Exploring Museum Collections Online: The Quantitative Method

Slide 1: Exploring Museum Collections Online: The Quantitative Method Frankie Roberto, Science Museum frankie@frankieroberto.com

Slide 2: It all started at a ‘Mashup workshop’ here...

Slide 3: If you want to mashup museum object data, you’ll come across 3 problems:

Slide 4: If you want to mashup museum object data, you’ll come across 3 problems: 1. Getting It - museum data isn’t always accessible

Slide 5: If you want to mashup museum object data, you’ll come across 3 problems: 1. Getting It - museum data isn’t always accessible 2. Structure - the format of the data varies across museums.

Slide 6: If you want to mashup museum object data, you’ll come across 3 problems: 1. Getting It - museum data isn’t always accessible 2. Structure - the format of the data varies across museums. 3. Dodgy Data - data is often full of errors, typos and incomplete fields.

Slide 7: There are 3 traditionally-advocated solutions to these problems

Slide 8: 1. Getting It = APIs

Slide 9: 1. Getting It = APIs

Slide 10: 2. Structure = Metadata standards

Slide 11: 2. Structure = Metadata standards

Slide 12: 3. Dodgy Data = Hard Work (data entry)

Slide 13: 3. Dodgy Data = Hard Work (data entry)

Slide 14: These may be good solutions, but they’re all hypothetical, and rely on other people doing things sometime in the future. I’m not interested in perfection, I just want data that’s...

Slide 15: Good Enough (Assez bon) ...and I’ll return to this slide if we start to get bogged down in a search for perfection.

Slide 16: So here are my alternative solutions to the 3 problems...

Slide 17: 1. Getting It = Screen Scraping

Slide 18: 1. Getting It = Screen Scraping Or...

Slide 19: 1. Getting It = making a Freedom of Information request

Slide 20: 2. Structure = Crude data mapping Museum X Museum Y (some logic) (some logic) A Simple Format (some logic) Museum Z

Slide 21: 3. Dodgy Data = Just say...

Slide 22: 3. Dodgy Data = Just say... Good Enough (Assez bon)

Slide 23: I’m also interested in how we’re displaying museum collections data online.

Slide 24: This is the usual approach:

Slide 25: This is the usual approach:

Slide 26: Or like this:

Slide 27: Or like this:

Slide 28: Or this...

Slide 29: Or this...

Slide 30: ...basically, an image with a description.

Slide 31: ...basically, an image with a description.

Slide 32: Which is all well and good, but doesn’t give you much of a sense of this...

Slide 33: The objects as a collection.

Slide 34: So I sent an FOI request to a bunch of museums.

Slide 35: ...and this was the response:

Slide 36: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum

Slide 37: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No

Slide 38: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000”

Slide 39: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum

Slide 40: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none

Slide 41: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London

Slide 42: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none

Slide 43: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery

Slide 44: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none

Slide 45: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum

Slide 46: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes

Slide 47: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets

Slide 48: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool

Slide 49: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No

Slide 50: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days”

Slide 51: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery

Slide 52: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No

Slide 53: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website”

Slide 54: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum

Slide 55: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No

Slide 56: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens”

Slide 57: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries

Slide 58: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes

Slide 59: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes 50MB CSV file

Slide 60: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes 50MB CSV file Sir John Soane’s Museum

Slide 61: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes 50MB CSV file Sir John Soane’s Museum Yes

Slide 62: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes 50MB CSV file Sir John Soane’s Museum Yes Word document

Slide 63: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes 50MB CSV file Sir John Soane’s Museum Yes Word document Tate Galleries

Slide 64: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes 50MB CSV file Sir John Soane’s Museum Yes Word document Tate Galleries No none

Slide 65: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes 50MB CSV file Sir John Soane’s Museum Yes Word document Tate Galleries No none Victoria & Albert Museum

Slide 66: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes 50MB CSV file Sir John Soane’s Museum Yes Word document Tate Galleries No none Victoria & Albert Museum Yes

Slide 67: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes 50MB CSV file Sir John Soane’s Museum Yes Word document Tate Galleries No none Victoria & Albert Museum Yes 2.9GB XML file on DVD

Slide 68: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes 50MB CSV file Sir John Soane’s Museum Yes Word document Tate Galleries No none Victoria & Albert Museum Yes 2.9GB XML file on DVD Wallace Collection

Slide 69: ...and this was the response: Museum Granted? Response British Museum No “3-4 days and over £1000” Imperial War Museum No none Museum of London No none National Gallery No none National Maritime Museum Yes 50 Excel spreadsheets National Museums Liverpool No “More than 2.5 days” National Portrait Gallery No “Information on website” Natural History Museum No “70m specimens” Royal Armouries Yes 50MB CSV file Sir John Soane’s Museum Yes Word document Tate Galleries No none Victoria & Albert Museum Yes 2.9GB XML file on DVD Wallace Collection No none

Slide 70: This is the data I was after:

Slide 71: This is the data I was after: Who? What? Where? When? How?

Slide 72: This is the data I was after: Who? collector/curator What? object type Where? country of origin When? year of acquisition How? acquisition method

Slide 73: And these are some examples of the data I got...

Slide 74: Who?

Slide 75: Who? hoped-for data: “Henry Wellcome”, “curator x”

Slide 76: Who? hoped-for data: “Henry Wellcome”, “curator x” actual response: no data

Slide 77: What?

Slide 78: What? target data: tag-style descriptors in the form of this is an x

Slide 79: What? target data: tag-style descriptors in the form of this is an x actual data: categories in the style of ‘Horological Instruments’, ‘Coins & Commemorative Medals’, ‘Jewellery’

Slide 80: What? Mapping process Category Object-type tag ‘Firearm’ firearm ‘Edged weapon’ weapon ‘Furniture’ item of furniture ‘Glass’ piece of glassware ‘Merchant Ship Plans’ ship plan ‘Miscellaneous Antiques’ antique

Slide 81: What? Mapping process Category Object-type tag ‘Firearm’ firearm ‘Edged weapon’ weapon ‘Furniture’ item of furniture ‘Glass’ piece of glassware ‘Merchant Ship Plans’ ship plan ‘Miscellaneous Antiques’ antique Would it be better to try and parse the title?

Slide 82: Where? target data: country-level location (list of countries from ISO website)

Slide 83: Where? “London, England” “Dockyard, Devonport, Devon, England” “Dockyard, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England” “England” “Dockyard, Chatham, Kent, England” “Sheernet Dockyard, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England” “France” “Birkenhead, Merseyside, England” “Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England” “Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland” “Germany” “Barrow, Cumbria, England: “Clydebank, Cumbria, England” “Netherlands” 0 750 1,500 2,250 Number of objects

Slide 84: Where? Some examples of the actual data: “London, England” “Dockyard, Devonport, Devon, England” “Dockyard, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England” “England” “Dockyard, Chatham, Kent, England” “Sheernet Dockyard, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England” “France” “Birkenhead, Merseyside, England” “Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England” “Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland” “Germany” “Barrow, Cumbria, England: “Clydebank, Cumbria, England” “Netherlands” 0 750 1,500 2,250 Number of objects

Slide 85: Where? National Maritme Museum: 1,496 unique place_made strings Tricky cases: “probably Germany” “Asia” “possibly: Chatham Dockyard” “USSR” “Far East” “Continental Europe” “Arabia” “Italy or England” “Persia” “Czechoslovakia”

Slide 86: Good Enough (Assez bon)

Slide 87: This is where you have to ignore some data and say... Good Enough (Assez bon)

Slide 88: When? 1905 1905 1935-04 1935 12/09/06 2006 (possibly) 13/04/09 1909 (probably) 28/06/96 1996? 1986?

Slide 89: When? target data: year of acquisition 1905 1905 1935-04 1935 12/09/06 2006 (possibly) 13/04/09 1909 (probably) 28/06/96 1996? 1986?

Slide 90: When? target data: year of acquisition (this should be easy) 1905 1905 1935-04 1935 12/09/06 2006 (possibly) 13/04/09 1909 (probably) 28/06/96 1996? 1986?

Slide 91: When? target data: year of acquisition (this should be easy) actual data: 1905 1905 1935-04 1935 12/09/06 2006 (possibly) 13/04/09 1909 (probably) 28/06/96 1996? 1986?

Slide 92: How?

Slide 93: How? anticipated: donation / purchase / loan

Slide 94: How? anticipated: donation / purchase / loan real data: gift / purchase / bequest / transfer / transfer from MOD / transfer; gift / purchase; transfer / loan / Sale / deposit / Acceptance in Lieu of Tax / Acquisition / Exchange / presented / museum copy / Allocated by the Naval War Trophies Committee

Slide 95: Prior art? http://england.prm.ox.ac.uk/englishness-analysis-overview.html

Slide 96: Lessons from politics This site uses publicly-available House of Commons data. Would someone create a MuseumsCollectForYou.com?

Slide 97: Lessons from politics This site uses publicly-available House of Commons data. Would someone create a MuseumsCollectForYou.com?

Slide 98: Issues

Slide 99: Issues • All objects are counted equally.

Slide 100: Issues • All objects are counted equally. • How can we add photographs?

Slide 101: Issues • All objects are counted equally. • How can we add photographs? • Should we incorporate user interactions and annotations?

Slide 102: Where next?

Slide 103: Where next? • Prototype site online: http://www.museum-collections.org

Slide 104: Where next? • Prototype site online: http://www.museum-collections.org • Get data from more museums?

Slide 105: Where next? • Prototype site online: http://www.museum-collections.org • Get data from more museums? • I’m happy to share the data

Slide 106: Where next? • Prototype site online: http://www.museum-collections.org • Get data from more museums? • I’m happy to share the data • Who’s role is it to do this stuff?

Slide 107: Where next? • Prototype site online: http://www.museum-collections.org • Get data from more museums? • I’m happy to share the data • Who’s role is it to do this stuff? • Would it also work for private collections (eBay addicts)?

Slide 108: Thanks! (presentation originally given at Museums and the Web 2008, Montreal) See also my written paper: http://www.archimuse.com/mw2008/papers/roberto/roberto.html