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Hello folks, MLA are planning an e-conference on this initiative to be held on the 8th and 9th December. This isn't going to be on this list - it will be hosted by MLA, and you need to register interest in advance with Yvette Burrows, Designation Adviser, [log in to unmask] or Stephanie Batchelor, Designation Officer, [log in to unmask] Announcement from MLA follows... Edmund Lee English Heritage > Meeting the challenges of networking knowledge services Background In June 2004, MLA held a seminar to discuss integration of Hub, Designated Collection, and other ICT projects. It was organised in the context of the announcement of Designation Challenge Fund projects for 2004-06, and implementation of the recent Hub Two Year Plans (2004-06), through which 69 projects, aimed at better managing and accessing museum collections, knowledge and ideas were awarded Renaissance funding. The seminar sought to lay foundations for a common approach; supporting local and regional initiatives within a framework that optimises value for money and impact. Information about the development of the Net Gain project, including the shared vision, can be viewed at http://www.mla.gov.uk/action/online/netgain.asp. MLA would now like to invite interested representatives working in National Museums to join in the discussions and maximise opportunities for collaboration. We would be grateful therefore, if you could forward this message to anyone involved in the development of digital content and resources. Anyone interested in participating in the discussions should e-mail us so that we can include them on our circulation list. e Conference The next step to this project is an online conference on 8th and 9th December 2004. We will be using a wiki for this purpose (for those of you who are unfamiliar with this concept, a wiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser and hold discussions associated with the content). The first discussion paper will be introduced by Kate Fernie, ICT Adviser: EU projects at MLA and will focus on interoperability and in particular the MICHAEL project. A summary of the paper is included below. If this first conference is successful, another discussion topic will be introduced in the New Year. Further details about how to participate in the discussions using the Wiki will be circulated before the conference begins. In the meantime, please reserve some time over the 8th and 9th December 2004 in your diaries to participate in the discussions. NET GAIN Online Conference 1 - Summary of discussion paper MICHAEL: Multilingual Inventory of Cultural Heritage in Europe The MICHAEL project is a good example of the Net Gains that are possible when organisations work together. With funding from the European Commission's eTEN programme, MICHAEL is building on national initiatives in France, Italy and the UK to create European services for the digital cultural heritage. Through MICHAEL, MLA will be establishing a national collection-level inventory of the UK's digital cultural heritage that can be made available online through regional, national and international services. This paper looks at the issues that will be addressed by MICHAEL, the activities involved and partnerships in Europe and in the UK - with the English regional agencies, the administrations in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the national cultural institutions. It will look at inter-operability between MICHAEL and other UK initiatives considering common standards and a shared vision of promoting access to the wealth of digital content in museums, libraries and archives. To bring this vision about, the sector needs to embrace the Net Gain to be had from working together through these initiatives." Discussion will examine what interoperation/networked services mean to you and will give participants an opportunity to consider what this means for your organisation, users, digital content etc. Importantly it will also enable us to take a look at the non-technical barriers to achieving a fully interoperable information environment in the cultural sector and how these can be overcome. For further information or to be included on the circulation list please email us at MLA: Yvette Burrows, Designation Adviser, [log in to unmask] Stephanie Batchelor, Designation Officer, [log in to unmask] >