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ninch-announce: New CIMI Project: Integrated Information Management in Museums

ninch-announce: New CIMI Project: Integrated Information Management in Museums

New CIMI Project: Integrated Information Management in Museums

David Green (david@ninch.org)
Thu, 4 Sep 1997 10:35:38 -0400 

Message-Id: <v02130502b034774af905@[192.100.21.23]>
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 1997 10:35:38 -0400
To: ninch-announce@cni.org
From: david@ninch.org (David Green)
Subject: New CIMI Project: Integrated Information Management in Museums

NINCH ANNOUNCEMENT
September 4, 1997


August 28, 1997

CIMI ANNOUNCES A PROJECT TO STUDY INTEGRATED INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN MUSEUMS


Summary

Details follow on an opportunity for museums, art galleries, historical
societies or sites and cultural heritage organizations to take part in a
eight month Consortium for the Interchange of Museum Information (CIMI)
case study starting September/97 to analyze how museums manage and use
their collections and other digital information resources.

This is a part of CIMI's continuing exploration of the application of
standards for interchange needs and its monitoring of information
management issues for working in the electronic medium.  This study will
specifically target information policy, the use of structured information
(SGML, markup, databases) and practises for information management.
Organizations interested in taking part should contact Margaretta Sander,
msander@auracom.com by Sept. 12, 1997.

RESPONSE DEADLINE: SEPT. 12
**********************************************************

Dear Colleague,

The CIMI Consortium is pleased to announce its new research project,
"Case Study of Integrated Information Management".  This project will
examine how museums turn information into specific products such as web
publications, hard copy brochures, wall labels, calendar of events or
exhibition catalogues and reuse core information (eg.  collections
information) in a variety of applications.  In order to help museums
understand the relationships among all the information types and to
articulate an information strategy that reflects efficient information
production, CIMI is developing "Guidelines for Information Access" which
will be provided to participants in draft form.

The Guidelines provide descriptions for a range of typical goals or
expectations for information management such as interchange,
interoperability, longevity and flexibility for repurposing.  Each
of the goals is described in terms of their advantages and
disadvantages for:

   * content creation such as word processing or database format;

   * content conversion such as keystroking, scanning, value-added
     (formatting, metadata, etc);

   * content repository/management such as flat or structured files,
     databases; and content delivery such as analog, fixed digital media,
     online.

A selected group of six institutions will work with CIMI consultants to
examine, in their own institution, how content is often published or
used in more than one format.  The study will first gain an overview of
institutional information management goals; inventory information
resources and formats; identify processes and tools used in information
production; and review staff responsibilities to projects.  The study
will use the Guidelines to focus the museums on examining the goals,
resources, processes and staff required to produce two projects selected
by the museum for the study.

Following the work at the individual institutions, the project
participants will meet together to share information and discoveries and
to discuss the feasibility of working on another project.

For more information on CIMI see

   http://www.cimi.org/cimi/


CASE STUDY PROJECT GOALS

   * Identify range of strategies and practises museums use for
     managing and using digital information

   * Identify successful strategies that support desired outcomes

   * Identify obstacles and suggest improvements to less successful
     practises


CIMI SEEKS RESPONSES FROM INTERESTED PARTIES WHO MEET SOME OR ALL OF THE
FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

   * Have been thinking about how information is managed and used in
     the organization and how to manage and use it more efficiently;

   * Publish digital material in a variety of formats, eg: Web, CD ROM,
     databases, on-line services, books, etc. using repurposing and other
     techniques to reuse information for different projects;

   * Have an interest in examining their processes for producing
     content and disseminating the content in a variety of forms and
     comparing that to how others do similar activities;

   * Use some degree of structured management of information eg: text
     databases, markup;

   * Are interested in sharing results of the study with others to
     improve information management practises in museums;

   * Have or are interested in developing an information policy or
     management plan


PARTICIPANTS WILL:

   * Provide information about information management goals; resources
     and formats;  processes and tools used in information production;
     and staff responsibilities to projects using a methodology
     developed by CIMI;

   * Analyze the information with a CIMI consultant and appropriate
     institutional staff;

   * Attend at least one project group meeting to analyze work and
     share experiences and findings


PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE:

   * An in-depth review of their information management practises and
     an opportunity to work with other museums with similar needs and
     interests

   * A stipend of $1000 as a contribution to expenses of participation;

   * Access to high-level expertise in integrated information management;

   * An opportunity to avoid the potential risk of added costs and
     generation of less content for web material;

   * The possibility of participation in a grant-funded implementation
     project directed by CIMI.


PARTICIPANTS ARE REQUIRED TO:

   * Submit a simple report of time and expenses for participating in
     the project;

   * Contribute to a written assessment of the experience as part of
     the project documentation;

   * Be or join the CIMI Consortium as a participating member


If this describes you, please send an expression of interest to
Margaretta Sander <msander@auracom.com> by September 12.

CIMI will select up to 6 participants who will help shape the way
museums manage their information and who will participate in the
creation of the CIMI Information Reference Model.

We encourage you to copy and/or pass this announcement on to appropriate
colleagues in your organization or elsewhere.

We look forward to hearing from you by September 5, 1997.

John Perkins                            Margaretta Sander
CIMI Project Director                   Project Manager
jperkins@cimi.org                       msander@auracom.com
voice: 902-826-2824                     voice: 902-826-2224
fax:    902-826-1337




Margaretta Sander
RR1 252 Viewmount Dr.
Tantallon, N.S. B0J 3J0 Canada
voice: 902-826-2224  fax: 902-826-1337
<msander@auracom.com>

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