Museumsportal and Digicult: an interdisciplinary project of museums in Northern Germany

1. Museumsportal and Digicult: an interdisciplinary project of museums in Northern Germany Frauke Rehder, Minerva Plus, Berlin 08.04.2005

2. Schleswig-Holstein • most northern federal state of Germany • located at the border to Denmark • between North Sea and Baltic Sea • circa 2,82 million inhabitents • lacking of economic infrastructure • rising importance of tourism • 263 museums

3. What ist DigiCult ? DigiCult Museums SH is a pilot projekt promoted by the EU for digital retention and publication of selected inventories of museums in Schleswig-Holstein. It includes: • data collection • networking and thesauri • linked data inquiry and publication www.digicult-sh.de

4. Parameters • Project executing organisation: City of Flensburg • Cooperation: 9 (+ 8) Museums, University of Kiel and other partners • Project financing: 50 % EU subsidies, 50 % own resources (staff appropriations) • project value: approx. 2 million Euro • duration: 1st Mai 2003 – 30th April 2006

5. Currently Participating Museums • Museumsberg Flensburg • Museen für Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte Lübeck • Kunsthalle zu Kiel (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel) • Kieler Stadt- und Schiffahrtsmuseum • Dithmarscher Landesmuseum Meldorf • Computerschausammlung der FH Kiel • Geologisch- Mineralogisches Museum der CAU zu Kiel • Theatergeschichtliche Sammlung der CAU zu Kiel • Botanischer Garten der CAU zu Kiel associated: • Altonaer Museum, Hamburg • Künstlermuseum Heikendorf • Dat ole Hus, Aukrug • Medizin- und Pharmaziehistorische Sammlung der CAU zu Kiel • Arthothekenverband Schleswig-Holstein, Eckernförde • Stormarnsches Dorfmuseum, Hoisdorf • Landesgeschichtliche Sammlung der Schleswig-Holsteinischen Landesbibliothek Kiel • Wenzel-Hablik-Museum, Itzehoe

6. The project includes: • Setup a consulting centre for technical development and advice • Supply of hard- and software for digitizing the inventory of the participating museums (Dokbase, incl. ThumbsPlus) • Further development of software, esp. registration and publication databases • Help developing specific thesauri as network solutions by definition of standards, testing the including of national and international standards (SWD, Hölzl, ULAN, TGN, ICON CLASS) • Publication of information of the recorded objects in the internet via “Museumsportal Schleswig-Holstein” (www.museen-sh.de) • Multimedia support by the interdisciplinary multimedia centre (IZM) at the University of Kiel • Current courses to qualify the staff in the museums • Scientific monitoring and evaluation of the project (3 reports published) • National and international exchange of current developments and results • Collaboration with other partners (Tourism, Education)

7. DokBase concept • DokBase.gd (data collection and collection management) • DokBase.xtree (Networking and thesauri) • Dokbase.meta (webbased Metadata, MySQL4 as Container for xml-data, to be used for Publication and DataExchange)

8. Structure of the database

9. DokBase Networking via Webservice

10. Status quo • ca. 12.000 Objects digitized, 4.600 published on the Internet • Current digital registration in the Museums, partly transfer of former databases in DokBase.gd • New Server for all the DigiCult modules and the website www.museen-sh.de including an CMS since february 2005 • Multilingualism for supra-regional/international Exchange implemented on the new Server • development of data exchange structures between dokBase.gd, dokBase.xtree and dokBase.meta • public DTD since january 2005

11. DokBase.gd: application software for a cultural historical collection

12. Mineralogical Museum, classifikation for minerals by Hölzl

13. Dokbase.xtree • Webbased administrationtool for lists, classifikations, thesauri and further object data • Comparison with standardised data • in process: SWD (Schlagwort-Normdatei), IconClass,Getty ULAN (Union List of Artist Names) • intended: Getty AAT (Art- and Architecture Thesaurus), Getty TGN (Thesaurus of Geographic Names), AKL (Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon) ? • Access by the museums, the DigiCult consulting centerand external users (differentiated access authorization) • controled vokabulary after Din 1463 (poly hierarchies, synonyms, connotations) • unique Digi-Id for every descriptor

14. DokBase.xtree: IconClass

15. DokBase.xtree: IconClass Maria lactans

16. Homepage Museums in Schleswig-Holsteinwww.museen-sh.de

17. Museumsportal: Collections

18. Link from data about an artist to search of literature via GBV

19. Biographie of Emil Nolde via Wikipedia

20. Practical Experience • Comparison with standardised data not on the focus of the participating museums • Only little acceptance of IconClass • Comparison with SWD only by DigiCult-Team • Classification of artistic styles is treated with reserve • altogether: least depth of classification, simple lists of notions prefered • Self-interest is of vital importance instead of common / international inquiry and publication • Control of vocabulary by the offer of standarsized data in a complex structure with a simple interface • Current advanced training and editorial support is necessary

21. Thank you for your attention! Contact: Projekt DigiCult Museen c/o Museumsberg Flensburg Museumsberg 1 24937 Flensburg Tel. 0461/851203 Fax: 0461/852993 www.digicult-sh.de Frauke Rehder info@museen-sh.de

22. Acknowledgements: Lütger Landwehr Gisela Lentz Britta Georgi Axel Vitzthum