Experiences with implementing EMu at the Australian Museum.

- Lance Wilkie (EMu Unit Manager).

The Australian Museum

Collection databasing –1877 to mid 1990s

•Card files in use for over 20 years Card files in use for over 20 years (still referred to infrequently) (still referred to infrequently)

• Data sheets still used in some Data sheets still used in some collectionscollections

Hardcopy ‘Era’:Hardcopy ‘Era’:

• Earliest Museum register in 1877.Earliest Museum register in 1877.

• Traditional registers – used till 2000 Traditional registers – used till 2000 (or later) in some collections(or later) in some collections

Databasing at the AM falls into two ‘eras’ – Databasing at the AM falls into two ‘eras’ – hard copyhard copy and digital. and digital.

Collection databasing –1970s to 2004

5) 2004 - SUN SunFire5) 2004 - SUN SunFire 280R server, 1.4 TB 280R server, 1.4 TB SAN, and tape robot SAN, and tape robot purchased purchased ~$400,000~$400,000

Digital ‘Era’:Digital ‘Era’:

1) Mid 1970s – batch1) Mid 1970s – batch loading of data into loading of data into CSIRO Cyber 76 CSIRO Cyber 76 computer started computer started

2) 1987 to 2001 – 2) 1987 to 2001 – severalseveral ‘old’ servers used ‘old’ servers used

3) 2001 – first EMu 3) 2001 – first EMu server purchased for server purchased for an integrated an integrated collection collection management system.management system.

4) 2002 – Collections 4) 2002 – Collections database integration database integration project commenced.project commenced.

Australian Museum Texpress Databases• 1987 - data into KE Titan 2.01987 - data into KE Titan 2.0• 1995 - data into KE Texpress 5.0.391995 - data into KE Texpress 5.0.39• Became the major repositories of Became the major repositories of Collections data.Collections data.

• 1987 - data into KE Titan 2.01987 - data into KE Titan 2.0• 1987 - data into KE Titan 2.01987 - data into KE Titan 2.0• 1995 - data into KE Texpress 5.0.391995 - data into KE Texpress 5.0.39

2002 - ?: Australian Museum Texpress Databases to EMu

Discipline Original Database EMu Database Current Status Approx. # Catalogue records

Arachnology Texpress Spiders AMlive Merged and live 93, 000

Entomology Texpress Entomology AMlive Merged and live 122, 000

Herpetology Texpress Herpetology AMlive Merged and live 164, 000

Marine Inverts Texpress Marine Inverts AMlive Merged and live 167, 000

Mammals Texpress Mammalogy AMlive Merged and live 43, 000

Mineralogy Texpress Mineralogy AMlive Merged and live 2, 000

Ornithology Texpress Ornithology AMlive Merged and live 86, 500

Paleontology Texpress Paleontology PALlive Live, yet to be merged with AMlive 25, 000

Icthyology Texpress Icthyology FISHlive Live, yet to be merged with AMlive 175, 000

Malacology Texpress Malacology MALtest Test phase. 452, 000

Anthropology ? AMANTHlive Live, not merged with Natural History databases

74, 000

 Still To Do:      Total: 1, 403, 500 

Mineralogy Non-texpress: Dbase, Excel   Yet to be mapped and loaded ??

Evolutionary Biology Unit Texpress EBU   Yet to be mapped and loaded ??

Collections Integrity Unit AREV   Yet to be mapped and loaded ??

Various disciplines Non-texpress data formats eg. Access databases, Excel spreadsheets.

  Yet to be mapped and loaded ??

Problem #1 - Customisation

Who is going to change, and how much?

Cetacea tab

Mammals tab

Ornithology 1 tab Measurements tab

Problem #2 – User Level Permissions

Who can do what?

Past

Discipline

Admin CollectionMan.

Data Entry Visitor

User Group Level

Priveledge # Users

Present

The Implications of Object-Based Databases

PartiesCatalogue

Parties

Catalogue

Collection Events

Sites

Taxonomy

Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4 Field 5

Record Security Feature

Discipline Tagging and Insert/Query Defaults

Registry Category

Qu

ery

Disp

lay

Insert

Ed

it

Delete

Glo

bal E

dits

Ru

n R

epo

rts

Desig

n R

epo

rts

Notes

Admin                

No restrictions to access or permissions. Every registry group other than Admin is further subdivided by Disclipline (eg. BIRDCollectionManagement, MAMDataEntry etc).

Temporary Editor                

Now includes permission to delete, edit and global edit for certain modules (excluding Catalogue). Access may or may not be restricted by Discipline (in first instance). NB. Temporary setting only - permissions removed when job complete!!!

Collection Management                

Now includes permission to delete and edit for certain modules (excluding Catalogue). Access may or may not be restricted by Discipline (in first instance). Edit and Delete permissions for Collection Management restricted in a similar way to Data Entry groups.

Data Entry                

Now includes permission to edit for certain modules only. Access restricted by Discipline. Editing permission for Data Entry groups confined to Catalogue, Bibliography, Loans, Locations and Parties modules. Previous group "Others" has been modified and merged into "Data Entry" groups.

Read Only                

Access restricted by Discipline. (eg. Research scientists, etc.) Previous group "Research" has been combined with "Read Only"

Read Only Vis                For Visitors - they can view data, but can't take it with them without

Coll Manager's permission.

Admin Read Only                 Access not restricted by Discipline (eg. Spatial Systems Unit).

SpecialHighly restricted access to approved users only (eg. secret and

sacred artifacts).

Registry Renovation

Problem #3 – Impacts on Collection Management Work

Practices.Who will do it if I can’t?

Finally….Some things we’d like to see:

• The capability to copy values from one field to another using the global edit facility.

• More connectivity between Sites, Collection Events and Catalogue modules – particularly an “Objects” field in Query mode for the former two?

• A review of the Cerberus issue management facility – improved issue tracking