On Fri, 8 Apr 1994, Jim Croft wrote:
 
> Jim Blackaby writes:
>
> > For many years I have worked on developing relational models for
> > museum information based first on notions developed in the work of
> > the Common Agenda for History Museums and then on a much simplified
> > version of the ICOM-CIDOC model long under consideration by the
> > Reconciliation of Standards Working Group of the Documentation
> > Committee of ICOM.  A draft of that simple model was developed at
> > Paris two years ago, and presented at the last ICOM meeting, but
> > never approved by the committee as a whole and so not released.
>
> Any chance of getting these specifications on a gopher or ftp server or
> similar?  Tracking down paper is a real pain...
 
I'm both on the working group that developed the CIDOC model and operate
an FTP server. Pending the upshot of what is said below, I'd be more than
happy to post a copy of the model. I'd also be delighted to post anything
else museum-related that might be perceived as convenient to have
available at a Northern European site. I can also easily hook the FTP
server into the Stockholm University Gopher. Additionally, if anyone is
interested, I can provide a recent history of the work on the model,
especially as regards what has happened subsequent to the meetings to
which Jim Blackaby makes reference.
 
A permutation of the CIDOC group met in London the day before yesterday
but I obviously missed being able to discuss the current request while
there. Although I assume that there wouldn't be the slightest objection
to posting a copy of the model on the Internet (indeed, I would expect an
unreservedly enthusiastic response to the suggestion) a substantial part
of the model is expressed graphically. The whole thing resides in a
purposed-designed system and I have no idea if this would be to disgorge
its contents into any of the graphic file formats normally used on the
Internet.
 
One way or the other, whoever wants to use the model will not be able to
avoid the hassle of committing it to paper. Having lived with it for so
long I can't judge how daunting others might perceive the hard copy. In
any case, it is really streamlined when compared to the initial draft
versions.
 
I will get the wheels moving on this and report back asap. If Mary Case
reads this message she may be able to provide useful additional
commentary.
 
 
Cary Karp <[log in to unmask]>   Phone +46 8 666 4055, Fax +46 8 152277
Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 104 05 Stockholm