A gem of a local museum that has its roots all the way back in 1889 is now available for viewing in the most 2022 way possible — virtually, from wherever you have an internet connection, on whatever device you prefer.

The Charles Whipple Greene Museum at the George Hail Library is home to a number of intriguing relics, garnered from many generations of Warren families and donors who saw the importance of preserving pieces of the history that tells the story of the town. From Native American artifacts, to intricately carved scrimshaw, captains logs of whaling vessels, and vintage firefighting gear, stepping into the museum is a worthwhile step back in time for any Warrenite.

And now you don’t even need to step into the museum itself to explore the fascinating collection. The library team — consisting of director Chris Matos, reference librarian Carol Shedd (whom is credited as the mastermind behind the project), and Cataloging & Special Collections Librarian Robin Fitzpatrick — has finalized a 3D virtual tour of the museum, with exhibits available for viewing digitally that also include detailed breakouts of the item’s origin and historical significance.

“A lot of people know the museum is here, but a significant number of people don’t,” said Shedd. Matos added, “This is a nice way that we can open it up to everybody.”

The free tour is available by navigating to Tours.GeorgeHail.org, which will take you to a view from the entrance of the museum with a dashboard full of links on the left hand side. You can click and drag your screen to look around, clicking on arrows to guide you throughout the museum, or jump to a specific item that intrigues you.

Currently, the “featured items” column on the left contains additional information on each item, and that list will continue to grow as more of the items are uploaded and catalogued. In addition to opening up the museum to those who may not be able to access it physically, the online tour serves as a kind of digital archive of the museum.

Shedd made sure to include a guest book on the website (located at the bottom of the menu on the left side) so that users may leave comments on how to improve the experience.

There will be a reception scheduled this fall (date to be determined) at the library for the public to see the virtual tour on the big screen, and to learn more and take a tour of the Museum. The project was made possible in part by a grant from the RI Office of Library & Information Services using funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The photographer and website design was performed by James Wolloff.