On the subject of STEVE, we are doing a similar prototype trial here at the Powerhouse Museum with our Electronic Swatchbook project (http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/electronicswatchbook)
The swatchbook has a lot of high resolution public domain (in Aust) fabric swatches available for download. Unfortunately, as they come from a series of physical fabric swatchbooks they have been catalogued by the Museum as three separate books. Each book contains numerous swatches, all of which are unlabelled. We have, since the launch, been inviting users to describe the swatches. As these descriptions are added by users of the site they go into a database as search terms alongside the particular swatch record. Once we have a critical mass of descriptors then we will turn on searching which will enable searching by colour and pattern etc. We are now looking at adding similar folksonomy tools to other collection-based projects. Sebastian Chan Manager, Web Services Powerhouse Museum street - 500 Harris St Ultimo, NSW Australia postal - PO Box K346, Haymarket, NSW 1238 tel - 61 2 9217 0109 fax - 61 2 9217 0689 e - s...@phm.gov.au w - www.powerhousemuseum.com > -----Original Message----- > From: Matt Morgan [mailto:m...@concretecomputing.com] > Sent: Friday, 18 November 2005 2:20 > To: mcn-l@mcn.edu > Subject: Re: subject & keyword searching in CMS and DAMS > > This looks like a great place to plug "social tagging," (an > approach to "folksonomy," i.e., using popular terminology for subject > categorization) like what STEVE (http://steve.museum) promises. > Folksonomies are a way to address the reality that Museum and > Library professionals often use subject categorizations that > don't reflect the terms most people use when searching > online. STEVE is an open-source tool for enabling social > tagging of museum object images to create folksonomies. > > Alongside the folksonomies, I still think it's worthwhile for > museums to make their internal subject terms more public. > Exposing the insides of the Museum in a demystifying, > educational way is a great community-minded thing to do. > > Deborah Wythe wrote: > > > This doesn't make a lot of sense to me--why would museums >not< > > publish subject terms in their web/public versions of the catalog? > > Isn't the purpose of creating subjects/keywords to make the > > collections more accessible --to everyone, not just inhouse users? > > Museum staff are likely to be looking for a specific object > and have > > key data--title or accession numbers--but members of the public > > (including picture researchers who might buy our images!) > may want to > > ask a system: "show me all the cats." > > > > Deborah > > > > ----Original Message Follows---- > > From: "JanaH" <jana.h...@cartermuseum.org> > > Reply-To: mcn-l@mcn.edu > > To: mcn-l@mcn.edu > > Subject: RE: subject & keyword searching in CMS and DAMS > > Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 16:04:12 -0600 > > > > Deborah, > > > > Museums don't always publish their subject cataloging to > their websites. > > Usually only select fields are exported from the collection > management > > system, and for several reasons, the subject fields don't > make the cut. > > I think you'll find that the depth of information stored in > collection > > management systems isn't really reflected in museum websites. So I > > guess what I'm saying is that just because you don't see it > on the Web > > doesn't mean someone isn't recording that information. > > > > That said, I think most of us probably use a vocabulary > based on the > > Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT), with local terms > added where > > necessary. We don't use LCSH because they are usually too > > conceptual/vague for our needs, but maybe someone else will > weigh in > > on that? > > > > > > Jana Hill > > Collection Database Coordinator > > Amon Carter Museum > > 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd. > > Fort Worth, Texas 76107 > > 817-989-5173 > > 817-989-5179 fax > > > > All opinions are my own and not those of my employer. > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Deborah Wythe [mailto:deborahwy...@hotmail.com] > > Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 2:12 PM > > To: mcn-l@mcn.edu > > Subject: subject & keyword searching in CMS and DAMS > > > > I'm curious to know if your museum assigns formal subject headings > > and/or keywords to works of art in their collections management or > > digital asset management systems. A little poking around on the Web > > seems to indicate it's not too common -- artist name, > title, medium, > > collection, maybe a general category, yes, but something > approaching > > the depth of the subject headings used in library > catalogs--maybe no? > > > > If you do assign subject headings, which authorities are > used -- LCSH? > > AAT? > > > > Thanks, > > Deborah > > > > Deborah Wythe > > Brooklyn Museum > > Head, Digital Collections and Services 200 Eastern Parkway > Brooklyn, > > NY 11238 > > tel: 718 501 6311 > > fax: 718 501 6125 > > email: deborahwy...@hotmail.com > > > > > > > > > > > > --- > > You are currently subscribed to mcn_mcn-l as: > > jana.h...@cartermuseum.org To unsubscribe send a blank email to > > leave-mcn_mcn-l-12800...@listserver.americaneagle.com > > > > > > > > > > --- > > You are currently subscribed to mcn_mcn-l as: > deborahwy...@hotmail.com > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > > leave-mcn_mcn-l-12800...@listserver.americaneagle.com > > > > > > > > > > > > --- > > You are currently subscribed to mcn_mcn-l as: > > m...@concretecomputing.com To unsubscribe send a blank email to > > leave-mcn_mcn-l-12800...@listserver.americaneagle.com > > > --- You are currently subscribed to mcn_mcn-l as: rlancefi...@mail.wesleyan.edu To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-mcn_mcn-l-12800...@listserver.americaneagle.com
