This is the fourth of the daily updates of the Cultures Connected:  Automating
Museums in the Americas and Beyond conferences, being held in Washington, D. C.
this week.  NOTE:  These updates are now being posted both to Museum-L and to
the newly created CIDOC-L.
 
  Wednesday (Aug 31) was both the close of the CIDOC conference and the opening
of the MCN conference.  In the morning, the Data and Terminology Working Group
of CIDOC held a final meeting while a host of exhibits were being set up in one
of the Hotel's conference rooms.
  The main events, though, were the Museum Computer Network's pre-conference
workshops which lasted all day.  "Planning for Museum Automation" led by Kathy
Garmil of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, was an introduction
to the tools for planning and implementing museum information management
systems.
  Howard Besser, of the Canadian Center for Architecture, lectured on "Image
Databases", with discussions on the issues involved in the design, creation and
management of image databases.
  Toni Peterson, Josephine Nieuwenhuis and Susanne Warren ran a pair of
workshops on the Art and Architecture Thesaurus.  Susanne's workshop, "The AAT:
A Practical Tool for Collections Management", introduced the participants to the
nature and use of the AAT through hands-on experience.  Josephine and Toni's
workshop, "Evaluating and Implementing Thesauri:  An International Perspective",
focused on the techniques used in identifying equivalent terms across thesauri
in different languages.
  "Standard Generalized Markup Language for Art Information" was run by SGML
Consultant, David Durand and sponsored by the Art Information Task Force and
CIMI Consortium.  In it, participants were introduced to the applications of
SGML for structured art information (e.g. descriptions of objects, inventories,
etc.).
  Over at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, Mignon Erixon-Stanford
and David Bridge, both of the Smithsonian Institution, gave an introductory
explanation of the Internet as a tool, in "Internet:  Introduction and
Demonstration".
  Finally, in the afternoon, a half-day workshop, dealing with some of the legal
issues (such as contracting and liscensing) involved with the relatively new
fields of digital imagery and multimedia, was lead by Christine Steiner,
Assistant General Counsel to the Smithsonian Institution.
  Before that half-day workshop commenced, however, the MCN Exhibit Hall opened
to all visitors.  Throughout the afternoon, conference participants came in to
see the following exhibits:
 
     VISTA(tm), an integrated reservation, scheduling, admissions, and ticketing
software solution. - 2b Technology, Inc.
     Rediscovery for Windows, museum software for collections management,
archives, library catalogs, archaeological research, and other reference
materials. - ACCS Museum Software
     Amarc, which carries out conversion of museum files to computer systems. -
Amarc Data International Pty, Ltd.
     Artfact, a CD-ROM art research and image library of fine art and antiques.
- Artfact, Inc.
     Blackbaud, which offers fund-raising, fund accounting, and planned giving
computer software for nonprofit organizations. - Blackbaud, Inc.
     Boston Photo Imaging, specializing in the application of Kodak Photo CD
technology in the archiving of image collections for libraries, universities,
and museums. - Boston Photo Imaging
     CHIN, providing information and communications services to museum, archival
and library communities. - Canadian Heritage Information Network
     Art Collection Manager, a Microsoft Windows system that helps curators,
registrars, conservators and scholars accomplish collection management tasks. -
Catalyst Corporation
     CIDOC & MCN, handing out organizational and membership literature. -
International Documentation Committee, International Council of Museums and the
Museum Computer Network
     SQUARE ONE, a bookstore management system. - Computac, Inc.
     EmbARK(tm), an image-handling database designed to help institutions or
individuals manage their entire collections. - Digital Collections, Inc.
     Eastman Kodak, showcasing products and solutions for both photographic and
digital imaging requirements confronting museums. - Eastman Kodak
     The Museum System, a database designed specifically for museums. - Gallery
Systems
     Getty AHIP, providing automated databases, software tools, and
publications. - Getty Art History Information Program
     Collection Master, a computerized visual materials management system. -
JEPAL, Inc.
     MINT - MINT Systems
     National Park Service, showcasing its Curatorial Services Division, its
Departmental Consulting Archeologist/Archeological Assistance Division, and its
Interagency Resources Division. - National Park Service, U. S. Department of the
Interior
     Accession(tm)2.1, a specialized database designed to catalog, accession,
and retrieve museum collections data. - OakTree Software Specialists.
     PACER CATS, providing integrated ticketing, concession and merchandise P.
O. S. for the entertainment industry. - PACER CATS
     Questor Systems, offering collections management, membership and
development, object imaging and public access software. - Questor Systems, Inc.
     Smithsonian Archival, Manuscripts, and Special collection Resources,
demonstrating how archives intellectually control information and make it
available to administrative staff, researchers and scholars. - SI
     COLLECTION, a comprehensive PC/LAN collections management system. - Vernon
Systems Limited
     Multi MIMSY, a new direction in image and data management, TouchPoint, a
multi-media presentation system, and K'NETICS, a knowledge navigation sytem. -
Willoughby Associates, Limited
 
  After the workshops were over, everyone from both the CIDOC and the MCN
conferences went over to the National Gallery of Art for a joint reception.
While dining and socializing was enjoyed next to the waterfall, demonstrations
of three computer applications being produced by the NGA were attended by all
who were interested.
  The first demonstration was of the Micro Gallery, a system based on the
interactive system of the same name, now in use at the National Gallery in
London.  (Both the original Micro Gallery and the American one were designed in
cooperation with Cognitive Applications Limited.)  The Micro Gallery is designed
not for scholars and researchers, but for museum visitors.  The official opening
date will be in the Spring of 1995.
  After this, Leonardo, the National Gallery's Collections Management System,
was demonstrated.  Leonardo is a complex, comprehensive, networked database
system designed to aid in all aspects of collections management.
  Finally, the conference-goers saw a demonstration of MIRA (Spanish, meaning
"to look with wonder").  MIRA is a networked image management system that will
interlink with Leonardo in the future.  With MIRA, a researcher can catalog,
search through, and examine digital images of objects from the NGA's collection.
  With the demonstrations concluded and the evening reception over, the CIDOC
conference officially came to a close and the MCN conference was ready to begin.
 
For various reasons, I have been able to follow other people's postings in
neither Museum-L nor in the newly created CIDOC-L.  Many people have contacted
me personally, though, to thank both Bill Buick and myself for our daily
updates.  Rather than reply to each individual, I'll just say here that Bill and
I appreciate the kind comments and thankyous.  Thank you...and keep an eye out
for tomorrow's update, covering the official opening of the MCN portion of the
week's conferences.