Smart Web Exhibits: Carnegie Museum of Natural History Presented at Web-Wise 2002, Johns Hopkins...
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Transcript of Smart Web Exhibits: Carnegie Museum of Natural History Presented at Web-Wise 2002, Johns Hopkins...
Smart Web Exhibits:Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Presented atWeb-Wise 2002,
Johns Hopkins University
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Smart Web Exhibits
An experiment in providing access to a museum’s archival collections as part of both on-site and on-line exhibits
A collaboration between the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science
Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, 1999-2001
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Initial Hypothesis
Museum visitors want to know more about specimens on display than label copy provides, specifically the stories behind the discovery and acquisition of those specimens.
These stories can be told through documents in the museum’s archives.
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Design Considerations
Different types of visitors will want to see different types of information.
In-gallery kiosks will not have keyboards for query entry. Trackballs were used for selection
and scrolling.
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Selected Archival Collections
The documents selected for digitization were those dealing with the discovery of the Carnegie Museum’s signature dinosaur, Diplodocus carnegii.
Records of Discovery and Reproduction of Diplodocus carnegii, 1899-1932.
Papers of Earl Douglass and Dinosaur National Monument, 1894-1931
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One Data Set:Two Interfaces
Dinobase: User selects a persona, then selects a “packaged tour” or searches the entire data set.
DIVA: User can search the text of the documents or browse the entire archival collection, then select and view a particular document.
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Dinobase
Creation of “packaged tours” with links to pre-selected digitized images and documents, including hand-written letters used to illustrate the story
Introduction of icons used to link to the original documents
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Dinobase: Packaged Tours
Two groups of “packaged tours” were created for two personas, i.e. the child and the interested adult. Each of the tours incorporates
selected documents from the archival collections to tell the story.
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Dinobase: Researcher’s View
User may search documents and photographs. Contrast and zoom control on both
documents and photographs Metadata displayed with photographs
User may read related publications.
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DIVA Searching
Users may search transcriptions of document’s text or the results of OCR, captured in metadata.
Users may limit search by document type and sort results by date.
Users may view collection by archival arrangement.
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Links
Dinobase www.carnegiemuseums.org/cmnh/imls Development site for Researcher’s view
gypsum.ul.cs.cmu.edu/cmnh/dinobase.cgi DIVA (Digital Information Versatile
Archive) Diva.library.cmu.edu/CMNH/index.html
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Challenges
Museum staff’s reticence to release data to an unknown user, i.e. without direct contact with a museum curator.
Diffuse process of exhibition development.
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Contact Information
Bernadette G. Callery
Carnegie Museum of Natural History4400 Forbes Ave.Pittsburgh, PA [email protected]