This looks like a great place to plug "social tagging," (an approach to "folksonomy," i.e., using popular terminology for subject categorization) like what STEVE (http://steve.museum) promises. Folksonomies are a way to address the reality that Museum and Library professionals often use subject categorizations that don't reflect the terms most people use when searching online. STEVE is an open-source tool for enabling social tagging of museum object images to create folksonomies.
Alongside the folksonomies, I still think it's worthwhile for museums to make their internal subject terms more public. Exposing the insides of the Museum in a demystifying, educational way is a great community-minded thing to do. Deborah Wythe wrote: > This doesn't make a lot of sense to me--why would museums >not< > publish subject terms in their web/public versions of the catalog? > Isn't the purpose of creating subjects/keywords to make the > collections more accessible --to everyone, not just inhouse users? > Museum staff are likely to be looking for a specific object and have > key data--title or accession numbers--but members of the public > (including picture researchers who might buy our images!) may want to > ask a system: "show me all the cats." > > Deborah > > ----Original Message Follows---- > From: "JanaH" <[email protected]> > Reply-To: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: RE: subject & keyword searching in CMS and DAMS > Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 16:04:12 -0600 > > Deborah, > > Museums don't always publish their subject cataloging to their websites. > Usually only select fields are exported from the collection management > system, and for several reasons, the subject fields don't make the cut. > I think you'll find that the depth of information stored in collection > management systems isn't really reflected in museum websites. So I guess > what I'm saying is that just because you don't see it on the Web doesn't > mean someone isn't recording that information. > > That said, I think most of us probably use a vocabulary based on the > Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT), with local terms added where > necessary. We don't use LCSH because they are usually too > conceptual/vague for our needs, but maybe someone else will weigh in on > that? > > > Jana Hill > Collection Database Coordinator > Amon Carter Museum > 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd. > Fort Worth, Texas 76107 > 817-989-5173 > 817-989-5179 fax > > All opinions are my own and not those of my employer. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Deborah Wythe [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 2:12 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: subject & keyword searching in CMS and DAMS > > I'm curious to know if your museum assigns formal subject headings > and/or > keywords to works of art in their collections management or digital > asset > management systems. A little poking around on the Web seems to indicate > it's > not too common -- artist name, title, medium, collection, maybe a > general > category, yes, but something approaching the depth of the subject > headings > used in library catalogs--maybe no? > > If you do assign subject headings, which authorities are used -- LCSH? > AAT? > > Thanks, > Deborah > > Deborah Wythe > Brooklyn Museum > Head, Digital Collections and Services > 200 Eastern Parkway > Brooklyn, NY 11238 > tel: 718 501 6311 > fax: 718 501 6125 > email: [email protected] > > > > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to mcn_mcn-l as: [email protected] > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > [email protected] > > > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to mcn_mcn-l as: [email protected] > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > [email protected] > > > > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to mcn_mcn-l as: [email protected] > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > [email protected]
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