************************************************
ITEM knowledge base
(Image Technology in Museums and galleries)

now available as a searchable text and image resource on WWW
URL   http://www.ivain.lgu.ac.uk
(this replaces the twice yearly hardcopy text only publication established
in 1990)
************************************************-

ITEM is an international resource of information about the planned and
implemented uses, world-wide, of image databases and interactive multimedia.
It is intended to further the accessibility, knowledge and interest in
European and world cultural heritage, particularly in relation to the visual
arts. It is compiled and published by IVAIN (International Visual Arts
Information Network) in partnership with CIDOC, the Documentation Committee
of ICOM, and edited by Jeremy Rees.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents and scope

ITEM collects and disseminates descriptive text (in English and language of
original production) and technical information (in English only), together
with production and publisher contact names and addresses relating to
projects under development and completed published or museum-resident image
database and interactive multimedia projects.

These include projects developed by museums, cultural authorities and others
for use as internal management and/or public point-of- information
resources, projects that have been developed from these resources for
subsequent publication and projects that have been designed from the outset
specifically for commercial publication.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Users

ITEM has subscribers in 22 countries world-wide, who include Museums,
Universities, Libraries, Cultural Authorities, Information Managers, IT
Developers and Researchers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ITEM will continue to be a subscription-based publication by
IVAIN in collaboration with CIDOC (ICOM), with a server made available
through partnership with London Guildhall University and its Metro New Media
development.  Visitors to the WWW site who are not yet subscribers have free
access to information about ITEM; a small (regularly changing) sample of ITEM
records, demonstrating the extensive search facilities.

As well as the text entry, many of the ITEM records now contain images - up to
6 thumbnails 160 x 120 pixels of screen shots to indicate the look and feel,
content, facilities and user interface, each enlargeable to 480 x 360 pixels.

Hypertext links are included where the record, museum or production company
has a WWW site of its own.  Extensive search facilities are provided enabling
users to find specific records matching up to a variety of criteria or to check
the range of publications with which a specific museum, developer or publisher
are associated.

A What's New page will provide listings of additions to the ITEM knowledge
base in the past  14, 30, 90 and 365 days . Hypertext links to other
interesting
WWW "sites of sites" relevant to the scope of ITEM, are included, forming
a useful starting point for further Internet explorations.

Finally there is there is an e-mail questionnaire for comments and suggestions
for the further development of ITEM, an e-mail subscription form to ITEM, and
an e-mail data entry form for sending details of your interactive multimedia
projects and publications for future inclusion in ITEM.

This new initiative will enable ITEM to provide up-to-date information more
quickly in the rapidly developing information and publishing environment and
will replace of the hard copy publication.  Future developments (subject to
funding)
will include several additional European languages.

Previously, from its pilot issue in 1989 to ITEM 9 in May/June 1995, ITEM has
been published in hard copy, text only, twice yearly on subscription.
Back issues (ITEM 1 to ITEM 9) are still available in hard copy to existing and
new subscribers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Expanded international collaborations

ITEM is seeking to achieve wider international collaboration with other
information resources, on the development of its underlying data structure
and searches. It is also wanting to explore cross referencing to database
and other information resources and bibliographic databases (whose own users
may also find ITEM of interest) that are better carried out as specialist
databases in their own right, and to relevant Internet and other networked
multimedia resources that would be of direct interest to the users of ITEM.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further information

Contact Information: Jeremy Rees, Director; Sue Hagley, Administrator;
International Visual Arts Information Network (IVAIN)
at University College Suffolk, Rope Walk, Ipswich,
Suffolk IP4 1LT, UK.
phone: +44 1473 296672; fax: +44 1473.230054;
e-mail: [log in to unmask]

Annual subscription, payable in sterling:
Museums, Galleries & Education 65 pounds;
Commercial Sector 130 pounds;
CIDOC members special rate 50 pounds;
Hard-copy back issues 1-9 (subscribers only) 15 pounds.

*********************************

(apologies for any cross-posting)