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A Silk Purse from a Sow’s Ear. Bringing NMAI Collections Information to the Web. The calm before the storm. EMu (CIS) went live in August 2006 Collections Information Program (CIP) team created to manage system and program - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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A Silk Purse from a Sow’s Ear
Bringing NMAI Collections Information to the Web
The calm before the storm• EMu (CIS) went live in August 2006• Collections Information Program (CIP)
team created to manage system and program
• Established 5-year plan for collections information and CIS development
5-year plan
The other shoe…
• Informed by senior management that ALL collections should be on the Web ASAP … 320,000+ records with sparse, inappropriate data
• Expected to use CIS operating funds or raise money
• No relief from other duties
Work on the web site AND ?• Train new users• Migrate Conservation database• Design reports• Establish new workflows for data correction and
enhancement and other work• Migrate 3+ TB of images• Establish and implement new data standards for
cataloging• Everything else• (CIP Team is five individuals, three of whom
only do it part-time)
To EMu or not to EMu
Got data?
• Internal expectations: Web 2.0 tools: social tagging,
user comments Bells and whistles: My List,
reports• Audience expectations:
Surveys to test project team’s assumptions
Unexpected results: 79% wanted to know how the museum got the stuff
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
Rome wasn’t built in a day• Managing expectations:
5000 records by launch Fix records with most information first
(items previously published/exhibited) All items must have images Tombstone data only No bells and whistles A database on the Web, not an online
exhibit
Ending “Garbage In, Garbage Out”• Data cleanup:
Standardize and scrub Materials, Sites, Techniques
Standardize Ethnology and Archaeology Culture via thesauri; Object Type and Object ID structure
Ongoing Parties cleanup (scrub duplicates, implement standards)
Enhance records with published references, exhibit, and other data
• Tools: Develop re-identification tools for
Culture, Object ID, Associated Parties Metadata tabs
Our dirty laundry….
The devil is in the details• Define roles:
KE handles export Mediatrope handles import, website
functions and design NMAI staff responsible for technical
specifications, content, usability issues• Develop tools and workflows:
Metadata tabs in EMu Build Web-friendly data formats
(Culture, ID, Parties) Mark what doesn’t go to the Web
Wishing for the moon
Reality bites
Thesaurus-izing
• Realized (too late): Special characters need specific XML tagging Culture thesaurus wasn’t as friendly as we thought How invalid terms might appear or be searched Tree searches require lots of finagling Multi-level hierarchies and general high-level terms
may require adding non-functional sub-levels so they make sense to users
No room/time for excuses
• Define data cleanup using globals• Select initial record group (items
previously published or exhibited)• Analyze and develop standards for
fields that will go on the Web (Culture, Materials, Techniques)
• Determine all standards before beginning implementation
• Research, correct, and enhance data, including collection history (July to present, 2800 records: 5 to 20 minutes per record)
CIWeb Project TimetableAugust 2006: Project assignmentSeptember 2006 - May 2007: Wrote grant application,
discussed requirements, conducted surveyMay 2007: Change in technical directionSeptember – November 2007: Selected web vendor;
determined site architectureNovember 2007 – March 2008: Discovery phase – prepared
specifications; conducted surveyApril 2008: Upgraded to EMu 3.2.04 (new tools and features
for project)May 2008: Prototype delivered; server purchase & setupJuly 2008-now: Revisited specifications; correct/enhance
records, testing, aesthetic redesign, tweaksFebruary 2, 2009: anticipated site launch
Back to the drawing board…
• You can’t see some problems in functionality and content until you see a beta version
• Too much focus on functionality can lead to clunky design
• Good design can do the heavy-lifting for navigation and functionality
Crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s
• Quality Control is crucial• Manual/Visual checks• Reports to find missed data • Marking everything for
publication to the Web MM records Parties Thesaurus values Sites Records, etc.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda• Agree on a site architecture early• Allow adequate time for planning, thinking-through, and decision-making • Assign roles and responsibilities• Don’t build too many tools• Build a prototype first • Ongoing maintenance: you’ll have to do it, so keep it in mind
(After Launch day)
Brought to you by…
Ann McMullen, Curator
McMullenA@si.edu
DucPhong (Ducky) Nguyen, CIS Manager
NguyenD@si.edu
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