Dear Tony,
Thanks for the question - and apologies that this isn't quite the snappy answer I think you're after...
The Collections Trust recently adopted responsibility for the development of the PNDS, and we are just in the process of getting things underway. One of our aims this year is to develop some documentation and a batch upload tool which will make it easier to get content in there (as well as some material showing why it is a good idea to do so!)
In the meantime, the PNDS's favourite way of ingesting content is via an OAI harvest. That's probably even less helpful than the API thing though - and there are others on this list *much* better qualified than I to give a simple definition of an API (and whether it's relevant in this case).
Could I suggest that we have a chat offline and look at the best way of getting your content into the PNDS pending the development of a simplified process?
If anyone out there is wondering why they would want to make their metadata available to the PNDS, we're planning on making more noise about this later in the year. It is likely to be the basis of the main UK contribution to Europeana and there is a lot of investment going into it as a national aggregator for cultural content, including brokering some content out to the BBC and Google.
If you're interested in finding out more about this work and the context for it, there's a brief and reasonably unhelpful summary at:
http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk/int-arch
All best,
Nick
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of HARRIS TONY
Sent: 20 February 2009 19:28
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: PNDS DCAP Dublin Core tag implementation
We are looking to implement the PNDS DCAP Dublin Core tags into our redesigned website in order to be able to allow our data to appear for example on the People's Network Discovery service.
http://www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk/discover/
However, we are not programmers and are not particularly techy and have been advised that we should serve our data using meta-tags embedded into our HTML and via an API which allows other institutions to harvest our data. The questions for us are:
What is an API in this context and why do you need one?
If you have DC tags embedded into your webpages, why do you need an API?
We have been told that the API is the thing that third parties use to access our data, so why do we need HTML embedded tags?
I've looked at the following pages and still haven't found any answers.
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/pns/pndsdcap/
Please, please can any replies to this consist of short and snappy answers, the sort of answers that Today programme presenters dream of.
Thanks
Tony Harris
New Media Officer & Photographer
Government Art Collection
0044 (0)20 7580 9123
www.gac.culture.gov.uk
**********************************************************************************
This email and its contents are the property of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, please delete it.
All DCMS e-mail is recorded and stored for a minimum period of 6 months.
The original of this email was scanned for viruses by the Government Secure Intranet virus scanning service supplied by Cable&Wireless in partnership with MessageLabs. (CCTM Certificate Number 2007/11/0032.) On leaving the GSi this email was certified virus free.
Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes.
**************************************************
For mcg information and to manage your subscription to the list, visit the website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk
**************************************************
**************************************************
For mcg information and to manage your subscription to the list, visit the website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk
**************************************************
|