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Cross searching is also something that we are investigating on the National Museums Online Learning Project. The problem with the Google Custom Search is that it obviously only indexes those pages that are accessible to it. If your online collection database cannot be indexed by Google then these items/objects will not be returned in the search. The deep dark truthful web is still hidden. I believe that at the NMM you have done some work with opening up your online collection database to Google (via certain methods) and thus making it more accessible. Would you say that you have noticed any particular increase in user sessions within your online collection (or referral from Google) since this occurred? I think that the key to using the Google Custom Search is to ensure that there are direct links to the required objects/items/pages via persistent URLs. Once this is in place, and with careful control of Google, all should be open and searchable. Terry Terry Makewell Technical Manager National Museums Online Learning Project Email: [log in to unmask] Tel: 020 7942 2819 http://www.vam.ac.uk/about_va/online_learning/index.html >>> [log in to unmask] 6/13/2007 11:50 >>> >This is an issue we've been thinking about at the National Maritime >Museum for a while now. > >We have catalogues for museum collection and library/ manuscript >collections, we also have a search which runs across our CMS based >'main' site. At the moment they're all separate. We have worked through >various options for integration. Though nothing is live. > Inspired by the work that Mike Ellis did with Google Custom Search, we have set up a Google custom search engine for the NMM. You can try it at http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/ConPackage.59 It will return records from our online collections databases alongside documents held in our content management system. Basically, anything that has a URL and can, therefore, be indexed by Google is searchable this way. What we've found, though, is that out-of-the-box library opacs for Unicorn, Adlib, CALM etc. don't support direct linking to resources and can't be indexed by Google. So this search can't return results from our library and manuscripts catalogues, or our historic photograph catalogue. Jim Jim O'Donnell Senior Web Developer National Maritime Museum Park Row Greenwich London SE10 9NF DDI: 020 8312 6517 Fax: email: [log in to unmask] P please consider the environment - do you really need to print this email? We are listed on everyclick.com, the search engine that helps charity. Please go to http://www.everyclick.com/uk/nationalmaritimemuseum and set everyclick as your home page, so you can search the web and help National Maritime Museum. It does not cost a penny, so it's a great way to support us every day. ______________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email ______________________________________________________________________ ************************************************** For mcg information and to manage your subscription to the list, visit the website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk ************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------- Surreal Things: Surrealism and Design Supported by the Friends of the V&A 29 March - 22 July 2007 at V&A South Kensington Book now on www.vam.ac.uk/surrealthings Picasso: Histoire Naturelle 31 March - 15 July 2007 at V&A Museum of Childhood Admission free Keep in touch - visit www.vam.ac.uk and sign up for our regular e-newsletter ----------------------------------------------------------------- The information contained in this message is confidential and intended only for the individual named above. If you are not the intended recipient, or responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying, or disclosure of this information is prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us by telephone on 020 7942 2353. This message has been scanned for viruses by BlackSpider MailControl - www.blackspider.com ************************************************** For mcg information and to manage your subscription to the list, visit the website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk **************************************************