The National Museum of Taiwan Literature has devoted its attention to
popularizing its research achievements for years. Its precious collections
have been translated into everyday language for the general public. In order
to attract visitors from a variety of communities, various approaches to
collection display, such as the use of multimedia and audio guides, have been
implemented and led to the presentation of in-depth information for visitors.
By following the recent trends of contemporary museums, the Museum aims to
shorten the distance between museum visitors and collections. Not only does
the Museum afford an enjoyable and educational experience by the use of
digitalized collections, it also continuously provides the public with
research resources and historical materials, providing visitors with better
access to literature and the ability to discover related issues. Furthermore,
this kind of activity can enhance the connections between the Museum and the
public; people would want to visit the Museum often to widen their views and
knowledge.

Hundreds of thousands of artifacts have been collected since the National
Museum of Taiwan Literature was founded. These collections contain
manuscripts, books, newspapers, journals, photos, correspondence, and objects
in relation to writers’ lives. The work of acquisition is an ongoing process.
In the meantime, the Museum has maintained the work of collection digitization
as well. Not only are the collections introduced in the series of the
Newsletter of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature, but the Museum also
presents valuable collections regularly with its series on the Essential
Collections of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and exhibitions of
donated works. By the use of publications and exhibitions, the Museum hopes to
heighten visitors’ interest in literature.

“Inaugural issue” is the selected theme of this online exhibition to
represent the glory of the publications. The collections are from the first to
fourth issues of the Essential Collections of the National Museum of Taiwan
Literature. These journals of the collections held the founders’ ideas and
concepts. On the one hand, they challenged the governmental system, and on the
other hand, they reflected the trends of the times and the voices of the
people. In other words, the foundation of the journals represented the
founders’ characters and ideals that motivated them to speak out. This
exhibition will present both the covers of the inaugural issues and brief
introductions to their contents and their times in order to trace and identify
the features of the times when the journals were developed. As a result, the
public would perceive the resounding voices that were once heard over the
collections.