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Online Publishing

24mda
Online collections bring the nation's treasures and culture alive for growing numbers of people who wouldn't otherwise have access to them. They also enable museums, galleries and archives to display digitised versions of their more precious or fragile objects that are usually kept from public view.

The internet allows the mounting numbers of people becoming interested in the arts and history to undertake their own research, says Jon Pratty, editor of the 24 Hour Museum website.

“They are finding out for themselves what history means to them; it's a primary and primal instinct and it's going to become more and more important to them in years to come. Placing archives online, for example, has turbo-charged the usefulness of the web in terms of people searching for their ancestry.” - Read the full article

Getting Started

Libraries, archives and museums now have considerable experience of creating digital copies of their resources and making these available online. The next stage in this process is to knit these resources together to create interesting, exciting and memorable online experiences for users. This is the basis of online publishing.

Writing for the Web

In recent years, a focus on technical accessibility has given way to a greater awareness of the importance of usability and clarity in online communication. Writing for the web is a technical discipline which requires specific skills.

Local Authority Museum Websites

During April/May 2007, MDA conducted an email survey of Local Authority Museums to research the current status of their websites, and particularly the importance of being able to maintain a clearly-identifiable and branded web presence on a separate URL from that of the Authority site. The conclusions of this Survey were written into a report.

Content Managment and Workflow

Online publishing is a long-term investment for any organisation and requires an integrated approach to the creation, management and publication of digital content. Implementing a Content Management System and ensuring tha you have appropriate procedures in place to manage the workflow of online publishing are essential.

Content Management and Collections Management Systems

Most electronic Collections Management Systems now incorporate online/Internet functionality either as standard or as an additional module. The ability to publish collections information online opns new opportunities for enhanced access to collections, but is not always a good idea.

Online Marketing

Online publishing changes some of the rules of Marketing fundamentally. At the same time, it is essential to remember basic principles such as situational analysis and market segmentation to ensure that you are delivering effective online services.

Statistics and Evaluation

Becuase of its inherently chaotic nature, it can be difficult to build a meaningful picture of how your services are being used. Web statistics and other thecnologies can help, but only to a certain extent.

Further information and guidance is available from Collections Link on 0845 838 4000.

Basic fact sheets

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