Chris Bailey, NIMC

1
The MICHAEL project in Northern Ireland, Wales
and Scotland

• Chris Bailey, NIMC
• Chris Delaney, WMF
• Jane Robinson, MGS

2
Northern Ireland
3
Methodology
Partnership with University of Ulster
Achievements
Existing records 38 Museums 48 Digital resources
and services
4
Issues arising
Priorities Standards Types
Where to now?
Other collections Sustainability
5
On line Museum Collections in Wales
6
The MICHAEL Project in Wales  
No Welsh Museums
on the MICHAEL site
MLA provided a grant to the
Federation of
Museums in Wales to encourage Welsh
museums to become part of the MICHAEL
project.
7
The Purpose of the Wales Project

• Increase the number of digital collections and
  services from Wales catalogued in MICHAEL
• Promote the project to institutions in Wales
• Increase the Welsh language contents of the
  MICHAEL UK database

8

• Methodology
• 93 Registered/Accredited museums in Wales
• A desk top assessment of Welsh museum web sites
  was undertaken
• The data was entered into a questionnaire format.
  
• Each museum was then contacted to validate and
  update the data.
• We failed to verify and upgrade data for only 3
  museums.

9
Grading system for museum web sites developed   A
site is basically an on line leaflet with
visitor information and a brief collection
overview. A site is as before, with good
collection overviews. A site is as before,
with substantial details about the collection,
but not an on line catalogue. A site is as
before, with all or elements of the collection
available on line. This may include detailed
descriptions of items, images and a search
facility.
10
The project identified 14 and sites
and 11 of these were selected for inclusion on
the MICHAEL site. The museums identified
were-   The Egypt Centre, Swansea The Glynn
Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea Swansea
Museum Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery,
Bangor Lloyd George Museum, Llanystumdwy,
Criccieth Talyllyn Railway, Tywyn Cynon Valley
Museum Cyfarthfa Castle , Merthyr Glamorgan
College of Art Ceredigion Museum,
Aberystwyth Regimental Museum, 1st The Queens
Dragoon Guards, Cardiff
11
The other three sites are sites about to
undergo a major upgrading The Ceramics Gallery
U.C. Aberystwyth School of Art Gallery and
Museum Aberystwyth Amgueddfa Cymru is a
site, the other 6 National Museum Wales sites
are sites.
12
The remaining sites 8 museums do not have web
sites 6 museums are sites 65 are sites 70
of museum web sites in Wales are a leaflet on
line. most museums plan to put collections on
line in the next 2 to 3 years. most museums have
electronic data bases many still have paper based
systems and no resources to transfer them into a
computerised system. CyMAL have grant aiding
documentation and access projects, which are
speeding up this process.
13
Software   Modes or its various forms is the most
popular software used by 39 museums 18 museums
use CALM The National Museum Wales and the
National Trust have their own software. 11 use
Access/MUSIMS/Lotus/Filemaker 4 museums have
only a paper based system.
14
Issues

• Identified weaknesses
• Funding the documentation backlog
• A Museum Strategy for Wales
• Museums Portal/Historic Wales/Archives Network
• Distributed National Collections

15
Scotland
16
MICHAEL Project Scottish participation
17
Scottish participation

• Museums Galleries Scotland is the lead body for
  the funding, development and advocacy of over 340
  museums and galleries in Scotland.
• Our corporate aims cover five broad areas
  advocacy, development, customer services,
  evidencing policy and partnership.
• Our aim in participating in the MICHAEL project
  in 2007-8 was to encourage development around
  digital collections.

18
Museums Galleries Scotlands Digital Content
Action Framework
19
Scottish collections in MICHAEL

• 21 digital collection records created
• 3 existing entries validated,10 tidied
• 11 new collections brought in.with more in the
  pipeline

20
(No Transcript)
21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23

• Jane Robinson
• Head of Museum Development
• janer_at_museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk