A computer museum is devoted to the study of historic computer hardware and software, where a “museum” is a “permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates, and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and enjoyment”, as defined by the International Council of Museums.
Some computer museums exist within larger institutions, such as the Science Museum in London, United Kingdom; and the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany. Others are dedicated specifically to computing, such as: the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, United States. the American Computer & Robotics Museum in Bozeman, Montana, United States. the Heinz Nixdorf Forum (HNF) in Paderborn, Germany. The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park, United Kingdom. The Centre for Computing History in Cambridge, United Kingdom the Nexon Computer Museum in Jeju Province. South Korea.
Some specialize in the early history of computing, others in the era that started with the first personal computers such as the Apple I and Altair 8800, Apple II systems, older Mac models, Amiga, IBM PCs and rarer computers such as the Osborne 1. Some concentrate more on research and conservation, others more on education and entertainment. There are also private collections, most of which can be visited by appointment. Asia Israel The Israeli Personal Computer Museum, Haifa Japan IPSJ Computer Museum - A virtual museum by IPSJ, an academic society of information processing in Japan,IPSJ Computer Museum and its satellite museums and affiliated physical computer museums ("satellite museums") all over Japan, such as: KCG Computer Museum, Kyoto - a computer museum by KCG, an education institutionKCG Computer Museum Microcomputer Museum in Ōme,_Tokyo Tokyo University of Science Museum of Science's "History of the Computer"Museum of Science, TUC
South Korea Nexon Computer Museum
Oceania Australia The Australian Computer Museum Society, Inc, NSW - very large collection The Nostalgia Box, Perth - Video Game Museum Powerhouse Museum - Has Computer Exhibit Monash Museum of Computing History, Monash University
New Zealand Techvana, Auckland
Europe
Belgium Computermuseum NAM-IP, Namur Unisys Computermuseum, Haren (Brussels)
Croatia Peek&Poke, Rijeka
Czech Republic Technical museum in Brno - Computer Technology Retro Computer, Žatec Muzeum počítačové techniky, Higher Education College Žďár nad Sázavou Arcade Hry, Červený Újezd (arcade video games) Game World, Prague (arcade video games)
Denmark
Dansk Datahistorisk Forening, Hedehusene
Estonia
Arvutimuuseum, Tallinn Side ja Laptopi muuseum, Võrumaa, Rõuge vald, Mustahamba küla Finland Rupriikki Media Museum, Tampere Finnish Museum of Games, Tampere The Computer Shop 1984 build by The Computer Museum of Kallio, Helsinki
France ACONIT, Grenoble , Paris FEB, Angers Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris Musée de l'imprimerie, Lyon AMISA : Association pour un Musée de l'informatique, Sophia Antipolis INRIA : Institut national de recherche en Informatique et Automatique, Montbonnot-Saint-Martin Silicium, Toulouse
Germany Computerspielemuseum Berlin, Berlin - Video Game Museum Arithmeum, Bonn - Comprehensive collection of historical calculating machines BINARIUM, Dortmund - Video Game and Personal Computer Museum Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum, Paderborn Computermuseum der Fakultät Informatik, University of Stuttgart Oldenburger Computer-Museum, Oldenburg Computeum, Vilshofen, with a selection from the Munich Computer Warehouse, Private Collection Deutsches Museum, Munich - Large computer collection in their Communications exhibit technikum29 living museum, Frankfurt - Re-opened in January 2020. Computerarchiv Muenchen, Munich - Computer, Video Games and Magazine Archive Computermuseum der Fachhochschule Kiel, Kiel :de:Analog Computer Museum, Bad Schwalbach / Hettenhain - Large collection of analog computers, working and under restoration.
Greece Hellenic IT Museum, in Athens
Ireland Computer and Communications Museum of Ireland, National University of Ireland
Italy Museo dell'Informatica Funzionante, Palazzolo Acreide (Siracusa) Museo del Computer, via per Occhieppo, 29, 13891 Camburzano (Biella) Museo Interattivo di Archeologia Informatica, Cosenza UNESCO Computer Museum, Padua All About Apple Museum, Savona Piedmontese Museum of Informatics, Turin VIGAMUS, Rome - Video Game Museum Tecnologic@mente, Ivrea Museum of Computing Machinery, Pisa IMuC - Computer Museum Messina, Messina
Lithuania Retrobytes cafe - vintage computers gallery, Kaunas
The Netherlands The Apple Museum, Utrecht Bonami SpelComputer Museum, Zwolle Computer Museum Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam Computermuseum Hack42, Arnhem HomeComputerMuseum, Helmond Rotterdams Radio Museum, Rotterdam
Poland Muzeum Historii Komputerów i Informatyki, Katowice Muzeum Gry i Komputery Minionej Ery (Muzeum Gier), Wrocław Apple Muzeum Polska, Piaseczno
Portugal
LOAD ZX Spectrum Museum, Cantanhede Museu Faraday, IST - Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisboa Nostalgica - Museu de Videojogos e tecnologia, Lisboa Museu dos Computadores Inforap, Braga Museu Virtual da Informática, Universidade do Minho, Braga Museu das Comunicações, Lisboa Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência - Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa
Romania Retro IT, Arad
Russia Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines, Moscow Yandex Museum, Moscow Yandex Museum, Saint-Petersburg Moscow Apple Museum Antimuseum of Computers and Games, Yekaterinburg Museum of Dmitriy Bachilo, Novosibirsk IT Museum of Perm University, Perm Cyber museum, Murom
Slovenia Computer History Museum Slovenia, Ljubljana
Slovakia Computer Museum SAV, Bratislava http://www.vystava.sav.sk
Spain Computer Museum Garcia Santesmases (MIGS), Complutense University Museum of Informatics, Polytechnic University of Valencia Museo de la Historia de la Computacion, Cáceres
Sweden Dalby Datormuseum, Dalby on the island Aspö north of Strängnäs
Switzerland Musée Bolo, Lausanne Enter Museum, Solothurn
Ukraine Software & Computer Museum, Kyiv, Kharkiv
United Kingdom Northwest Computer Museum, Leigh, Greater Manchester The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park The Centre for Computing History, Cambridge Retro Computer Museum, Leicester Science Museum, London, London National Archive for the History of Computing, University of Manchester National Videogame Arcade, Nottingham Museum of Computing, Swindon Time Line Computer Archive, Wigton The Micro Museum, Ramsgate Home Computer Museum, Hull IBM Hursley Museum, Hursley Derby Computer Museum The ICL Computer Museum (UK)
See also: Computer Conservation Society
North America
Canada Manitoba Manitoba Computer & Gaming Museum , Winnipeg
Ontario Personal Computer Museum, Brantford University of Waterloo Computer Museum, Waterloo, Ontario Vintage Computer Museum, Toronto, Ontario York University Computer Museum or YUCoM, York University
Quebec EMusée, Montreal iMusée, Montreal
Saskatchewan University of Saskatchewan Computer Museum
United States Arizona Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and Computation, Glendale, Arizona
California Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California DigiBarn Computer Museum, Boulder Creek, California Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment, Oakland, California The Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose, California Intel Museum, Santa Clara, California
D.C. Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.
Georgia Mimms Museum of Technology and Art, Roswell, Georgia Museum of Technology at Middle Georgia State University, Macon, Georgia
Kansas The Topeka Computing Museum, Topeka, Kansas - Now being liquidated, online archive only.
Maryland System Source Computer Museum, Hunt Valley, Maryland
Minnesota Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota
Montana American Computer & Robotics Museum, Bozeman, Montana
New Jersey Vintage Computer Federation Museum, Wall, New Jersey
New York The Strong, International Center for the History of Electronic Games, Rochester, NY - Focus on Retrogaming but many games are on vintage personal computers.
Ohio Dayton Computer Museum, Riverside, Ohio - From 600 B.C. to the present. Examples of every Computer Generation with many from the beginning of personal computers. Not only the artifact, but the history, what does it do and how does it do it? A project of the Dayton Microcomputer Association.
Pennsylvania Kennett Classic Computer Museum, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania Large Scale Systems Museum, New Kensington, Pennsylvania The Computer History Learning Center aka The Computer Church, Parkesburg, Pennsylvania
Rhode Island Rhode Island Computer Museum, Warwick, Rhode Island
Texas National Videogame Museum, Frisco, Texas
Virginia U.Va. Computer Museum, University of Virginia Virginia Computer Museum
Washington Living Computers: Museum + Labs, Seattle, Washington - Closed in 2020, liquidated in 2024. Microsoft Visitor Center, Redmond, Washington The Interim Computer Museum, Tukwila, Washington
Wisconsin Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin - Exhibit offering "Seymour Cray and The Supercomputer"
South America Argentina Espacio TEC, Bahia Blanca Museo de Informática UNPA-UARG, Río Gallegos Museo de Informática de la República Argentina - Fundación ICATEC (closed), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires
Brasil Museu Capixaba do Computador, Vitória/ES Museu do Computador, São Paulo/SP
Online MV Museu de Tecnologia (Brazil) Old Computer Museum San Diego Computer Museum - Physical objects were donated to the San Diego State University Library, but still does online exhibits Obsolete Computer Museum Old-Computers.com HP Computer Museum Early Office Museum IBM Archives EveryMac.com Bitsavers.org - Software and Document Archive TAM (The Apple Museum) - Apple Computers and Products Rewind Museum - Virtual museum with traveling physical exhibits The Computer Collector New Computer Museum IPSJ Computer Museum - Computers of Japan Freeman PC Museum FEMICOM Museum - Femininity in 20th century Video games, computers and electronic toys Home Computer Museum Malware Museum - Malware programs from the 80's and 90's that have been stripped of their destructive properties. History Computers KASS Computer Museum - A computer history museum & private collection Russian Virtual Computer Museum - a history of Soviet Computers from the late 1940s Soviet Digital Electronics Museum - a museum of Soviet electronic calculators, PCs and some other devices Development of Computer Science and Technologies in Ukraine - Ukrainian virtual Computer Museum Spectrum Generation collection, supporting the LOAD ZX Spectrum Museum in Portugal Home Computer Museum UK Vintage Mac Museum - Now a part of the American Computer & Robotics Museum in Bozeman, Montana.
See also Computer museum List of video game museums List of science museums Computer Conservation Society (UK) History of computer hardware IT History Society Retrocomputing Vintage Computer Festival held annually in Mountain View, California, and elsewhere Technology museum
Further reading Bell, Gordon (2011). Out of a Closet: The Early Years of the Computer Museums. Microsoft Technical Report MSR-TR-2011-44. Bruemmer, Bruce H. (1987). Resources for the History of Computing: A Guide to U.S. & Canadian Records. Charles Babbage Institute. Cortada, James W. (1990). Archives of Data-Processing History: A Guide to Major U.S. Collections. Greenwood
References