The National Gallery goes hi‐tech

The Micro Gallery is an ambitious project to allow public access to the National Gallery's catalogue of holdings, and much other information on paintings, periods, artists and locations, via large format touch screen VDUs and image processing software. The system is designed to be used by the inexperienced. Images of paintings and other information may be printed for a small fee; tour maps showing locations of selected paintings may be printed without charge. The article describes the use of the system as well as outlining the background to the project and its development.