Hi Martin,
Interesting question. It's certainly a technical possibility to
construct something like a Collections Management System using native
Wordpress functionality, but I'd really question whether this is a good
option for your museum. A Collections system isn't just a database with
an interface to it - it's an integrated part of the way the museum
collects, manages, preserves and re-uses knowledge and information. I
have known an awful lot of programmers look at Collections Management,
think 'I can do that' and then come a cropper when confronted with the
realities of developing, supporting and sustaining a system which
genuinely does what the museum needs it to be able to do, with all of
the added goodness of workflow management, version and access control,
media management, user support, subject faceting etc.
The current generation of Collections Management Systems are mature
pieces of software which have been tested in the wild. Most of them have
active user communities who have fed back their requirements over a
number of iterations. They may not be perfect, but they are the product
of years of work which can't easily be replicated with a WP form
builder.
Collections Management standards aren't just a nice-to-have - they have
a direct long-term impact on how well the museum can do its job. They
are a long-term investment on which a lot of the sector's public
identity rests. SPECTRUM is now 15 years old, and used daily in more
than 7,600 museums - I know I bang on about it, but there are
Collections Management Systems, a couple of which are on your list,
which market themselves as 'complying with any museum standard' when
they really don't.
To be clear, although both Madrona and CollectiveAccess refer to
SPECTRUM on their websites, neither is a member of the SPECTRUM Partners
Scheme nor have their systems been assessed for compliance. They have
not been licensed to incorporate SPECTRUM into their software. We have
contacted both to discuss this, or to ask them to remove references to
SPECTRUM from their websites, but have not yet received a response.
The SPECTRUM Partners Scheme and SPECTRUM Compliance have been developed
to ensure that people are using systems which genuinely do the job. Of
the ones on your list, both eHive and Adlib Museum Lite have been
validated for compliance with SPECTRUM. This is also a key consideration
if your museum is, or wants to be, Accredited. Having a
SPECTRUM-compliant system is a simple way of ensuring that the museum
can meet Accreditation requirements for compliance with the primary
SPECTRUM Procedures.
Several of the SPECTRUM Partner products either have existing Wordpress
plugins, have them under development or have a user community where
someone has done the job already. Most have an API capable of
interacting with 3rd party plugins. Several of them (including these
two) have products that are either free or have a very low barrier to
entry. I know that entry-level with Collections Management Systems can
seem daunting to non-specialist people, but it is a professional
discipline and is fundamental to good governance and accountability.
At the risk of sounding like a pedant(!) - several of the systems on
your list, like Omeka and ContentCurator - are Content Management
Systems not Collections Management Systems. While the distinction is
becoming increasingly blurred, it is nevertheless important. A content
system will be able to handle the display and management of content but
is unlikely to integrate with Collections Management processes.
For further information on SPECTRUM and SPECTRUM compliance, I'd point
you towards
http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/spectrum-resources/1242-the-spectrum-p
artner-scheme. There's also a Collections Link group at
http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/collaborate/my-groups/viewgroup/25-col
lections-management where people can discuss standards and requirements.
Finally, I'm not sure whether you are aware of the Collections
Management group on LinkedIn, but this question about entry-level
systems has come up a few times there. It currently has 3,800 members,
many of whom work in small volunteer-run museums. I'd suggest it would
be worth a look and possibly posting the query there too -
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3280471&trk=hb_side_g.
All best,
Nick
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Mike Ellis
Sent: 29 August 2012 19:06
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Low cost collections management solutions
Hi Martin
I thinks there's lots of "depends on the string" questions - I'm pretty
sure that the integration of an "off the shelf" solution wouldn't be
100% development time free, but you're right, it'd need a bit of time to
build in native form.
User interface wise - it'd be entirely WP friendly with WYSIWYG or
whatever field types were needed.
Be interesting to hear what experience the rest of the MCG gang has with
the other options. I really liked the look of Omeka a few years ago but
haven't really heard much since so wonder what the uptake is.
Am quite tempted to build a plugin if there is demand :-)
Cheers
Mike
________________
Sent from a mobile
On 29 Aug 2012, at 18:58, Martin Bazley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi Mike, thanks, good suggesiton. I did wonder about this, but the
development time could make it expensive, and I am not how user friendly
the result would be?
> Martin
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------
> Martin Bazley
> Digital heritage consultant
> Martin Bazley & Associates
> 15 Margin Drive
> Wimbledon
> SW19 5HA
> 0780 3580 727
> [log in to unmask]
> www.martinbazley.com
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Mike Ellis
> Sent: 29 August 2012 18:53
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Low cost collections management solutions
>
> Hi Martin
>
> Almost entirely depends on the size of collection but personally I'd
look at native Wordpress and using custom fields with something like
Advanced Custom Fields on the backend. This will give you way better
design, content and technical integration than anything else, IMO.
>
> I think it'd probably be good up to a fairly large collection.
> Certainly 10's of thousands of items anyway.
>
> Ping me off list if you need more info
>
> Cheers
>
> Mike
>
> ________________
>
> Sent from a mobile
>
> On 29 Aug 2012, at 18:42, Martin Bazley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Hi all, I think a similar question was asked a while ago, but things
move on, so...
>>
>> I am helping a volunteer run museum (with an archive) create a
website (which is now done, using Wordpress.org) and now they would like
to start adding collections online.
>>
>> Does anyone have any recommendations for solutions that:
>> - are easy for non-technical people to use
>> - are cheap
>> - will work with Wordpress, or not look too awful linked into and out
>> of an existing wordpress.org site
>> - work well!
>>
>> So far I am aware of these as potentially suitable and affordable,
but don't know how well they all work, so if anyone has any comments I'd
really appreciate it:
>>
>> eHive
>> Adlib Museum Lite
>> Omeka
>> Madrona (not ready yet for 'community' use but looks promising)
>> ContentCurator CollectiveAccess
>>
>>
>> Any other obvious ones I've missed?
>>
>> Martin
>>
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------
>> Martin Bazley
>> Digital heritage consultant
>> Martin Bazley & Associates
>> 15 Margin Drive
>> Wimbledon
>> SW19 5HA
>> 0780 3580 727
>> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>> www.martinbazley.com<http://www.martinbazley.com/>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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