How does this fit into other 'initiatives' such as MICHAEL and the
array of other European-level digital projects?
Will those working on the Integrated Architecture Project be looking
at this? Should UK initiatives be different from similar 'European'
ones?
What will EDLnet provide that is unique, wanted and usable that we
can't find elsewhere (e.g. via Google)?
Of course I am not being cynical.
Tehmina
On 05/02/2008, Ottevanger, Jeremy <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> Some of you will know of the European Digital Library, an EC project
> that is currently in a prototyping phase (known as EDLnet
> http://www.europeandigitallibrary.eu/edlnet/). It is part of the wider
> Digital Libraries Initiative
> (http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/digital_libraries/wh
> at_is_dli/index_en.htm) and shortly after that I get lost in the maze of
> EC projects, initiatives, directorates etc. Anyway, its final form is up
> in the air, but essentially it is hoped that it will aggregate digital
> content from museums, libraries and archives across Europe. Quite what
> will be held, the technical architecture, how the content will be
> accessed and maintained and many other questions are working their way
> through the system, but one day it may offer a partial solution to
> cross-collection searching, at least for a subset of European-owned
> material. Apologies to those who know more about this subject, I'm
> almost certain I've misrepresented it!
>
> I got interested in the project when I attended a meeting late last
> year, at which the organisers were brainstorming user requirements and
> ideas for the interface. I went along with a particular axe to grind,
> which was the need for an API. The basic rationale was that EDL will
> have limited appeal for users if they have to go to a single portal site
> to search, whereas it would serve a lot more people if it was the engine
> behind many sites scattered around the web. For organisations that might
> contribute content to the central repository, too, it would be a far
> more attractive proposition if they knew that they could then access the
> data themselves, embed EDL functionality in their sites or mash it up
> with mediating content, maps etc. EDL could act as a sophisticated
> online collections database for a small museum that could never
> countenance building its own search engine, much as one can embed google
> site search into your own page at present. This would be good for EDL
> because it could be quite a strong motive for contributing content.
> Overall I think that an API could actually be much more useful than a
> "portal" website.
>
> So to the purpose of this e-mail. An upcoming EDL "users and usability"
> meeting, in March, will be looking more closely at the subject of APIs,
> and in preparation for this I was hoping to get some thoughts from the
> MCGers about:
>
> * whether and why an API would be useful to them, or influence
> their decision on whether to contribute content to EDL
> * what features might prove useful
> * any examples of APIs or of their application that they think
> provide a model for what EDL's API could offer or enable
>
> It would be nice to feel I could represent the thoughts of a good
> portion of the practitioners in the UK, or at least more than myself
> alone. Thanks in advance,
>
> Jeremy
>
>
> Jeremy Ottevanger
> Web Developer, Museum Systems Team
> Museum of London Group
> 46 Eagle Wharf Road
> London. N1 7ED
> Tel: 020 7410 2207
> Fax: 020 7600 1058
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> www.museumoflondon.org.uk
> Museum of London is changing; our lower galleries will be closed while they undergo a major new development. Visit www.museumoflondon.org.uk to find out more.
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>
>
>
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--
Tehmina Goskar, AMA
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