"Toolbook": multimedia authoring software for Windows, used in the Palaeontological Museum, Oslo (Norway)

Competition between museums and different video/computer/television entertainment systems will force museums to adapt new technology in their exhibitions. Multimedia, a new concept involving computers with information in the form of text, pictures, sound and video, is one approach to the competition from other electronic media. Several multimedia titles on CD-rom are available, and can be installed on computers for use by the museum visitors. Such commercial titles are usually of very high standard, and include topics such as dinosaurs, mammals, birds, and aspects of the human body. A major disadvantage for non-English speaking countries, is the fact that most commercial titles are in English. An IBM compatible PC, with software for Windows, was placed in the exhibition of the Palaeontological Museum in Oslo, and multimedia software was created by the museum staff (not computer specialists). The package "ToolBook" from Asymetrix (USA) was chosen as authoring software because of its strong capabilities in building multimedia presentations (e.g. its object oriented programming approach, advanced programming language and interaction with other Windows applications).