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Our Black Country museums went down the online collections catalogue route partly because we didn't have curators / education staff available / keen to write online content and partly because you have got to start somewhere and providing web users with basic information that they can re-use and build on opens up our collections to everyone, allowing experts and non-experts alike to use our collections data to create new, more interesting and engaging offerings. The approach we have taken whereby we can create additional website using WordPress that can talk to our collections database backend also gives us the starting blocks to build our own more exciting websites once I have found a way to get our curators and education staff on-board. Linda Linda Ellis Project Manager Black Country Collections Online www.blackcountryhistory.org.uk www.geologymatters.org.uk www.inspired-designs.org.uk -----Original Message----- From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jon Pratty Sent: 24 January 2011 12:30 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Does Europeana make you think culture? It's great that this thread is opening up the Europeana discussion in a positive way now. As Robert Bud and Jason Webber hint, making great content online is about more than just putting collection objects online. It's partly, at least, about blending strands of content types together and keeping them alive and topical on an everyday basis, something online journalists excel at. It's also about welcoming participation and contributions from both public and expert users. It's about importing and exporting basic data for others to build on, seeing your institution within a web of digital creation, consumption and collaboration. I think Culture Grid and Europeana fit into this cultural web as possible sources for part of the data mix; but there's still much more needed to make a whole publishing proposition. We could perhaps be looking outwards to see how other digital producers [like high street retailers] keep rich online catalogues looking vibrant and current. They do it with offers, features, rich media, social media and all sorts of initiatives. At the bottom of the online supply chain, though, there's always a repository of base-level object info, and that's why Europeana and Culture Grid - to me- are so important. My current fave site that blends differing content types and data sources is Wessex Archaeology - lovely functional, informational, topical, fun stuff! http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/ Jon Jon Pratty Relationship Manager, Digital and Creative Economies Arts Council England +441273 763037 07872419194 [log in to unmask] Achieving great art for everyone our 10-year framework is now available Sign up for our e-newsletter: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/utilities/newsletter/ Join us on Twitter http://twitter.com/ace_southeast -----Original Message----- From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Webber, Jason Sent: 24 January 2011 12:09 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Does Europeana make you think culture? Hi I manage the www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk website that uses the culture grid but has been specifically designed to contextualise the collections it displays. We therefore have hundreds of pages of information about all sorts of aspects of London life and people in the 20th century and most objects have a caption that tells you something interesting. I definitely agree that for a lot of people a database of objects online is not going to engage them. To try and overcome this we've been working hard utilizing social media and have a program of audio slideshows that tell small but interesting stories. So far these have been successful in helping us have something to market and give people who just want some entertainment something to look at. Without this kind of ongoing content creation though, I do fear that at best people will look at online collections once and then not think to return. Creating content, of course, requires either money for staff or volunteers who are generous with their time. For this project at least it's something I'd like to develop. As Nick says Culture Grid and Europeana are not destination sites and it's up to us to make them. Cheers. Jason Jason Webber Web Manager, Exploring 20th Centuy London, Information Resources Section Museum of London 150 London Wall London. EC2Y 5HN Tel: 020 7814 5596 Fax: 020 7600 1058 Investors in People Award 2010 London Street Photography exhibition opening 18 February 2011 at the Museum of London. Follow us online Facebook, twitter and Scribd www.museumoflondon.org.uk/online Before printing, please think about the environment -----Original Message----- From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jim Richardson Sent: 24 January 2011 11:52 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Does Europeana make you think culture? Hi All Personally I struggle to think of a good online collection. I certainly don't rate Europeana which is incredibly dry, and doesn't keep my interest more then a few seconds before I click away. Perhaps before we digitise every collection in Europe we should speak to our audiences about what they would want from such a website, and develop a better standard of collection interface. As I say, though I think Europeana is terribly designed (and has a truly awful name) I struggle to come up with a museum who has done it brilliantly. Personally I like the collection pages on the Brooklyn Museum website which I find to be friendly, easy to use and interesting, but I don't think it's a perfect solution... Anyone think they have nailed the right design for an online collection? 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