Capita Selecta 2012-2013 History of Dutch

museum digitization 13- Overview

40 years of digitization

Universiteit van Amsterdam Opleiding Culturele Informatiewetenschap

© Trilce Navarrete Hernandez

Today  

•  About  DEconf12  (h4p://www.youtube.com/user/CATCHPlusNL)  

•  Final  paper  •  Goals  /  expectaIons  

•  Overview  •  (themaIc)  Imeline  •  Some  concluding  thoughts  

CS  2012-­‐2013  Image: “Faces of the Rijksmuseum” http://weblab.ab-c.nl/rijksmuseum

Goals  •  Know  the  most  important  elements  in  the  digiIzaIon  of  

Dutch  museums.  –  Discover  your  history  !  To  be&er  understand  the  present.  

•  Know  the  digiIzaIon  process.  –  With  a  focus  on  policy,  finances,  technology,  organizaIonal  change  and  

the  user  of  heritage  content.  To  understand  complex  projects.  

•  IdenIfy  the  differences  between  Dutch  and  internaIonal  museums.  –  To  compare  interna7onally,  with  other  7mes  and  across  sectors.  

•  Apply  CIW  theories.  –  Use  your  CIW  knowledge.  To  strengthen  your  CIW  excellence.  

•  Think  strategically  during  criIcal  analysis  of  digiIzaIon  processes.  

CS  2012-­‐2013  

Tasks  •  Individual  wri4en  analysis  (x4)  •  You  chose  a  theme:  policy,  finances,  technology,  organizaIonal  change,  the  user.  

•  You  map  the  history  on  the  one  theme.  

•  Group  acIvity  •  Linked  to  final  research  project.  

•  Literature  review  (x8)  •  You  read  and  analyze  the  texts  (summary,  core  ideas,  place  in  history).  

•  You  link  it  to  the  present  (e.g.  sIll  valid?)  •  Final  research  project  

•  You  chose  a  theme  to  analyze.  

•  You  set  in  history  (based  on  x4  individual  wri4en  documents).  

•  You  set  in  CIW  theory.  

•  You  organize  the  data,  you  idenIfy  the  characterisIcs,  and  you  reflect  on  the  process  =  what  does  it  all  mean?  

CS  2012-­‐2013  

✔

✔

✔

Almost: make timeline?

Almost: write intro together

Review ICI (e.g. market of information JMO)

Write final report (2 weeks)

May need to review for final paper

Ideas  /  tools  ?  

CS  2012-­‐2013  

Ideas  /  tools  ?  

CS  2012-­‐2013  

CS  2012-­‐2013  

Tell  your  story  based  on  all  the  pieces  from  class,  from  the  literature,  from  your  own  sources  …  

Support  them  with  CIW  theory.  What  do  you  see?  What  quesIons  emerge?  

CS  2012-­‐2013  

Policy  towards  use  of  standards  

Use  of  the  (pre)web  to  access  content  

Use  of  resources  to  register  collecIons  

First  Ime  a  new  technology  was  used  

Policy  towards  selecIon  of  objects  

Public  involvement  in  digiIzaIon  

InternaIonal  influence/inspiraIon  

Sodware  development  

Concept  of  collecIon  

Grant  and  subsidy  allocaIon  

Type  of  informaIon  being  documented  

Overview  Once  upon  a  Ime…  

Museums  began  experimen(ng  with  the  use  of  computers,  there  was  an  interest  in  a  tool  to  support  administra(on  and  increase  data  exchange.  The  government  saw  potenIal  and  supported  adopIon  (naIonal/EC  level).  Netherlands  was  inspired  by  work  abroad.  

•  1950s  ‘white  book’  for  collecIons  administraIon  

•  1968  Computers  and  their  PotenIal  ApplicaIon  conference  (MET  +  IBM)  

•  1969  subsidy  to  document  Salt  Water  Finishing  (literature,  then  objects)  

•  1970s  Chenhall  Nomenclature    

•  1978  remote  search  conducted  on  ship  models  (data  in  KIM)  •  1987  Basic  RegistraIon  Card  launched  

•  1989  EC  European  Museum  Network  (for  data  exchange)  

•  1994  NaIonal  AcIon  Program  Electronic  Superhighway  CS  2012-­‐2013  This story can be told from many different perspectives…

Overview  SupporIng  groups  formed:  

MARDOC  had  an  unprecedented  leading  role.  This  was  to  an  extent  taken  over  by  SIMIN  and  then  by  DEN.  Smaller  groups  can  be  themaIc  (SVCN,  OKBN)  or  geographic.  All  groups  have  conducted  surveys  and  made  inventories  of  the  state  of  affairs,  have  advised  on  best  pracIce  and  have  taken  a  guiding  role.  These  groups  have  coordinated  answers  to  ‘why  digiIze?’  and  ‘how  to  go  about  it?’  (what  informaIon?  In  what  form?).  They  have  also  advocated  for  museum  needs.  

•  1973  VISDOC  formed  

•  1976  MARDOC  formed  (1987  absorbed  by  RKD)  

•  1977  SIMIN  formed  (InformaIon  Retrieval  SecIon  from  NMV)  

•  1982  OKBN  formed  (7  libraries)  

•  1990  SVCN  FoundaIon  formed  •  1999  DEN  formed   CS  2012-­‐2013  

Overview  InformaIon  became  of  value:  

Access  to  collecIon  (informaIon),  now  and  in  the  future,  has  been  the  central  purpose  to  digiIze.  InformaIon  can  be  found  in  many  forms  (not  only  in  museum  objects).  Eventually,  informaIon  about  the  objects,  ‘the  story’,  is  being  valued  as  key  asset.  AutomaIon/digiIzaIon  and  informaIon  management  have  developed  into  a  specializaIon.    

•  1990  Museum  Boerhave  adverIsed  a  ‘registrar’  posiIon  

•  1990s  organizaIons  (e.g.  Rijks)  separated  CollecIon  InformaIon  from  IT  

•  2000  TM  ‘every  object  has  a  story’,  ‘knowledge  is  in  people’s  heads’  

•  2007  Images  of  the  Future  was  to  sell  content  

•  2010  AM  ‘the  stories  about  Amsterdam  and  residents’  is  core  collecIon,  objects  help  illustrate  

•  1013  Rijksmuseum  explores  niche-­‐sourcing  (focused  crowd  to  conIrbute)  CS  2012-­‐2013  

Overview  DigiIzaIon  supports  the  economy:  

ProducIon  and  distribuIon  of  digital  heritage  content  has  increasingly  resulted  from  the  collaboraIon  of  memory  insItuIons  (LAMs),  knowledge  centers  (universiIes),  private  businesses  (creaIve  industries)  and  the  user  (generally  underesImated).  Areas  of  experIse  include  heritage,  IT,  the  market  and  the  user.  Interdisciplinary,  cross  sector  collabora(ons  are  core  to  innovaIve  market  soluIons.  

•  1990  ICES-­‐KIS  R&D  >  2000  ICES-­‐KIS  for  culture  

•  1999  Digital  Delta  R&D  for  heritage  (managed  by  DEN)  

•  2004  CATCH  >  2009  CATCH  Plus  (valoriza7on)  

•  2011  EC  recommendaIons:  foster  public-­‐private  partnerships  

•  2012  COMMIT  

CS  2012-­‐2013  

Overview  But,  li4le  is  known  of  digiIzaIon  costs:  

A  number  of  models  have  been  devised  to  es(mate  costs.  InsItuIons  sIll  generally  lack  a  structural  digiIzaIon  budget.  The  lack  of  oversight  hinders  long  term  planning  and  preservaIon  (of  past  investments).  Financing  with  private  moneys  further  raises  issues  of  responsibili(es  towards  the  informaIon.  New  innovaIve  forms  of  (open)  private  support  could  be  beneficial.  Meten  is  weten  ?  

•  1987  SIMIN  (R=(T*S)+M+F)  

•  1990  Delta  Plan  for  the  PreservaIon  of  Cultural  Heritage  (T*#  objects)  

•  1995  MusIP  (T*available  informaIon  +  #  collecIons)  

•  2008  NUMERIC  (The  Digital  Facts)  (FTEs)  (archive  cost  model)  

•  2012  ENUMERATE  (FTEs)  •  2012  digiIzaIon  is  generally  financed  internally  

CS  2012-­‐2013  

Overview  Concluding  thoughts  

AdopIon  of  computers  fundamentally  changed  work  in  museums.  Changes  can  be  mapped  in  organizaIonal  change,  in  policy  development,  in  resource  allocaIon,  in  choice  of  technology,  in  relaIon  to  the  public,  demand  expectaIons  and  in  the  concept  of  a  (virtual)  museum  and  its  (digital)  collecIon.  

AdopIng  computers  has  required  adapta(on  to  a  new  way  of  thinking.  New  skills,  new  work  forms,  new  standards  and  new  possibiliIes  all  come  together.  Key  is  valua(on  of  informa(on  from  mulIple  sources  (e.g.  objects,  stories,  library).  DigiIzaIon  is  a  con(nuous  process.  

The  knowledge  infrastructure  is  slowly  being  built/funded.  Transparency  and  professionalism  have  increased  to  benefit  understanding  of  informaIon  management.  DocumentaIon  and  infrastructural  work  generally  lacks  the  reputaIon  publicaIon/exhibiIons  have.  The  Internet,  however,  can  only  show  what  has  been  done.  

UlImately,  digiIzaIon  is  a  tool  to  facilitate  knowledge  transfer.  As  such,  issues  of  IPR,  mass  digiIzaIon,  use  of  (open)  standards,  market  value,  financing,  sustainability,  and  selecIon  must  be  dealt  with  accordingly.      CS  2012-­‐2013  

We now can ‘proof’ what we already knew…

Overview  QuesIons:    

There  are  810  museums  and  ca.  16  million  in  habitants  in  the  Netherlands.  What  is  the  raIo  of  museum  (virtual)  visits?  What  does  that  mean?  

If  digiIzed/digital  heritage  is  also  property  of  the  government,  will  user  generated  content  also  be  regarded  as  such?  Is  informaIon  inherently  public?  

We  are  all  waiIng  for  the  next  thing  (e.g.  digital  humaniIes),  what  are  the  challenges  ahead?    

How    would  you  tell  the  story  of  digiIzaIon  in  Dutch  museums?    

CS  2012-­‐2013  

Next  Ime  

•  Wed  12  Dec:  last  class  with  presentaIons:  think  of  bringing  a  guest.  

•  NB  Wed  6  Feb  CIW-­‐AW  meeIng  (15:00hrs)  

CS  2012-­‐2013