State reconstruction

Software reconstructs a selected state by examining relevant events, effective intervals, revisions, access rules. Staff identify the time and question before preparing the account. The result can be partial when an earlier event or source is missing.

To describe the camera during the second Housewarming, software examines receipt, location changes, condition observations, permission decisions, available public accounts. Staff distinguish the history available at that time from information learned later. A subsequent correction may change the current interpretation of an earlier event while preserving the fact of the earlier published account where appropriate.

Researchers can then investigate how a visitor's information differed from a curator's later knowledge. Temporal relations, object state, disclosure support the account. Staff indicate uncertain or unavailable parts rather than filling them with an assumed continuous history.