Steve
We've had some success in taking high res photos of panels and then using
OCR to reproduce the text for use online. Good OCR software will allow you
to isolate different areas of the panels and then save the areas separately
as snippets of text or images. You can then use the output to create
standard HTML pages - or XML if you're on a roll...
Obviously, as Ian says, the medium is completely different and so
re-interpretation is key. Plus it is pretty manual - but way easier than
re-keying all the text - and OCR can be suprisingly successful.
The lesson we're all starting to learn is to try and START with all your
exhibition text as XML and then you can easily go the OTHER way, repurposing
and re-interpreting stuff to web/pdf/etc as you see fit...
Cheers
Mike
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Science Museum
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-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Gardam [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 24 January 2005 11:05
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Getting exhibitions online
Dear MCG listers
I hope someone can offer advice. We have a series of exhibition panels,
approx 1 metre square, created for a temporary exhibition. The panels
contain a mixture of 2D objects (sheets of stamps, posters, etc) and
caption cards, all mounted onto backing board. We would like to make the
information in these panels available via our website.
Obviously, we could scan each item from each panel, and recreate the panels
as an online exhibition in that way. That is time-consuming and we are
wondering if there is a different, easier way??
So, does anyone know of an online tool whereby an entire panel could be
digitally captured, and then made available on the net? The only thing I
can think of is taking a picture of the entire panel, and turning that into
a pdf. But, as far as I can see, the initial picture would be a massive
file, and consequently so would the pdf making it unusable online. I
realise you can reduce the resolution of pictures in a pdf to reduce the
file size, but that would make the whole exercise pointless (with stamps in
particualr, the joy in in the detail!).
Thanks folks - please reply off list to [log in to unmask]
Steve
Steve Gardam
Learning and Outreach Officer - The British Postal Museum & Archive
Freeling House, Phoenix Place, LONDON WC1X 0DL
T 020 7239 2627
F 020 7239 2576
E [log in to unmask]
The British Postal Museum & Archive is the public identity of the Postal
Heritage Trust. We care for The Royal Mail Archive and our museum
collection of historic postal material. Registered Charity Number 1102360,
Company Number 4896056.
Visit our website: www.postalheritage.org.uk
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