http://dablog.ulcc.ac.uk/2008/10/20/lcace-our-digital-future-new-technologies-for-mlas/
While colleagues were busy at ULCC’s Future of Technology in Education (FOTE) conference and the Newsfilm Online launch, I attended the excellent LCACE workshop, Our Digital Future: new technologies for Museums, Libraries and Archives at King’s College on October 3rd.
LCACE is a university collaboration promoting the exchange of knowledge and expertise with the capital’s arts and cultural sectors. The partners are: University of the Arts, London; Birkbeck, University of London; City University; Courtauld Institute of Art; Goldsmiths, University of London; King’s College London; The Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Queen Mary, University of London and Royal Holloway, University of London.
I was particularly interested by Simon Tanner’s presentation Collaboration: Working Together to Build the Digital Future, and Paul Vetch’s presentation Cost Effective Content Management and Web2 (in 2008). Simon shared some very helpful tips aimed at engendering successful collaboration on digital projects. Also of note, he highlighted the pivotal importance of digital projects and programmes becoming increasingly user/community-driven rather than purely technology-driven for technology’s sake; and stressed the funders’ need for a clearly defined vision and user benefits! Paul Vetch offered some thought-provoking findings on Web 2.0, adding further fuel to our earlier discussions about the perceived benefits of Web 2.0 for MLAs .
Flow Associates delivered a presentation on ‘Planning digital projects for learning outcomes’, advising us on how to get the most out of our assets, making our collections more accessible to learners , as well as suggesting ways that we can encourage people to interact more with collections. Interestingly, an organisational challenge commonly lies with trying to get the learning team and web team together in the same room; which is considered vital once it’s achieved! He emphasized the importance of collaborating early and becoming more user-focussed, as well as exploring new places to make your collections visible.
Paul Spence’s (CCH) presentation titled ‘Can XML be your friend?’ revealed not only some of XML’s commonly accepted advantages (e.g. platform/software independent, international/open/interoperable, facilitates greater access/data preservation etc) but also showed some of the innovative ways in which XML can be used e.g. enhances existing or creates new forms of scholarship; and it can be connected with 3D visualisation, allowing users to navigate 3D space to see connections between people.
The seminar was also a great opportunity to find out more about Richard Beacham’s exciting work at the King’s Visualisation Lab. He beautifully demonstrated how technology can be ‘used to evoke all elements of theatre’ and commented on how it allows people to ask and communicate new questions, and explore new areas of knowledge.
Along with the informative and interesting talks, the smorgasbord of lunch and patisserie delicacies also inspired more fruitful exchange and networking – all making for a very successful and stimulating day!
The presentations are available from the LCACE website.
