps – easily record answers using a countdown clock.
To ensure that it works within a variety of museum spaces and environments, Story Station is designed to record sound with special sound-dampening audio equipment that minimizes ambient noise. That feature allows for recording throughout the day, regardless of crowd size or background noise.
Story Station can be used as a free-standing unit or in a small room. With a minimal footprint, only a small space of 6 ft x 6 ft is needed for the basic unit. For museums interested in a larger, more open space, a two- piece module offers a more enclosed environment. Both models are designed to be easily placed in spaces that intersect with your visitor traffic pattern. On casters, Story Station is super mobile.
Both versions of Story Station are easy to install, with pre-installed recording equipment and screen. The unit works with both ethernet and WIFI.
Here’s a quick summary about Story Station:
- It’s user friendly for all ages, which is particularly important for museums looking to capture the experiences and memories of senior generations who may not be tech-savvy and children who might need assistance
- It’s ADA compliant
- Flexible: Questions and screen prompts can be changed easily and as often as desired
- It produces quick, easily transferred videos for review, to keep as a record, and/or to share on social media. Cost-effective: Story Station is affordable and uniquely geared to museums of varying sizes for budgeted purchase or for sponsorship by a donor.
