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