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Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

  • 1.  Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-22-2023 05:09 PM

    Is there a standard way for museums to share information about the artifacts in their collections with researchers, peer museums, and the public at large?

    I've recently spoken with staff at three different museums who mentioned that, while they have CMSs, they lack a standard way to share things like images and associated knowledge outside of their institutions. They do, of course, have their own websites but this hardly creates a standardized, global, centralized way to search for knowledge. I am a database expert who has worked with some museums. I'm exploring whether this is widely considered a big problem and, if so, whether it is worth solving.

    If you have any thoughts on the subject, please add your comments to this thread. I'm especially interested in speaking with museum professionals who can talk about this problem. If you're up for a quick conversation, you can reach me at Benjamin.Taub@OneGoldenRecord.com.

    Thank you so much for your help!

    Ben



    ------------------------------
    Benjamin Taub, CEO
    Dataspace
    benjamin.taub@onegoldenrecord.com
    Ann Arbor MI
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-22-2023 07:22 PM

    DPLA is one (Digital Public Library of America) is one.  But, I know there are others.

     

    Lana Newhart-Kellen

    Collections & Facilities Manager/Purdue Galleries

    Patti & Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art & Performance

    Harrison Hall/HARR C-14B

    107 MacArthur Drive

    West Lafayette IN 47906

    765-496-2816

    ljnewhar@purdue.edu

     






  • 3.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-23-2023 02:58 PM

    Thank you for the info, Lana. It's a good starting point for me. It seems that DPLA focuses more on libraries than museums. Do you know if any museums publish information about their collections to DPLA? If not, why?

    Thanks again!

    Ben



    ------------------------------
    Benjamin Taub, CEO
    benjamin.taub@onegoldenrecord.com
    Ann Arbor MI
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-23-2023 03:36 PM
    I did find the Smithsonian on DPLA listed as a partner.  They have over 7 million records on DPLA.  There are also a lot of state, county and small non-profit institutions on their site.

    Lana Newhart-Kellen
    Collections/Facilities Manager
    Purdue Galleries
    Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art & Performance
    552 W. Wood Street
    West Lafayette IN 47907
    765-496-2816

    Sent from my iPad



    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-27-2023 12:27 PM

    Thanks again, Lana. I looked into DPLA and it does seem to do quite a bit of what I was thinking of.  I really appreciate your followup.

    Ben



    ------------------------------
    Benjamin Taub, CEO
    benjamin.taub@onegoldenrecord.com
    Ann Arbor MI
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-29-2023 11:15 AM
    Benjamin,

    Perhaps there is some inspiration and practical information to be gleaned from iDigBio https://www.idigbio.org/ . Description from the project website:

    "Welcome to Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio), the National Resource for Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC) funded by the National Science Foundation. Through ADBC, data and images for millions of biological specimens are being made available in electronic format for the research community, government agencies, students, educators, and the general public."

     I know my last museum was able to add records from PastPerfect. To see how it functions, give it a test search for, say, your favorite animal or plant here https://www.idigbio.org/portal (select "all records", unless you can remember and spell the scientific name.)

    Betsy

    --
    Betsy Loring
    she/her/hers
    expLoring exhibits & engagement, LLC
    6 Farnum Street
    Worcester, MA 01602

    Phone: +1 (978) 618 - 9673





    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-22-2023 11:48 PM
    Hi,
    It sounds to me like you should look into the following:
    Dublin Core
    Spectrum
    Making Up the Rules: New Documentation Standards for Canadian Museums
    Core standards for art and historical collections

    On the other hand, some museums decide to band together and share their data in the same software.  This doesn't quite answer your question but copying your data of whatever system you have into one available to all is one possible solution.
    SaskCollections
    NovaMuse

    Happy reading...

    --

    Jean-Luc Vincent


    Administrateur du SIA
    Direction, Archéologie , Collections et Conservation
    Direction générale des affaires autochtones et du patrimoine culturel
    Parcs Canada, Gouvernement du Canada
    2630, chemin Sheffield, Ottawa, Ontario, K1B 3V7
    Messages: jeanluc.vincent.parcsparks@gmail.com / Cell. non fiable 613-720-4418 / Fax 613-990-6627

    Je travail dans le territoire non cédé et non rendu du peuple Anishinaabe ou Algonquin.

    AIS Administrator
    Archaeology, Collections and Curatorial Branch
    Indigenous Affairs and Cultural Heritage Directorate
    Parks Canada, Government of Canada
    2630 Sheffield Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1B 3V7
    Messages: jeanluc.vincent.parcsparks@gmail.com / Cell. unreliable 613-720-4418 / Fax 613-990-6627

    I work in the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe or Algonquin people.


    450 000 km2 de souvenirs     / 450 000 km2 of memories






  • 8.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-23-2023 03:22 PM

    Thank you very much, Jean-Luc! These are quite interesting. The SaskCollections and Novamuse sites are close to what I have in mind.

    These strike me as applicable but point to the problem I'm exploring. A researcher, studying some problem that might be addressed in various places around the world, would have to know about and visit these two sites in order to access their contents. There might be a thousand other sites they also need to access to do a complete study. Couldn't this be solved by creating a global archive, like what these are doing on a local basis? If so, why hasn't it been done yet? Is it really a problem?

    Thank you once again for taking the time to provide your input. I do appreciate it!

    Ben



    ------------------------------
    Benjamin Taub, CEO
    benjamin.taub@onegoldenrecord.com
    Ann Arbor MI
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-23-2023 04:14 PM

    Hi again,

    There is also Artefacts Canada but I hadn't included them because it is not collection software per say and it is super basic, although it has a lot of object records.  It is also extra to whatever system the museum might have.  Any museum-type organisation of any size in Canada can contribute the data that they want;  anyone in the world can consult the records.

    https://app.pch.gc.ca/application/artefacts_hum/indice_index.app?lang=en





    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-27-2023 12:31 PM

    Thank you, Jean-Luc! It is an interesting site. As far as I could tell, your assessment of it being 'basic' is accurate.

    Thanks again!

    Ben



    ------------------------------
    Benjamin Taub, CEO
    benjamin.taub@onegoldenrecord.com
    Ann Arbor MI
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-23-2023 12:08 PM
    Hi Ben,
    We've actually had a lot of museum clients express how grateful they are to Artwork Archive (our CMS) because they can easily, consistently and professionally share information directly from their collection management system. They use Private Rooms, various reporting and direct researchers to their Public Profile (a public portal of information they've decided to make public) which can be embedded onto their website.

    Private Rooms have been very popular because they allow for collaboration and asynchronous communication. Recipients of the information can favorite pieces (great for loan discussions) and send messages. And, the museum can track what they sent and when from within their CMS.

    I can connect you with some museums that have done this.

    All the best,
    Elysian

    --

    Elysian McNiff Koglmeier (she/her)
    Head of Growth
    Artwork Archive

    Part Time Hours
    Online: Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays





  • 12.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-23-2023 03:31 PM

    Thank you so much for your note, Elysian,

    Your software looks very cool! 

    I can understand how the private rooms and the ability to provide hyperlinks to interested parties could be quite useful. I wonder, though, has anybody taken the next step; centralizing the data from all customers on your CMS and from customers on competing CMSs into one, global database that could be used by researchers, students, and the general public around the world? Perhaps akin to a Wikipedia but structured specifically for museum collection data?

    Please let me know if you have any thoughts on the question.

    Thank you!

    Ben



    ------------------------------
    Benjamin Taub, CEO
    benjamin.taub@onegoldenrecord.com
    Ann Arbor MI
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-24-2023 08:13 AM

    Hello, just a note - not all information can or should be shared, especially if there are sacred or ceremonial protocols involved in the knowledge - plenty of articles online about this. Just to keep in mind - UNDRIP and the OCAP Principles and community directions need to be centred for any Indigenous belongings and knowledge. 



    ------------------------------
    Laura Phillips
    PhD (Cultural Studies), Queen's University
    Lecturer, ischool, University of Toronto

    Grateful to live on land stolen from Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek Nations
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-27-2023 12:32 PM

    Point taken, Laura. Thank you for raising it.

    Ben



    ------------------------------
    Benjamin Taub, CEO
    benjamin.taub@onegoldenrecord.com
    Ann Arbor MI
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 15.  RE: Techniques for Sharing Collection Information

    Posted 03-30-2023 11:28 AM

    Hi Ben,

    A lot depends on the disciplinary focus of the museum/museum collection. In the natural history collections world, there has been quite a lot of focus given to making collections accessible, particularly through online resources. Check out Arctos, for instance, which we use. This is an online collections management system that provides free, public online access. There is a lot of information on its website about data standards, following Darwin Core. The Global Biodiversity Research Facility is a world-wide biodiversity data aggregator with raw data of physical specimens as well as observational data records from institutions around the world. There are others such as iDigBio, VertNet, and Symbiota (not a comprehensive list). 

    Dawn



    ------------------------------
    Dawn Roberts
    Senior Director of Collections
    Chicago Academy of Sciences / Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
    Chicago IL
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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