My assumption was that the question was about front-end display of
selected collections objects rather than a full CM system. Obviously
if it's the latter then - yeah - let's not rebuild stuff that has
years of development behind it.
I think the point about integration with website rather than a kind of
bolt-on collections site is a pretty vital part of this conversation.
I really can't see how a third party is going to provide this without
some heavy API work into the web CMS. The bad case scenario for me is
a kind of hand off to a 3rd party collections web system which has
been tweaked to look like the rest of the site but isn't integrated
fully with it.
But as per earlier email - would love to hear people's experience with
any of this.
Cheers
Mike
________________
Sent from a mobile
On 29 Aug 2012, at 21:47, Nick Poole <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi Martin,
>
> Interesting question. It's certainly a technical possibility to
> construct something like a Collections Management System using native
> Wordpress functionality, but I'd really question whether this is a good
> option for your museum. A Collections system isn't just a database with
> an interface to it - it's an integrated part of the way the museum
> collects, manages, preserves and re-uses knowledge and information. I
> have known an awful lot of programmers look at Collections Management,
> think 'I can do that' and then come a cropper when confronted with the
> realities of developing, supporting and sustaining a system which
> genuinely does what the museum needs it to be able to do, with all of
> the added goodness of workflow management, version and access control,
> media management, user support, subject faceting etc.
>
> The current generation of Collections Management Systems are mature
> pieces of software which have been tested in the wild. Most of them have
> active user communities who have fed back their requirements over a
> number of iterations. They may not be perfect, but they are the product
> of years of work which can't easily be replicated with a WP form
> builder.
>
> Collections Management standards aren't just a nice-to-have - they have
> a direct long-term impact on how well the museum can do its job. They
> are a long-term investment on which a lot of the sector's public
> identity rests. SPECTRUM is now 15 years old, and used daily in more
> than 7,600 museums - I know I bang on about it, but there are
> Collections Management Systems, a couple of which are on your list,
> which market themselves as 'complying with any museum standard' when
> they really don't.
>
> To be clear, although both Madrona and CollectiveAccess refer to
> SPECTRUM on their websites, neither is a member of the SPECTRUM Partners
> Scheme nor have their systems been assessed for compliance. They have
> not been licensed to incorporate SPECTRUM into their software. We have
> contacted both to discuss this, or to ask them to remove references to
> SPECTRUM from their websites, but have not yet received a response.
>
> The SPECTRUM Partners Scheme and SPECTRUM Compliance have been developed
> to ensure that people are using systems which genuinely do the job. Of
> the ones on your list, both eHive and Adlib Museum Lite have been
> validated for compliance with SPECTRUM. This is also a key consideration
> if your museum is, or wants to be, Accredited. Having a
> SPECTRUM-compliant system is a simple way of ensuring that the museum
> can meet Accreditation requirements for compliance with the primary
> SPECTRUM Procedures.
>
> Several of the SPECTRUM Partner products either have existing Wordpress
> plugins, have them under development or have a user community where
> someone has done the job already. Most have an API capable of
> interacting with 3rd party plugins. Several of them (including these
> two) have products that are either free or have a very low barrier to
> entry. I know that entry-level with Collections Management Systems can
> seem daunting to non-specialist people, but it is a professional
> discipline and is fundamental to good governance and accountability.
>
> At the risk of sounding like a pedant(!) - several of the systems on
> your list, like Omeka and ContentCurator - are Content Management
> Systems not Collections Management Systems. While the distinction is
> becoming increasingly blurred, it is nevertheless important. A content
> system will be able to handle the display and management of content but
> is unlikely to integrate with Collections Management processes.
>
> For further information on SPECTRUM and SPECTRUM compliance, I'd point
> you towards
> http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/spectrum-resources/1242-the-spectrum-p
> artner-scheme. There's also a Collections Link group at
> http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/collaborate/my-groups/viewgroup/25-col
> lections-management where people can discuss standards and requirements.
>
>
> Finally, I'm not sure whether you are aware of the Collections
> Management group on LinkedIn, but this question about entry-level
> systems has come up a few times there. It currently has 3,800 members,
> many of whom work in small volunteer-run museums. I'd suggest it would
> be worth a look and possibly posting the query there too -
> http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3280471&trk=hb_side_g.
>
> All best,
>
> Nick
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Mike Ellis
> Sent: 29 August 2012 19:06
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Low cost collections management solutions
>
> Hi Martin
>
> I thinks there's lots of "depends on the string" questions - I'm pretty
> sure that the integration of an "off the shelf" solution wouldn't be
> 100% development time free, but you're right, it'd need a bit of time to
> build in native form.
>
> User interface wise - it'd be entirely WP friendly with WYSIWYG or
> whatever field types were needed.
>
> Be interesting to hear what experience the rest of the MCG gang has with
> the other options. I really liked the look of Omeka a few years ago but
> haven't really heard much since so wonder what the uptake is.
> Am quite tempted to build a plugin if there is demand :-)
>
> Cheers
>
> Mike
>
> ________________
>
> Sent from a mobile
>
> On 29 Aug 2012, at 18:58, Martin Bazley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Hi Mike, thanks, good suggesiton. I did wonder about this, but the
> development time could make it expensive, and I am not how user friendly
> the result would be?
>> Martin
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------
>> Martin Bazley
>> Digital heritage consultant
>> Martin Bazley & Associates
>> 15 Margin Drive
>> Wimbledon
>> SW19 5HA
>> 0780 3580 727
>> [log in to unmask]
>> www.martinbazley.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
>> Mike Ellis
>> Sent: 29 August 2012 18:53
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: Low cost collections management solutions
>>
>> Hi Martin
>>
>> Almost entirely depends on the size of collection but personally I'd
> look at native Wordpress and using custom fields with something like
> Advanced Custom Fields on the backend. This will give you way better
> design, content and technical integration than anything else, IMO.
>>
>> I think it'd probably be good up to a fairly large collection.
>> Certainly 10's of thousands of items anyway.
>>
>> Ping me off list if you need more info
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> ________________
>>
>> Sent from a mobile
>>
>> On 29 Aug 2012, at 18:42, Martin Bazley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all, I think a similar question was asked a while ago, but things
> move on, so...
>>>
>>> I am helping a volunteer run museum (with an archive) create a
> website (which is now done, using Wordpress.org) and now they would like
> to start adding collections online.
>>>
>>> Does anyone have any recommendations for solutions that:
>>> - are easy for non-technical people to use
>>> - are cheap
>>> - will work with Wordpress, or not look too awful linked into and out
>
>>> of an existing wordpress.org site
>>> - work well!
>>>
>>> So far I am aware of these as potentially suitable and affordable,
> but don't know how well they all work, so if anyone has any comments I'd
> really appreciate it:
>>>
>>> eHive
>>> Adlib Museum Lite
>>> Omeka
>>> Madrona (not ready yet for 'community' use but looks promising)
>>> ContentCurator CollectiveAccess
>>>
>>>
>>> Any other obvious ones I've missed?
>>>
>>> Martin
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----------------------------------------------------
>>> Martin Bazley
>>> Digital heritage consultant
>>> Martin Bazley & Associates
>>> 15 Margin Drive
>>> Wimbledon
>>> SW19 5HA
>>> 0780 3580 727
>>> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>>> www.martinbazley.com<http://www.martinbazley.com/>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ****************************************************************
>>> website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
>>> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
>>> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
>>> [un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
>>> ****************************************************************
>>
>> ****************************************************************
>> website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
>> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
>> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
>> [un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
>> ****************************************************************
>>
>> ****************************************************************
>> website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
>> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
>> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
>> [un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
>> ****************************************************************
>
> ****************************************************************
> website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
> [un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
> ****************************************************************
>
> ****************************************************************
> website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
> [un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
> ****************************************************************
****************************************************************
website: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ukmcg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/museumscomputergroup
[un]subscribe: http://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email-list/
****************************************************************
|
