Download - A Silk Purse from a Sow’s Ear
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A Silk Purse from a Sow’s Ear
Bringing NMAI Collections Information to the Web
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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
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5-year plan
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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
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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)
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To EMu or not to EMu
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Got data?
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• 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
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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
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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
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Our dirty laundry….
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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
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Wishing for the moon
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Reality bites
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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(After Launch day)
Brought to you by…
Ann McMullen, Curator
DucPhong (Ducky) Nguyen, CIS Manager