action required

This document lists parts of the project needing further attention.

controlled vocabulary

The thesaurus is incomplete. Among the tasks that need attention:

• Convert the present Excel spreadsheets into database form. (I attempted, unsuccessfully, to do this using Protégé software.)
• Write a introduction to the thesaurus, with statement of scope and domain.
• Write instructions on the proper way to add terms to the thesaurus. These would include
  • checking the thesaurus itself first for adequate existing synonyms
  • checking the Art & architecture thesaurus for an appropriate term
  • checking other authorities listed in the sources section of the thesaurus
  • if an adequate term exists in none of the above, researching and documenting a new thesaurus term
• Add more terms (at present the thesaurus includes only 178), including any terms in CATEGORY not already in the thesaurus.
• Add facets to the standard hierarchy as needed. These might include terms needed for data entry, such as hand-embroidered mark, machine-embroidered mark, silk-screened mark, designer label, owner label, donation, purchase, and so on.
• Revise the structure of the fiber hierarchy to reflect the more sophisticated structure of the Longhouse Reserve system; see Kathi Martin for documentation.
• Transcribe the ICOM vocabulary into the ICOM hierarchy section of the thesaurus.
• Determine which terms in the thesaurus are synonymous with terms in the ICOM vocabulary. Add the ICOM terms in the proper field for each term in the thesaurus. See the examples under shorts and trousers.
• Scan the illustrations in the ICOM vocabulary. Add the illustrations in the proper field for each term in the thesaurus. See the examples under shorts and trousers.
• Fill in all fields for each term in the thesaurus. In particular, the RT fields (sibling terms and other related terms) are empty for most terms.

Museum catalogers will also need authority files for names of places, names of designers, and so on. A few authorities are listed in the authority files section of the thesaurus, but no attempt has been made to establish actual authority records.

metadata

Double-check and revise the metadata crosswalk. The crosswalk was constructed rather hastily and many data elements may have equivalents not currently recognized.

Group data elements in the crosswalk to match the workflow outline.

data entry interface

Finish designing the data entry interface.

Test and retest the interface with actual users. Make adjustments continuously.

theoretical discussion

Continue to consider the implications of digital surrogation of museum collections.

Consider the unique value of digital information and the implications of this for designing a public interface.

Based on the above considerations, list requirements for a public interface.

Explore possible types of search interfaces. These might include

• query-by-image-content
• a graphical way of combining facets
• keyword searches across all data fields
• keyword searches across user-selected data fields

further implementation

Link the thesaurus database with the catalog database.

Program the thesaurus database interface to allow for on-the-fly HTML display of thesaurus term entries, with each field in the entry hyperlinked to other term entries and to a hierarchical display.

Program the catalog database to allow for on-the-fly HTML display of catalog records in a variety of forms, including a limited display for the regular public interface and full displays in Dublin Core, AMICO data, or even USMARC, for researchers and institutions.

next page: sources

back to project home page

Donny Smith
May 2002
[email protected] or [email protected]