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Dear All,
Please see below for your info our latest press release about current and planned development work on the Cornucopia database.
Sincerely,
Nick Poole
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For Immediate Release
Resource Develops Cornucopia - the Online Database of Museum Collections
London, 1 March 2002 - Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries has announced plans for the future development of Cornucopia, the online database of UK museum collections. The development plans include the addition of new information for museums, and direct links to related information in existing online databases such as the 24-Hour Museum website.
The Cornucopia database has been developed by Resource over the past two years to provide detailed information on the collections of UK museums through a web interface at http://www.cornucopia.org.uk. The fully-searchable database already contains detailed descriptions for 450 museum collections in the South West and West Midlands Area Museum Council regions.
Over the next few months information will be added and updated from a range of new sources including Area Museum Council collections surveying projects. Cornucopia will also be linked directly to other collections-description databases on the web, allowing users access to a greater depth and variety of links and resources. A further pilot project is proposed to extend the scope of Cornucopia to include information about library and archive collections in the UK.
David Dawson, Senior ICT Adviser at Resource, commented: "Cornucopia is already a unique resource for the museums sector. Nowhere else will it be possible to search across information about museum collections throughout the UK. The development of Cornucopia will provide an unprecedented insight into the richness and diversity of the collections of UK museums, archives and libraries."
Cornucopia has been closely involved in the work of the UK Office of Library and Information Networking (UKOLN) in developing collection description strategies. This work will ensure that Cornucopia is compatible with national standards for describing collections online and paves the way for a national collections portal for museums, archives and libraries.
Full documentation of the development of Cornucopia has been added to the website at http://www.cornucopia.org.uk, along with information about plans for forthcoming development.
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Notes to editors:
The Cornucopia database is available at http://www.cornucopia.org.uk. For further information, please contact Nick Poole, Resource's ICT Adviser, on 020 7273 1410 or email [log in to unmask]
For further information on Resource or to interview David Dawson please contact Emma Wright, Resource's Media and Events Manager, on 020 7273 1459 or email [log in to unmask]
Resource provides the strategic leadership, advocacy and advice to enable museums, archives and libraries to touch people's lives and inspire their imagination, learning and creativity. The Resource website can be viewed at <http://www.resource.gov.uk>.
10/02
Nick Poole
ICT Adviser
Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries
16 Queen Anne's Gate
London
SW1H 9AA
Tel 020 7273 1410
New! Visit the Cornucopia database of UK museum collections at http://www.cornucopia.org.uk
Visit the Resource website at http://www.resource.gov.uk
Visit the Peoples Network website at http://www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk
Join the Resourcenews email list at http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk
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