MEDIA RELEASE 16 January, 1998 Powerhouse Museum wins contract to manage Australian Museums On Line The Powerhouse Museum has won the contract to manage and develop Australian Museums On Line (AMOL). The Powerhouse will manage AMOL from 15 January, 1998 for a period of 18 months. Responsibility for development of AMOL lies with the On Line Working Party of the Heritage Collections Council, as endorsed by the Cultural Ministers' Council. The site features searchable collections (over 170,000 items) in 950 museums; a forum with over 100 members where museum issues can be debated and information exchanged; an events calendar, and links to related sites. The contract announced today covers consultancy services to support ongoing development of AMOL, maintenance of the information on the site to ensure its currency, relevance and accuracy, improving access to collection information, developing thematic stories based on collections of participating museums and galleries, creation of resource directories of conservation expertise, course materials and resources for the museum and art gallery sector. Terence Measham, director of the Powerhouse Museum said, "We are very excited about this opportunity and plan to totally update AMOL and revamp the layout, and some of the content to make it even more user friendly". - END - More information about AMOL see the website at: http://www.nma.gov.au/AMOL For more information or to arrange an interview, please call: Jenny Pavilack, Powerhouse Museum PR Department (02) 9217 0551