Dear All,
Sorry to encumber your email, but I though that an interesting stream
occurring right now on mcn-l would be of interest....
Cheers,
-- jack
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jack Robertson || Foundation Librarian
Jefferson Library || Thomas Jefferson Foundation
PO Box 316 Charlottesville, VA 22902
(434) 984-7545 || http://www.monticello.org/library
-----Original Message-----
From: Matt Morgan [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 10:20 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
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" <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 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:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 2:12 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 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: [log in to unmask]
>
>
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Rippy [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 10:13 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: subject & keyword searching in CMS and DAMS
Deborah,
I think alot of the issue is we are at the beginning of public use of
collections in the same way we search for books.
Here at the IMA we are currently working on a project with our Education
Resources departmet to include subject heading in our cataloguing of our
objects. Being a VRA member and accredited librarian she is the best
person suited to establish the criteria for subject cataloguing of our
collection. Since her departments responsibiltiy is to the public she
will keep a perspective of user need in mind when creating this
resource.
Being aware of subject cataloging developments for museums (which, from
what I have seen, is still reletively new when compared to libraries),
such as the effort by the Visual Resources Association
(http://www.vraweb.org) and the Getty (http://www.getty.edu) called
Cataloguing Cultural Objects, CCO
(http://www.vraweb.org/ccoweb/index.html) will begin to get museum
subject cataloguing at the level of libraries. In the CCO they
establish guidelines using established thesauri such as AAT and TGN.
Using these thesauri as a base we plan to expand using some local terms
but without harming the AAT or TGN structure within our system.
Ive also heard of other museums in your area beginnig to bring their
patrons input straight into their system establishing a kind of subject
heading or more appropriately "keywording" for each object.
If your really looking for some structure and guidance, I would contact
someone at the Visual Resources Association. Our Education Resource
Coordinator (I hope that is the right title), is an active member of VRA
so we get our guidance from her. Maybe get someone on staff signed up
as a member?
Mike.
Michael Rippy
Assistant Photographer
Indianapolis Museum of Art
4000 Michigan Road
Indianapolis, IN, USA 46208-3326
(317)920-2662 ext.191
www.ima-art.org
[log in to unmask]
>>> [log in to unmask] 11/17/05 9:31 AM >>>
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" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
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.
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