using ehive to create custom sites and applications

1924-5 NZ ‘Invincibles’ rugby team mascot, NZ Rugby Museum

Paul RoweVernon SystemsMuseums and the WebSaturday 9th April 2011Philadelphia

Using eHive to create custom sites and applications

Paul RoweJoint CEO, Vernon Systems Ltd

Developers of collection management systems since 1985

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wizzer/5358480666/

Finding ways to tell your collections stories

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46124960@N00/4322266394/

eHive

Software as a Service CMS

Collections management and online access to collections

Data storage platform

Programming interfaces

Wordpress plugins

http://www.flickr.com/photos/waleedalzuhair/2492158122/

Staff in New Zealand, UK, and South AfricaFocused on collections management software

600 museums worldwide

World’s first Software as a Service CMSLaunched in 2008

A solution to common problems faced by small museums

• Limited IT resources & budget

• Complex software

• Hard to publish to web

• Run by volunteers who maywant to contribute from home

http://www.flickr.com/photos/collinmel/1450793951/

eHive collection management system

Within eHive, each contributor has their own login to create and edit object records and upload images

eHive web admin for collections management functions

eHive functionsObject cataloguingAcquisition tracking

Communities

Museum and collection info driven by eHive

Represents 400 museums

Collection records from 70 museums

What’s an API and what’s it doing to my museum data?

Application Programmable Interface

Websites or applications can talk to each otherData can be reused

eHive

Collection records

. . . . .

3rd party website

Selected collection records redisplayed with different presentation/context

. . . . .

API – “the telephone line”

Getting data in and out

Bulk import via XML or spreadsheetExport in text, Excel, PDF and XML formats

Example eHive userChamps Chapel Museum of

East Hendred, UK

About the Trust, Museum and Village• Small volunteer run organisation• Mixed collection• Replacing an existing image database• Needed to reduce costs

East Hendred Museum on eHive

Images and data converted in July 2009

eHive forum and direct support

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/2496308570/

Sharing data

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanr/142455033/

Sharing data Copyright issues

Less control of where your data ends up

eHive - 3rd party search “opt-out” option

eHive supports Creative Commons licences + other categories

Current development

Programming interfaces for integration with other websites and products

Wordpress plugins to enable eHive users to build their own museum websites

APIRESTfulReturns JSON objects

Object, Account and Community API calls:- Get record by id or keyword search- Get recent, interesting or popular records- Get tagsObject specific API calls- Put (add) tags- Get/Put (add) comments

e.g. http://ehive.com/api/v1/objects?query=picasso

OAUTH – allow access to content in eHive

One OAUTH key per app or site

Wordpress site for your museum

3rd party application

Regional website which harvest your data

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtinalamb/61688141/

eHive and Wordpress

Build your own museum website

100 million sites built in Wordpress

http://www.flickr.com/photos/koenvereeken/2088902012/

PluginsAdd generic Wordpress widgets for contact forms,

Flickr image feeds, embedded videos etc

Embed collection info from eHive

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13942060@N00/87656563/

Old website that needed to be

replaced

Key points for the DCGPWebsite is essential for data collection and publication

Using eHive helped improve functionality and appearance

Built in 2001

No content management system

(CMS), so background &

project pages have remained static

Hard to navigate

between the 3 different sections of the original website

Collection content

needed to be preserved

Decision to move to eHive

Update the website - add new caches and publications

Fresh look

New functionality – tagging, commenting, contact form

Vernon Systems understands museums collections

Price - very competitive and good value!

Deliberately Concealed Garments Project (DCGP) new website

Tell your stories through Wordpress posts

Pages using the eHive plugins can include static content and eHive functions

Example of an eHive & Wordpress site with different theme

Why use software as a service?

• Simplifies public access• No need to buy servers or manage software• Automatic backups & updates• Fewer compatibility issues• Access from anywhere with a web connection• Smaller ongoing costs, no initial purchase cost

eHive pricing

Find out more

Paul RoweVernon Systemspaul@vernonsystems.comTwitter: armchair_caver

www.ehive.com