Andrew
I work at Tate on a project, Tate InSight, which sounds like it shares many
similarities with your own. In parallel with Tate's physical expansion and
as part of its digital activities, Tate has embarked on a long-term
programme to provide greater access to its Collection. A programme of
expansion and improvement to online collection resources is being provided
through the Heritage Lottery funded Tate Gallery Centenary Development
(TGCD) under the title of the British Art Information Project, which started
in early 2000 and runs through to the end of 2001.
The HLF is funding high quality imaging and indexing of all 50,000 British
works in the Collection, including iconic paintings and sculptures, as well
as relatively obscure small pencil drawings and sketchbooks. Although this
funding is focused specifically on British works, digitisation and indexing
has started of a further 8,000 works by non-British artists. These works
will be captured over the next three years and made available through Tate
InSight methodology, through a separate funding initiative currently being
assessed by the New Opportunities Fund.
The new images have been being delivered to the website on a weekly basis
since the start of the project and we are now at the stage where the subject
index is about to go live to allow users to search the Collection by the
subject of works and art historical groupings. I would be really interested
to hear more about your project which seems to have similar aims but with a
different collection focus?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Rachel Bhandari
Content Co-ordinator
Tate InSight
020 7 887 8669
-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Greg [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 09 May 2001 10:59
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Research on museum website users
Does anyone know of any research on the users, or usage, of museum
websites? E.g. who users are, what they are looking for, how they use the
sites, etc.
I am Project Director of the National Inventory of European Paintings
project set up by the National Gallery, London, and a group of leading
regional museums. The project intends to set up an on-line searchable
illustrated database of paintings in public collections in England and
Wales, initially concentrating on non-British artists, and works before
1900. For further information on the project please email me at
[log in to unmask]
I am keen that the proposed website is designed to meet the expectations of
potential users, as far as those can be acertained, so am very keen to find
out if any research has been done, in the U.K. or abroad. Can any one help?
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