Would anyone define for me what a 'portal' actually is. When is a portal
just a links page? I cite as an example my own 'portal' called APERTURE
because it is an opening onto the web for those seeking sites on historic
spectacles and optical devices.
http://www.college-optometrists.org/college/museum/aperture Ideally this
would be policed by some special sort of software such as ROADS, as used by
the National Maritime Museum but we are too small an organisation to do that
and the site is small enough for me to check each link manually on a regular
basis.

Am I in error to call this page a portal? Would a sophisticated portal
actually achieve anything better than the current page?

Neil Handley, Curator
British Optical Association Museum
The College of Optometrists
42 Craven Street, London. WC2N 5NG
Tel: 020 7839 6000. Fax: 020 7839 6800.
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://www.college-optometrists.org/college/museum


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
> kmf2
> Sent: 19 February 2003 15:59
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: 'Opening Doors' - conference announcement
>
>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> With apologies for any cross-postings
>
> 'Opening Doors: web portals for the historic environment' on the 17th
> June, 2003 at the British Museum.
>
> A one day conference jointly hosted by the Historic Environment
> Information Resources Network (HEIRNET) and the British Museum.
>
> Everyone is talking about portals and 'Opening Doors' will explore
> initiatives by heritage agencies, museums, universities and professional
> bodies to provide integrated access to their own and related content to
> serve the needs of their users. This conference presents an opportunity
> for institutions to share their experiences in developing portals.
> Portals promise much but how can the sector make the most of their
> deployment? The emphasis of the day will be on developing an overview
> and considering ways of serving user communities now and in the future -
> technology will be kept to a minimum. This conference will be a good
> opportunity to explore solutions, to share experiences and create a
> basis for future partnerships.
>
> Who should attend?
>
> The conference will be a forum for lively debate between senior managers
> and policy makers from across the breadth of the cultural heritage
> sector.
>
> Programme:
>
> 'Open Sesame? The challenges and opportunities of meeting users' needs
> on-line.' Elizabeth Hallam Smith, Director of Public Services, The
> National Archives: Public Record Office
>
> 'Portal proliferation: good, bad, or just confused?' Paul Miller, UKOLN.
>
> 'A Fistful of Portals - creating cultural content together', David
> Dawson, Re:source
>
> -------
>
> 'HEIRPORT: an experimental portal for the historic environment',
> Julian Richards, Archaeology Data Service
>
> 'Mediating content for new audiences', Diana Murray, RCAHMS
>
> 'What are we publishing this data for? The Portable Antiquities
> website', Roger Bland, Portable Antiquities Scheme website
>
> 'Portals in a Welsh context', Hilary Malaws, RCAHMW
>
> Alex Dawson, mda
>
> ---------
>
> 'Transforming web content by focusing on the user', Jill Finney,
> Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications, British Library
>
> 'The Future is Coming, and it's User-shaped!', Mike Pringle, English
> Heritage
>
> 'Who's that at the door? Finding out who's out there and what they
> want.', Alice Grant, Cultural Heritage Consortium,
>
> 'Cybrarian: Opening the locks', Atul Sharda, Cybrarian Project,
> Department for Education and Skills
>
> -----------
>
> Registration:
>
> The conference will run from 9.30 hrs - 16.30 hrs on Tuesday 17th June
> and will take place in the Clore Education Centre at the British Museum.
>
> The cost of £45 includes lunch and refreshments. A booking form and more
> information about the programme can be found at:
> http://www.britarch.ac.uk/heirnet/conference.html
> or by contacting Kate Fernie by email at [log in to unmask]
>  ______
> | --.  |
> |   |  |  'Opening Doors' is hosted by the Historic Environment
> |   |  |   Information Resources Network (HEIRNET) and
> |  @|  |   the British Museum
> |   |  |
> |   |  |
> |__.-__|
>
>
> --
> Kate Fernie
> Project Officer
> Archaeology Data Service: The Dept of Archaeology,
> University of York, The Kings' Manor, York,  YO1 7EP, UK
> email: [log in to unmask]  tel: 0044 (0)1904 433973
>
> http://ads.ahds.ac.uk
> http://www.britarch.ac.uk/HEIRNET/
>
> To join HEIRNET News send an email message to
> [log in to unmask]
>
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