GOOD PRACTICE FORM FOR NOMINATIONS

We propose to start the activity of the workgroup on 'good practice' proposing an initial set of some main areas where to put the nominations. In particular we think to start with the basic issue of digitisation itself.
Each project can be 'nominated' for more than one area, following your evaluation of the most important features contained in the example.

AREAS for nominations of 'good practice' for on-going projects on digitisation:
1.	Preservation of physical objects via digitisation and electronic surrogates.
2.	High quality of the digitisation process.
3.	Metadata and Thesaurus.
4.	Usability of project results.
5.	Management of the process and workflow
6.	Accessibility including copyright issues and web sites

The British Museum COMPASS project

For each project please specify:

•	Area of 'good practice' where you like to nominate your project (you can put more than only one area): 

-	high quality of content – images (2D and 3D) and text
-	use of workflow to define content database
-	accessibility – audience evaluation and interface design

•	Name:					David Jillings

•	Responsible body and/or any specific :	The British Museum
Co-ordinating body/mechanism:

•	Contact person:				David Jillings

•	Web site:					www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass

•	Description of the project, objectives and priorities:

-	to provide a high quality on-line guide to a selection of objects in the collections for:
o	the majority of the Museum’s visitors,
o	schoolchildren at Key Stage 2 in the English National Curriculum,
o	‘virtual’ visitors on the web,
-	to include 5000 objects,
-	to provide very high quality images, and interactive multimedia for visitors to the building,
-	to provide an accessible, detailed description of each object,
-	to provide background information to increase understanding of the objects,
-	to provide links between related objects,
-	to establish a production facility that can be used to grow COMPASS and to support other digitisation projects.

•	The main technical features for what you consider the project a 'good practice' example:

-	database driven – allows publication both to kiosks and to the web
-	Content Development System allows production management, and control of publication issues such as copyright and curatorial sign-off,
-	text written and edited with specific audience needs in mind.

•	Long term sustainability strategy:

-	the Museum will continue to add new objects and virtual ‘Tours’.  No technical IT expertise required to include these,
-	re-use of resources, for example commercial exploitation of images,
-	re-publication from the database at regular intervals, e.g. once each month.

•	Accessibility by users via local network or Internet (describe modalities and IPR issue from a technical point of view):

-	system is published to touch-screen kiosk in the Museum, and to a web site.  The same text in each case, but with a different interface and different image sizes.
-	Text-Only versions of web site and Childrens’ COMPASS.

•	Problems encountered :

-	custom-built kiosk has caused several problems,
-	complexity of software development.

Comments: 

Figures and documents enclosed:

to follow

I agree this information could be published/

                              Yes- Yes
                               No

Organisation & person completing the questionnaire

•	Formal name of organisation:	The British Museum

•	Type of organisation:		National Museum (grant-funded by central government)

•	Field of action:	Archive / Library / Museum / Foundation / others ….
Museum

•	Address:				Great Russell Street
London  WC1B  3DG

•	Name of director:			Dr Robert Anderson

•	Name and role of person completing the questionnaire:
David Jillings
Head of New Media

•	Tel:				+44 (0)20 7323 8742

•	Fax:				+44 (0)20 7323 8730

•	Web site:				www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

•	E-mail:				djillings@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

Date:					7 May 2002