...and if you didn't catch the threads a earlier this year that covered some of this ground it's worth having a look at the list archives http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email.shtml. Richard Light kicked off "Linking Open Data" back in June, whilst back in Feb I had loads of great responses to some questions I posed about the role of/need for an API for the EDL project. Some of this is compiled and summarised in posts I tagged MCG, API or EDL: http://doofercall.blogspot.com/search/label/mcg, http://doofercall.blogspot.com/search/label/API, http://doofercall.blogspot.com/search/label/EDL.
One thing to add to what you wrote (which looks like a good list) is that collections data are not the only data we can release via APIs, though they're the obvious and juiciest target, and the focus of the project you're talking about. Exhibitions data (like Frankie R released), events data (like we've got available) and any number of more specialised datasets all present opportunities if we open them up.
Cheers, Jeremy
Jeremy Ottevanger
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-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Ellis
Sent: 19 August 2008 11:24
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MCG] Uses of APIs for cultural organisations?
Hi Tristan
See http://mashedmuseum.org.uk where I've tried to compile some stuff around the notion of an "open/api'd" museum. There's a Google Group there that might be of use, plus I'll email you off-list with details about another (currently private) wiki I've been working on which you might be interested in.
Cheers
Mike
Mike Ellis
Professional Services Group
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-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tristan Roddis
Sent: 19 August 2008 11:12
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Uses of APIs for cultural organisations?
We are discussing the merit of adding an open API to the Online
Collection part of one of our museum client's sites, and I am wondering
if anyone can think of possible reasons to do this beyond "it just feels
right"?
Off the top of my head, systems that access an API can do various things:
- aggregate information
- provide alternative representations
- provide alternative interfaces
- syndicate information
- other (please state)
Of these, some examples I can think of are:
- aggregators: e.g. National Museums Online Learning Project[1], ArtStor
and others via OAI-PMH[2]
- other representations: e.g. mashups (which?), creating tag clouds, etc.
- alternative interfaces: e.g. more accessible versions, desktop
application versions, iphone/mobile versions
- syndicating information: blog 'widgets' (which?), ArtShare Facebook
app.[3]
However, all of these are fairly generic or fairly sparse! Can anybody
think of other concrete examples of how information is being re-purposed
from cultural institutions? Or, any ways in which an API could be used
that I have missed from the list above?
Thanks,
-Tristan.
[1] http://www.vam.ac.uk/about_va/online_learning/index.html
[2] http://www.openarchives.org/pmh/
[3] http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=7723691927&ref=pr
--
Tristan Roddis ~ Head of Web Development
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