Isobel Stark

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Tap into BathThe Trials and Triumphs of a
Cross-Sectoral Collaboration

• Isobel Stark
• 9th May 2005

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• Introduction
• What is Tap into Bath?
• Project
• Partners Process Collections
• Background
• Cross-sectoral Collaboration
• What is Collection Description?
• Whats Next?

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• 26 partner organisations
• 119 collections on the database

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Bath Area Libraries Initiative

• To establish a shared web information gate-way
  with a community access focus.
• This could become the kernel of an access map
  for the City of Bath and surrounding area of
  North East Somerset.

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Working within the Bath North East Somerset
Area-

• To support awareness of strategic and
  cross-sectoral library developments.
• To co-operate to enable the communities to gain
  access to resources that will support their
  learning and information needs.
• To carry forward, where practicable, with
  funding, specific cross-sectoral library
  initiatives.

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Aims

• Introduce concept of collection description to
  information professionals in the Bath area
• Produce a comprehensive resource for the Bath
  area
• Pilot project for local collection description
  databases
• Record the project in a case study paper
• Promote co-operation and networking between
  colleagues working in MLA sector in Bath

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Common ground and shared interests-

• learning within the communities
• cultural and community information
• supporting private research
• access to study space

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• Project Team
• Alison Baud Isobel Stark, UoB Library
• Ann Chapman Bridget Robinson, UKOLN
• Staff
• Katie Rickard (Data Collector)
• Ian Bolton (Programmer)
• Shirley Keane (UKOLN)
• Laurence Lockton (Library)
• Sponsors and Funders
• UKOLN Collection Description Focus
• University of Bath Library
• SWMLAC
• Partners
• Museums, Libraries, Archives in Bath

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• American Museum in Britain
• Bath North East Somerset Record Office
• Bath Abbey Archives
• Bath Abbey Heritage Vaults Museum
• Bath Central Library
• Bath Newspapers
• Bath Postal Museum
• Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution
• Bath Spa University College
• Beckford's Tower and Museum
• Building of Bath Museum
• City of Bath College Library
• Holburne Museum of Art

• King Edwards School
• Museum of Bath at Work
• Museum of Costume
• Museum of East Asian Art
• No.1 The Royal Crescent
• Roman Baths Museum
• Royal United Hospital
• St Johns Hospital Bath Municipal Charities
  Archives
• University of Bath Library
• University of Bath Archives
• Victoria Art Gallery
• Wessex Water
• William Herschel Museum

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• Whats in the collections?
• Fossils, shells, mineral samples, plant
  specimens, coins, medals, sculpture, carvings,
  paintings, drawings, bottles, kitchen utensils,
  manuscripts, printed books, journals, documents,
  electronic documents and journals, photographs,
  press clippings, clothing, hats, gloves, shoes,
  silverware, ceramics, glassware, china dogs,
  quilts, clocks and watches

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• Size doesnt matter
• University library 440,000 volumes
• Harborow collection 5 single gloves
• Victoria Art Gallery 150 china dogs
• Bath Chronicle 100 linear feet of stored
  photographs

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• SWMLAC Briefing Session (1) April 2004
• Data Collection Templates May 2004
• Database Design April-May 2004
• Data Collection Interviews and Editing Jun-Jul
  2004
• Programming Jun-Oct 2004
• Data Entry Aug-Oct 2004
• SWMLAC Briefing Session (2) Aug 2004
• Public Launch December 2004

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Why collection description?

• Enable collection provider to
• disclose information about collections to users
• Enable user to
• discover/locate collections
• select collections to explore/search on basis of
  summary description
• compare collections as broadly similar objects
  (even where items are heterogeneous)
• understand conditions of access and use
• interpret collections

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System Components

• Metadata schema for consistent collection
  descriptions across domains
• Relational database to hold data
• Data entry interface
• Public search interface

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What is collection-level description?

• CLD schema sets of data elements about
• The collection
• Agents connected with the collection
• Location of the collection
• Associated resources
• Relationships of the above entities

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Collection-level description

• RSLP schema - http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/rslp
  /
• Templates for partners to fill in with guidance
  notes
• LCSH, MESH as appropriate
• Name rationalisation
• Limited ability to add new terms

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CLDs provide high-level map of landscape for
user, researcher, visitor.
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Database Design

• XHTML interfaces to SQL database
• Flexible
• Non-proprietary
• Web Standards compliant
• Public search interface
• Data entry interface
• Administrator interface
• All software and documentation is freely
  available from TiB website

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• Trials
• Chasing content
• The iterative process for controlled fields (time
  period/names etc.)
• Not having in-house programming expertise

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• Getting the word out
• Public Launch
• Publicity Material
• Adults Quiz Childrens Quiz (closing date end
  Feb 2005)
• Linking in from Partners Web-sites

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• Whats Next
• Maintenance and Updates
• Cloning Tap into Bath
• Exit Strategy

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• Tap into Bath
• www.bath.ac.uk/library/tapintobath/