Collections-level Description A National Perspective Susi Woodhouse Senior

Collections-level Description: A National Perspective Susi Woodhouse, Senior Network Adviser Nick Poole, ICT Adviser Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries

Who are we…? • Susi Woodhouse – Senior Network Adviser • Nick Poole – ICT Adviser

Agenda • Resource and CLDs • Building from Enrich. UK • Cornucopia – cultural sector collections • Cecilia – music collections map • New directions • Next steps

Resource and CLDs • Fundamental basis for advocacy: the riches of the cultural sector reaching out to all • An instrument to inform strategic planning locally, regionally and nationally • Learning and Access • Levering economic advantage

Resource and CLDs • Publicity and promotion • Collection management • Workforce development • Financial planning

Enrich. UK • Provides a mechanism across the programme to enable: – Seamless, user-focused access to materials – resource discovery at project and programme level of relevance to users – resource discovery across NOF projects and other bodies of digital materials – resource discovery across NOF projects and CLDs of “traditional” materials (books, papers, artefacts)

Building from Enrich. UK • Largest body of digital materials available: huge potential • Cross-sectoral in nature (cultural, education, voluntary, health, leisure) • Informs direction for: – – – Framework for the Future Common Information Environment Curriculum Online Empowering the Learning Community 24 Hour Museum

Enrich. UK and F 4 F • Digital Citizenship • Moving Peoples Network from Project to Product – Exploring Sense of Place – Building Virtual Exhibitions – Learning Journeys – The books and reading/ICT interface

Cornucopia • UK-wide database of collections • 1884 basic records, over 2500 collections • Four English regions remaining • Great range and depth of information

Cornucopia • Technology and terminology dated from before the RSLP schema – need to implement the lessons learned from the CD Focus • Considering new technologies and approaches to service delivery • Developing solutions for interoperability – enabling cross-searching of Cornucopia CLDs – 24 Hour Museum Metasearch pilot project

Cornucopia • Incorporates data from the LASER survey of special library collections • Deep-links to ARCHON database of archival collections • Will link to subject portals (eg. Archaeology, Natural Sciences etc. ) • http: //www. cornucopia. org. uk

Exemplar project - Cecilia • High-level map of national music resources of international significance • A starting point for users to explore further • A key piece of the cultural sector jig-saw • A focus for other music projects: Encore, Ensemble, MLO, RISM et al • The foundation stone for IAML (UK & Irl) strategic planning

Cecilia – Scope of the project • Cross domain: museums, libraries, archives, stately homes, churches, specialist societies, concert halls, choirs, orchestras. . . • Cross sectoral: cultural, commercial, education, voluntary, health • Stage one: 1500 collections from 500 institutions • …the tip of the iceberg. . .

Cecilia – types of resources • • • Printed and manuscript music recordings instruments and musical furniture archival materials papers, programmes, ephemera iconographical materials

Cecilia – Data gathering • Format: RSLP schema for collection descriptions • Information collated from: – questionnaire returns – re-use of existing data: e. g backstage, A 2 A, CIMCIM (with permission!) – extrapolation from wider sources

Cecilia – Access to information • Identifying what’s out there (already revealed previously unknown resources!) • Online searchable database • working copy available at http: //www. cecilia-uk. org • Data to be housed by PADS

Cecilia – Exploring potential • How to reach a wider audience? • How to maximise awareness of the resources? • How to avoid unnecessary duplication of data through imaginative application of technology? • Experimenting in partnership with Cornucopia. . .

Crossroads • Crossroads – pilot project in the West Midlands • Funded by Resource’s Cross-domain Challenge Fund • Collections-level descriptions for museums, archives and libraries

Crossroads • Developed by Orangeleaf Systems • Open-source software – PHP & My. SQL • Real exemplar of the RSLP structure • Need to take the lessons learned from these pilot projects and make use of them • http: //www. crossroads-wm. org. uk

New Directions • Exploit the capital gained from these projects: learning what works and what doesn’t • Identifying models for true cross-sectorality based around CLDs • Developing stable and scalable systems to be implemented Nationally

New directions (cont. ) • A Google for collections • A National service relying on distributed editorship of CLDs delivered to the user through a single conduit • Opens up lots of other things: – Collections mapping tool for the National Trust – Access maps of resources in archives, libraries and museums – Adult Learning and Basic Skills – Etc…

General issues • Need to ensure programme-level and project level mesh consistently • Both use and inform CLD Focus work • Implications for RSLP schema and digital collections • How to reach a view of collections strengths and audience levels (variety of orgs involved) • Terminology, teminology

Next steps • Collections-level Descriptions are seen as central to the networked, interoperable environment • New issues arising from cross-sectorality, but lots of useful experience out there already • Consultation and intelligence-gathering with key players

Contact Susi Woodhouse - Senior Network Adviser Nick Poole - ICT Adviser Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries http: //www. resource. gov. uk http: //www. peoplesnetwork. gov. uk Tel: 020 7273 1444