Trending MCN: Fifty Years of Museum Computing Conferences and Community

Established in 1967, the Museum Computer Network (MCN) supports an international community of museum professionals who are interested in the design, development, and use of information technologies in museums. Since 1968, MCN has hosted regular conferences for its members, providing a space where museum professionals from around the world can assemble for professional development, networking, and educational opportunities related to museum computing. This paper presents an analysis of five decades of MCN conference programs to determine how the evolution of the MCN conference from 1968 to 2017 reflects a corresponding co‐evolution of MCN as a professional organization. The results document the historical development of MCN as a community of practice, and show how the MCN conference has informed, engaged, and inspired museum professionals over the last 50 years.