DIY Museums Collections Online
Rick Lawrence
Digital Media Officer
Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery
Starting point - museum redevelopment 2008 -2012
Plan A
Aimed to create a digital asset management system drawing selected data from internal collections database exporting to a website and connecting to an online print sales system…
…But difficulty with importing internal data into off the shelf online system, DAMS not materialising, running costs of a print on demand website, secure hosting and licensing costs were all too much
Why Do It Yourself?
Plan B - with added experience
Focus on using staff time effectively
Use selected data with descriptions and images
Include URLs for records and images
Build in API
Build in commenting
Build in saving and sharing
Check it works with aggregators
Online sales
Consider IP and CC licence
Plan ahead for new features
Partnership and planning
Arts Council England’s Major Partner Museum funding for RAMM and
Plymouth Museum & Art Gallery enabled the work
Royal Cornwall Museum and the Museum of Somerset included in creative process
Part of MPM leadership role and now able to offer an online resource to other South West Museums
Not only individual museum collections – Devon Museums Group next collection
to add and includes 77 museums
Putting it into action - search
Does the search work for the general visitor and specialist?
Putting it into action - themes
Using the database ourselves – themes for sharing, supporting activities and linking to
Getting interactive – comments
Getting interactive – social media
Getting interactive – save and share
Open wide – letting others use your data
And use it in the museum - iPads and kiosks
Dude, where’s my data?
Adding partners
Mobile, research and more to come!