Ben Sullivan, Head of Operations, Europe and the Middle East, Axiell ALM

1. Axiell Seminar: Raising The Profile Of Your Museum Collections
RAISING THE PROFILE OF YOUR
COLLECTIONSLeveraging Your Collections Data To Raise The Profile
Of Your Collections Online

2. I want my collections data online… Why?
...to promote and engage with audiences

3. This is not only about leveraging the
collections to raise your profile, it is
about using and reusing your
collections data as technology and
user needs change
“collections data isn’t boring”
Ben Sullivan - Axiell

4. Example 1
Chronozoom New Technology &
Collections Data

5. Engaging online
experiences + sustainability
Costs & Procurement
Multiple
partners
Technical
issues
Poor quality
data
!
Time
constraints
Aim:
Reusable collections data for
online use
Data
duplication
Data rights
and ownership Projects
Die!

6. A common scenario
An engaging bit of technology

7. 1 New Visualisation Technology
5 Diverse Content Partners
- Uni of Birmingham Special Collections
- Lapworth Geology Museum
- Birmingham Museums
- Uni of Birmingham Research & Cultural Collections
- Coffin Works
2 Main Technical Partners
- Axiell
- Fontys University
3 Other Technical Partners
- Microsoft Research
- Uni of California, Berkeley
- Moscow State University
Using engaging technology

8. What’s the point?
Are our customers interested?
- Initial content meeting
- Sharing ideas
- Content selection
- What do we have?
- What is interesting?
- What links can we make?
- Existing content & clean-up
- New content
Are our customers’ customers interested?
Can we get something done in time?
Aim:
Use collections data to engage
with audiences

9. What happened?
1. Identify existing data 
2. Assess data quality and gaps 
3. Upload test data into ChronoZoom 
4. Demo of history of Birmingham created 
5. Content partners curate a story
about Birmingham together
6. Axiell create feed directly
from CMS into ChronoZoom
7. Testing & rollout to partners
8. Training and instructions on data entry
9. Additional functionality list decided

10. Example 2
Publishing Collections Data to
existing or new platforms

11. Can we make using these
tools more sustainable?
Pinterest / Instagram
Google Art BBC Your Paintings
Flickr
Case Study Birmingham Museums and Archives

12. BBC Your Paintings

13. Google Art Project

14. Flickr

15. Pinterest (or Instagram)

16. Case Study Birmingham Museums and Archives
Over 75% of traffic was
from 3rd party sites
Own
web site
Analysis of use of collections data
Over 50% of
traffic will be
via mobile
devices

17. 5 tips for managing
your data for online use
1. Define the data and prioritise it
2. Include tech requirements for integration in new
projects – speak with us.
3. Create a sustainable workflow & manage the
data well. Make sure key data is kept up to date.
Train your users!
4. Use new technology to engage.
5. Monitor and track use for future planning.

18. Using good collections data with new
technologies helps ensure…
collections data isn’t boring
and the data can be reused for other
projects in the future

19. Axiell Seminar: Raising The Profile Of Your Museum Collections
THANK YOU