Putting the Client Before the Horse Collections Information

Putting the Client Before the Horse Collections Information System at the National Museum of the American Indian Kara Lewis Ann Mc. Mullen Duc. Phong Nguyen Patricia Nietfeld October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

About us n n n The National Museum of the American Indian is the 16 th museum of the Smithsonian Institution, established by an act of Congress in 1989. It is the first national museum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. The museum collections comprise of over 800, 000 objects, 120, 000 archival photos, and approximately 3, 000 linear feet of paper archive. October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Locations n n n The George Gustav Heye Center (GGHC) in New York City, opened in 1994, which offers exhibits and other public programs. The Cultural Resources Center (CRC) in Maryland, opened in 1999, is home to the collections and its supporting staff and programs. The Museum on the National Mall in Washington DC, opened in 2004, which hosts a variety of exhibits and public programs. October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

The Move n n n The NMAI collections, formerly located in a warehouse building in the Bronx, was moved from New York to Washington during the years 19992004. As part of the Move, most objects were digitally photographed, an effort that resulted in over 300, 000 images by the end of the Move. The Photo Archives has about 20% of the collection digitized. This is our most requested collection. October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Legacy systems n n 1999 -2000: Discussed but never acquired a commercial collections information system to handle the Move of the collections. 2000 -2003: Built home-grown systems, resulting in iterations of databases for objects, photo archives, and conservation. All were standalone systems. Data and inventory standards were not enforced across all systems. Lack of centralized system and standards led to idiosyncratic workarounds. October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Day One and Day Two n Moving toward Opening Day (September 21, 2004) ¡ ¡ ¡ n Developed exhibits for 40, 000 square feet of exhibit space Moved collections Built the museum Opening day events June – September 2004: collections were closed to most researchers After Opening ¡ Business continued per usual; there was no break! October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Project Timeline (to April 2005) n Occurring in parallel to Day One and Day Two activities: ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ Formed a Project Team Prepared a Project Plan: May 2003 Developed High Level Requirements: June 2003 Sent Request for Proposal: July 2003 Vendor presentations: Spring 2004 Selected a vendor: July 2004 Project hiatus due to museum opening: June – September 2004 Began detailed design: October 2004 – January 2005 October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Regrouping n After April 2005 ¡ ¡ ¡ Project team reconstituted with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Select priority data sets for migration Finalize design and functional requirements Development and testing: October 2005 – May 2006 Final data migrated in May 2006 Officially “live” by August 2006 October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Where we are now n n n Steering committee in place with clearly defined roles and responsibilities Almost reaching the end of Phase I implementation, i. e. customizations in place for daily work Data cleanup / implementation of data standards: June 2006 – ongoing Basic security settings in place Along the way… managed to accumulate 3. 1 TB of digital images !!! October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Where we are not and challenges ahead n n n n The bulk of images still waits to migrate Massive data cleanup ahead Some work flows still ill-defined Revisit basic security settings Steep learning curve in new system and work flows Collections on the Web by December 2007 Learning to live without major customization Integration with NMAI’s Digital Assets Management system… or not October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Lessons learned n n n Do not try to implement any major systems while building a new museum and moving the collections! Promote institutional understanding: what’s at stake, what’s to be gained, what’s required. Ask the questions “Where are we? And where are we going? ” Secure support from senior administration (funding, personnel, TIME) – not just WORDS! Supporting documentation a must (data dictionary, work flow process, business procedures) Getting buy-in is an ongoing process October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

More lessons learned n n n Identify and support critical business practices, no matter how unusual Try and work within existing IT infrastructure, no matter how bureaucratic No need to automate everything; too much customization can lead to overly complex system Project can be a catalyst for positive changes: moving from an automated paper system to an electronic system with paper backup Expect the unexpected October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Ongoing Work - Workflows n n Formal and informal meetings Development and review of processes/procedures ¡ ¡ New n Concept of “Collections Information Program” n Understand new interactions n Create new procedures Modified n Change mindsets n Redefine security October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Ongoing Work – Data Cleanup n Data management and cleanup ¡ ¡ ¡ Corrections needed for daily operations n Fix what is preventing work from happening Prioritization for web n Focus now on what we will display online Dedicated staff to do cleanup n Don’t need to be “specialized” October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Ongoing Work - Documentation n Formal and informal training ¡ ¡ ¡ Procedural guide sheets Data Dictionary development Follow up to workflow discussions October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu

Questions? n n n Pat Nietfeld, Collections Manager, nietfeldp@si. edu Duc. Phong Nguyen, CIS Project Manager, nguyend@si. edu Kara Lewis, Collections Information Program Manager, lewiskm@si. edu In absentia n Ann Mc. Mullen, Curator, mcmullena@si. edu October 26, 2006 www. nmai. si. edu