Hi everyone,

The London Museums Hub is holding a free workshop on the 30 June to
share the results of a number of recent projects. These include:


* Research into our online audiences - Who are they, what do they want
from us, and how can we provide it for them?

* Current and potential use of web statistics - What are the advantages
of collecting and using web statistics, and can we take a more strategic
approach?

* Measuring the use of collections - How do we quantify and evaluate the
use of our stored collections?

* Machine-readable labelling for collections management and access - How
can technologies like bar-coding and RFID help us manage and share
information about our collections?


The day will also be an opportunity for discussion and feedback with
people working in the sector, looking at potential wider implications
and how this work can be progressed from here.

The event is open to all. If you'd like to attend you can register for
the workshop here:
http://londonhub.wufoo.com/forms/london-museums-hub-workshop/

I've included more information below, and please feel free to pass on to
others who may be interested in attending.

All the best,

Dylan


Dylan Edgar
London Hub ICT Development Officer
London Transport Museum
39 Wellington Street
London WC2E 7BB
Direct line: 07711 148133
Email: [log in to unmask]


========================================================================
======


London Museums Hub dissemination workshop
Sharing the results of recent Hub work in collections use and online
audiences 
	
Monday 30 June 2008, 10am - 4pm 

London Transport Museum 
Covent Garden Piazza 
London, WC2E 7BB
www.ltmuseum.co.uk

Lunch will be provided, and attendees will also be able to visit the
recently refurbished galleries of the London Transport Museum during the
day.

The workshop is free but places are limited, so please register online
to confirm your place:
http://londonhub.wufoo.com/forms/london-museums-hub-workshop/

Deadline for registration: 23 June 2008

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Renaissance is the Museums Libraries and Archives Council's programme of
investment in regional museums. Renaissance London is delivered through
a partnership between MLA London and the London Museums Hub. The London
Hub consists of the Museum of London, Geffrye Museum, Horniman Museum,
and London Transport Museum.

During 2007-08 the Hub commissioned several pieces of work in key areas.
These included the use of museum collections, and the impact of web
delivery on end users.

This workshop will be an opportunity to share the results of this work
with the wider museum community, and explore the potential implications
and ways forward. The exact programme for the day will be finalised
nearer the time, but will include discussions around:


Understanding our online audiences
----------------------------------
This piece of research starts to generate a more complete understanding
of the Hub's online audiences. Who are they, what are their
expectations, and are we meeting those expectations with our current web
offering? We set out to answer these questions and more, including the
relationship between online use and physical use of the partner museums.
When combined with statistical web usage data, the more qualitative
information produced by this work will start to build better knowledge
of the Hub's online users, and the impact that the current web offering
is having on them.


Using web statistics across the Hub
-----------------------------------
This piece of work explores the Hub partners' current use of web
statistics. It also proposes ways in which the Hub can take a more
strategic approach to collecting and using this data as a partnership,
beyond that already required for government key performance indicators.
It is anticipated that this approach will help to provide a more
complete understanding of the levels of use that the Hub's web offering
experiences. Over time this will produce quantitative, comparable data
that can be used for different purposes.


Measuring the use of our collections
------------------------------------
This study was commissioned by the London Museums Hub to investigate
current and potential future ways to collect data on how stored
collections are accessed and used.  The project was developed because
currently there is no common system for recording the use of stored
collections either within institutions themselves (e.g. to support
research work) or by the wider public.

The report opens with a brief exploration of the literature and context
surrounding this topic including reporting on current museum data
collection systems, future developments in performance targets and
benefits of collecting data on access to and use of stored collections.

The methodology for the project used: primary research with museums,
archives and libraries to gather information; consultation with museums;
and then analysis and review leading to recommendations.

Stuart Davies Associates were the appointed consultants and the report
'Recording Physical Access to Stored Collections' is available at
www.collectionslink.org.uk under Sustainable Solutions.


Machine-readable labelling
--------------------------
The Hub commissioned a review of the use of machine-readable labelling
systems across the heritage sector to evaluate the benefits of this
technology both as a collections management tool, and as a means of
providing user access to collections information. The study focuses on
the use of machine-readable technologies e.g. Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) and bar coding as methods to control object
movements, update locations, enhance security and facilitate access to
information associated with an object or collection of objects.

Julian Tomlin was appointed as the consultant, and the report 'Reviewing
Machine Readable Labelling Systems for Collections Management and
Access' was presented on 14 March 2008. The report contains a
technological overview (covering 1D and 2D barcodes, RFID tags and
readers), a review, decision-making charts, ten case studies, and a
database of installations and suppliers. The report can be found at
www.collectionslink.org.uk under Sustainable Solutions


For more information about the workshop, please contact:

Dylan Edgar - Hub ICT Development Officer
[log in to unmask]

Sharon Robinson - Hub Collections Care Development Officer
[log in to unmask]







The new London Transport Museum is now open! Enjoy a dramatic world cities welcome gallery... rich design collections on permanent display... even more for families... exciting new exhibitions about the past, present and future of transport in London. Plan your visit now at www.ltmuseum.co.uk


_______________________________________________________________________

This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the addressee. If you have received this in error please notify [log in to unmask] and delete immediately. Any use, disclosure, forwarding, printing or copying of this email is strictly prohibited. London Transport Museum (LTM) hereby excludes any warranty and any liability as to the quality or accuracy of the contents of this email and any attached transmitted files. 

LTM may monitor all email communications through its internal and external networks. 

LTM is a division of Transport Trading Limited, part of Transport for London (TFL), Windsor House, 42-50 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0TL 

Registered in England and Wales
Company number 3914810
VAT 756 2770 08

Copyright in this email and attachments belongs to TFL. 

This email and attachments have been swept for the presence of computer viruses and LTM accepts no responsibility for any virus imported with this document.

**************************************************
For mcg information and to manage your subscription to the list, visit the website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk
**************************************************