Interestingly, this is what Tate did back in 1998, in order to display
our commitment to making our Collection accessible and to provide "proof
of concept", both internally and externally.  We created around 39,000
static HTML pages from our (then) Clipper databases and a limited pool
of images, pressed the send button and hoped for the best!
Technically, it was hellish difficult to maintain, necessarily limited
in functionality and performance was none too great.  Nevertheless, it
enabled us to prove to HLF and others that we were worth supporting in
our objective of digitising and subject indexing images for our entire
collection (and building appropriate tools with which to view it).
Public feedback and usage also assured us and our government paymasters
that we were doing the right thing.
OK, it's all very well for a national museum to say this - but in order
to achieve this we had virtually no budget and put in many late nights.
It was a question of convincing by example and shameless publicity
seeking in order to prove that there is an almost insatiable demand for
and great use made of the information resources museums can put on the
web - and that DOES interest funding bodies.
The HTML route was technically a less than optimal start but in acting
as a cheap and cheerful catalyst/stepping stone to greater things, it
was thoroughly effective.

Simon

Simon Grant
Head of Information Systems
Tate
London SW1P 4RG

0207 887 8962
 


-----Original Message-----
From: tom keene [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: 11 December 2003 13:55
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: CD-ROMs


If sustainable funds are available for your (current) static website &
you are able to source one off funds for specific projects, why not
develop a system (in house or paid for) that creates a static html
version of the database & provides a user friendly interface or
methodology to upload it to your website?

After all, if you were creating a CD-ROM, you would have to export the
data to another readable format, so why not make that format plain html
(or even better xhtml) and have the catalog online as a 'normal' site?

Granted, you would be limited in terms of searching and the system would
have to be designed very carefully both graphically and technically, but
full text search engines are available for free, and the system (if it
was to be effective) would have to allow for a fully extensible menu
system so you were able to access collections of objects / information
exactly how you wished. This methodology is similar, in many respects,
to how (some) large database projects are developed.

Tom


Tom Keene  -   -   Multimedia Developer
m.07930 573 944  -   [log in to unmask]  -   w.www.tomkeene.com




On Thursday, December 11, 2003, at 12:19 PM, Sarah Jillings wrote:

> Thanks to the replies I have received about this. I actually agree 
> that it would be far preferable to have our database online - in this 
> way it is fully updateable and reaches a wider audience than is 
> possible through CDs.
> Our problem remains that of sustainability. We can find development
> costs
> for the creation of websites, development of computer catalogues and
> the
> creation of resources such as CDs, through funding such as the DCF
> scheme.
> What we cannot do through funding is find people to pay ongoing costs
> of
> hosting. As an independent museum, a web presence is vital, and we can
> support costs of maintaining a "normal" website. t However, as I
> understand
> it, the costs will rise significantly to host an online database, and
> are
> an ongoing month on month, year on year cos. We may be able to get a
> database up online through time limited funding, but we cannot
> guarantee to
> keep it online unless we can secure outside assistance or find someone
> to
> host it at a nominal fee. What is worse - to put up a database online
> and
> then take it down, or not to bother at all???? This is a problem
> specific
> to those museums that do not have access to large local authority or
> academic servers (and IT support), and to judge from Alistair's
> response,
> it is going to be an increasing problem for many of us as we become
> more
> and more involved in the use of IT to deliver access to our
> collections.
>
> Sarah
>
> Sarah Jillings
> Curator of Collection
> Jewish Museum, London
>
>