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Ellis Island kiosks enable visitors to discover immigrant ancestors

A trip to Ellis Island is a trip through America's rich history of immigration. Now, visitors will be able to use kiosks to discover information on immigration and discover their ancestors who passed through Ellis Island.

March 16, 2016 by Laura Miller — Director of Marketing, Kioware

A trip to Ellis Island is a trip through America's rich immigration history but it is certainly one that seamlessly integrates modern technology into the experience. Visitors to the museum are able to listen to individual audio tours (lasting 45 minutes) via headphones, view digital signage of particular interactive displays, and interact with a registration kiosk along the way. This integration of the old and the new is done throughout the museum, providing visitors with a glimpse into the past through the eyes of those who came before.

American Family Immigration History Center Kiosks

The museum is located in the main building of the former immigration station complex. With the completion of "The Journey: New Eras of Immigration" section of the museum, which opened in 2015, the American Family Immigration History Center® (AFIHC) was also modernized and remodeled. The AFIHC allows visitors to explore the collection of immigrant arrival records stored in the Ellis Island Archives. To help support the AFIHC and Ellis Island's Immigration Museum, there are a number of kiosks set up to accept donations. This donation area is accessible to the right of the main entrance, and the kiosks are secured with kiosk software. The kiosks, which allow for searching The American Immigrant Wall of Honor, adding a name to the wall, and donating to The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation are easily accessible when you first enter the museum, in the Baggage Room.

The cabinetry is custom made using Windows 7 workstation. In addition to looking for a person on the Wall of Honor, adding a name to the wall and donating to the Foundation, the kiosks also allow you to obtain a visitation certificate or view wayfinding maps. This kiosk project was led by The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation's Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Thomas Tolentino, and implemented by the foundation's technical team.

A number of additional kiosks are located in the AFIHC in order to allow visitors to schedule research time, or request a certificate of visitation. The kiosks also allow visitors to sponsor a listing on the Wall of Honor. The American Immigrant Wall of Honor is a permanent exhibit of individual or family names, and is the only place in the US where an individual can honor his or her family heritage at a National Monument.

The AFIHC opened in 2001 and kiosks were added to the exhibit during the expansion and renovation that took place to expand the museum's immigration reach and to recover from damage done by Hurricane Sandy in 2013. Between the two interactive kiosk displays, there are 25 kiosks secured with KioWareClassic Basic. The kiosk hardware for the AFIHC is the OleaMetrolite kiosk with a receipt printer and credit card reader.

The AFIHC Kiosk User Experience

The AFIHC touchscreen kiosks provide visitors with the option to reserve a search session (with the help of an Ellis Island staff member), in order to search for individual Ellis Island arrivals. These records can also be accessed online from your home if you did an onsite session, or by registering for free at www. LibertyEllisFoundation.org.

The second option offered is to commemorate a visit by requesting a free certificate. When visitors click to reserve a session, they come to a screen with additional questions. By entering your first or given name and last or family name, as well as an email address, you are offered the opportunity to schedule a 30 minute search session at a cost of $7.00. This allows users to access manifest records to Ellis Island and the Port of NY from 1892-1957. These records can also be accessed online from your home.

If you select the "Commemorate your visit," option, your next screen allows for the entering of your first or given name and last or family name, your email address, and your country. This allows you to register your visit and subsequently have your free Ellis Island digital visitor certificate emailed to you. You are able to select if you want one for yourself or for your family.

Below is a sample certificate received immediately via email.

A Glimpse of the Past via the Technology of Today

The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation offers an exciting and emotional glimpse into the past and the lives of those who have immigrated to the US, all with the use of the most updated in kiosk and self-service technology.

And the screen you see upon concluding your interaction:

The thank you screen allows you to print the transaction page, make a donation, or return home. Once this page is viewed, the kiosk is automatically redirected to the home page (scheduled for 1 minute, in order to allow users enough time to make a decision or walk away).