Electronic Service Delivery Case Studies for NSW OIT
Electronic service delivery renowned throughout the World
200 per cent growth in 14 months!
AMOL has developed into the Number 1 Australian museum portal
Discussion lists link museum specialists globally
Value of content must be clearly understood
Scalable electronic service delivery models keep costs down
Open Collections are best practice in management of data resources
Thousands saved through centralising of resources
A centralised resource for “disaster control”
International recognition and economic growth for Australian museums
Australian Museums Online (AMOL)
Powerhouse Museum (Heritage Collections Council)
Electronic service delivery renowned throughout the World
Since its formal establishment in 1998, Australian Museums Online (AMOL) has developed online markets in online education and cultural tourism. AMOL is an Internet based focal point for museum specialists both nationally and globally. As a national museum portal that delivers relevant electronic services to the museum industry, it is renowned by museum curators around the world.
Australian Museums Online places Internet users across Australia and the world in touch with Australia’s cultural resources and collections. Through the Guide to Australian Museums and Open Collection areas of the website, visitors can search museums and galleries across Australia.
Australian Museums Online plays a vital role in supporting professional development and research of people working in museums. AMOL’s Museum Craft allows staff to access online national and international forums and exchange ideas between colleagues. Museum staff can also review museum new technologies and consider training or career advancement options. As part of a museum’s risk management planning, curators can logon to AMOL for best practice disaster management strategies.
In addition, education resources are enriched through AMOL’s Discovernet. The “Study Booster” and “Australian Tales” section of the website provides quick access for schools looking for content created by museums.
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to top200 per cent growth in 14 months!
Australian Museums Online receives an average of 1,100 unique users per day, over 30,000 unique users per month and in twelve months will receive over 300,000 unique users. Since April 2000, the number of unique users has increased 200 per cent. AMOL’s reputation as a best practice electronic service delivery has also resulted from regular visitors from more than 120 different countries.
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“We are currently getting about 1,100 unique users per day, and that’s increased 200 per cent in the last 14 months.” Kevin
Sumption |
AMOL has developed into the Number 1 Australian museum portal
Australian Museums Online fundamental role is functioning as the main portal for nearly every public museum and gallery throughout Australia. As a portal, AMOL manages data on thousands of movable cultural objects held in collections belonging to individual museums.
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“AMOL is about making museums and the products that they offer more accessible and returning real visitation to the museum as well…We are also a gateway to and back to museums.” Kevin
Sumption |
The museum portal uses the Internet as a tool to maintain the momentum of interest in Australian museums. Australian Museums Online also provides visitors with information on current exhibitions and collections encouraging actual museum visits.
Discussion lists link museum specialists globally
Australian Museums Online gives Australian museums a leading role as the centre of discussion on specialised museum concepts and ideas. AMOL currently hosts 17 national discussion forums under the Museum Craft section of the website. Discussions are logged within each online forum allowing interested individuals to participate in the conversations. In some cases, discussion is accessible only for museum professionals and one such list is contributed to by 12 select members situated throughout the world.
Value of content must be clearly understood
Australian Museums Online spent $340,000 developing the website which was provided by their governing body, the Heritage Collections Council (HCC). The HCC is a collaborative body that oversees AMOL and distributes funds provided to it by the Federal, State and Territory governments. AMOL do not generate revenue from their website yet assists in increased awareness and visitors to participating institutions.
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“The content we put up would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars… and that is why our independence is critical. What we put up is worth well in excess of the budget that we operate with, but it comes to us because we are independent and because we are government recognised.” Kevin
Sumption |
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Web Insight Understanding intellectual property and recognising the ownership of content is crucial when setting up a system of electronic service delivery. It is advisable to own all content located on your website or have the permission of the owner to use it. This is a key issue for AMOL, especially when raising revenue or obtaining technical infrastructure sponsorship. AMOL are very careful not to gain anything at the expense of the museums that are the originators of AMOL’s content. |
Scalable electronic service delivery models keep costs down
The scalability of AMOL’s electronic service delivery (ESD) has also kept costs down. Prior to its inception in 1995, museums around Australia tracked collections with their own Collection Management Systems (CMS). The similar nature of proprietary CMS systems belonging to each participating museum enabled AMOL to aggregate museum data. The ease of converting data on an individual museum CMS also meant a small AMOL team could successfully handle increased participation and visits to AMOL. The number of collections listed online is now up to 81, which has grown from six in 1998.
Open Collections are best practice in management of data resources
Due to the similarities between Collection Management Systems amongst museums, Australian Museums Online has been able to achieve efficient data mapping. Data about individual items are specified using five mandatory data fields and three optional data fields. Images are added to the data, where available, which enhances the user experience.
AMOL aggregates online information on collections from museums around Australia
The
above relationship model details the technical architecture that is linked
using metadata
about the institution, the collection, the object and knowledge about
the object.
Australian Museums Online has database servers at seven locations in six different states around Australia. It has been emphasised that this promotes distribution of searches across an open environment. For instance, making the server in South Australia responsible for housing information on South Australian encourages participation in AMOL locally and assists in a collective contribution to AMOL nationally.
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Web Insight Australian Museums Online has decentralised the management of museum collections online as this builds commitment from state to state and ensures that AMOL will continually have up to date information on museums across Australia. Each individual state is responsible for promoting the benefits of AMOL as well as updating and maintaining data at a regional level. |
Thousands saved through centralising of resources
For the Heritage Collections Council (HCC), the establishment of Australian Museums Online has led to cost savings in printing and distribution of paper based manuals and communication. The Caring for Collections Across Australia manual cost $40,000 to create in a PDF version, a fraction of the previous cost of updating and distributing over 1,400 physical copies.
A centralised resource for “disaster control”
Australian Museums Online advises museums on disaster control strategies such as how to salvage collections in the advent of fire or water damage. The Heritage Collections Council (HCC) publishes manuals offering advice on disaster control, however they are expensive to produce and generic in nature. Using AMOL, museum curators can seek tailored advice that includes changes that may have occurred in both their circumstances as well as industry practice.
International recognition and economic growth for Australian museums
AMOL has been in top-level discussions with MuseDoma, an offshoot group of The Getty Institute to push for the global acceptance of a .museum website address. In 1998, as part of their recognition of excellence, AMOL’s credibility was rewarded with The Best of the Web in the Best Professional Website category, which they received along with The Getty Institute.
As a major economic growth stimulator for Australian museums, Australian Museums Online will continue to be supported by industry. AMOL will continue to grow as they absorb market changes by adopting a flexible approach to development and planning. AMOL’s electronic service delivery exhibits best practice and with a solid technical architecture, they are poised to continually improve their online presence in line with their audience needs.
Good News Story
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National Gallery’s Collection Management System is consistent with AMOL In the past, the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra used AMOL for their entire collection management requirements, prior to the installation of its own system. This process supplied the National Gallery with the same functionality as their own proprietary based system, without the ongoing costs associated with its maintenance. This process has been mirrored by many of the Australian museum community who do not possess their own Collection Management System. When a curator conducts a search of a CMS linked or housed at AMOL, their search incorporates not only their own collection, but also the entire AMOL collection database. |
New Case Studies:
Australian Museums & Galleries Online
Australian Reusable Resources Network
River Information Internet System
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Register Companion Animals Online
Internet Trading of Salinity Credits
Land & Property Information Online