臺灣文學虛擬博物館

The National Museum of Taiwan Literature has devoted its attention to popularizing its research achievements for years. Its precious collections have been translated into everyday language for the general public. In order to attract visitors from a variety of communities, various approaches to collection display, such as the use of multimedia and audio guides, have been implemented and led to the presentation of in-depth information for visitors. By following the recent trends of contemporary museums, the Museum aims to shorten the distance between museum visitors and collections. Not only does the Museum afford an enjoyable and educational experience by the use of digitalized collections, it also continuously provides the public with research resources and historical materials, providing visitors with better access to literature and the ability to discover related issues. Furthermore, this kind of activity can enhance the connections between the Museum and the public; people would want to visit the Museum often to widen their views and knowledge.

Hundreds of thousands of artifacts have been collected since the National Museum of Taiwan Literature was founded. These collections contain manuscripts, books, newspapers, journals, photos, correspondence, and objects in relation to writers’ lives. The work of acquisition is an ongoing process. In the meantime, the Museum has maintained the work of collection digitization as well. Not only are the collections introduced in the series of the Newsletter of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature, but the Museum also presents valuable collections regularly with its series on the Essential Collections of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and exhibitions of donated works. By the use of publications and exhibitions, the Museum hopes to heighten visitors’ interest in literature.

“Inaugural issue” is the selected theme of this online exhibition to represent the glory of the publications. The collections are from the first to fourth issues of the Essential Collections of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature. These journals of the collections held the founders’ ideas and concepts. On the one hand, they challenged the governmental system, and on the other hand, they reflected the trends of the times and the voices of the people. In other words, the foundation of the journals represented the founders’ characters and ideals that motivated them to speak out. This exhibition will present both the covers of the inaugural issues and brief introductions to their contents and their belonging times in order to trace and identify the features of the times when the journals were developed. As a result, the public would perceive the resounding voices that were once heard over the collections.