CollectionSpace: Collaborations in support of UC museum collections Chris Hoffman Patrick Schmitz Research Information Technologies UC Berkeley

Introduction Who we are Collection management systems defined CollectionSpace: Dimensions of collaboration What we are learning about collaboration

Collection management systems defined

The core of a scholarly information ecosystem Controlled Vocabularies Data Sharing Digital Assets & Digitization Repositories and Preservation Education Outreach Mapping and Visualization Exhibitions Field Data Collection Archives and Libraries … a platform for research, education, and public service

The domain Supporting the research community Working with museum culture What can central IT do to help this community?

Dimensions of collaboration CollectionSpace Project Across Campus Beyond Berkeley

Dimensions of collaboration CollectionSpace Project Across Campus Beyond Berkeley

CollectionSpace is an open-source, web-based software application for the description, management, and dissemination of museum collections information – from artifacts to images, from Art History to Zoology Initial development funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Technology and architecture Open source web-oriented technology stack – HTML, CSS, and JavaScript – Open source: Java, PostgreSQL, Tomcat, jQuery – Web services (REST) and plug-in architecture: Enable data sharing and interoperability – Accessible: Works great with keyboard and assistive technologies ECM as a platform CollectionSpace-as-a-Service: Hosting models

Schema model for a customized service deployment Schema Extension Model

Organization and methodology Partnership organization Tools and methodologies Open source business development Foundation planning and building

Learning to collaborate Multi-year partnerships will evolve (plan for changes in partners) Multi-institutional software development is hard. Technology direction and leadership must be clear though flexible. Plan for scale early (whether considering SaaS or not) Cyclical soft money projects

Dimensions of collaboration CollectionSpace Project Across Campus Beyond Berkeley

Collection management systems at UC Berkeley Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology University & Jepson Herbaria UC Botanical Garden History of Art Visual Resource Collection College of Environmental Design Visual Resource Center BAMPFA (PFA Library CineFiles) Essig Museum of Entomology UC Museum of Paleontology Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Biocode Specimen Database Human Evolution Research Center Berkeley Language Center Plus … Bancroft Special Collections and many others

UC Berkeley deployments Launched – University and Jepson Herbaria – Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology In progress – UC Botanical Garden Customization, data migration, training, and support Thanks to campus funding and an IMLS National Leadership Grant

University and Jepson Herbaria Adapted CSpace to specimen management Hid many fields and procedures Modified loans out and media handling Renamed fields Added scientific taxonomy and identification Migrated 370K specimen records plus vocabulary records from legacy system Developed reports and extracts

Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology Adapted CSpace to Anthropology collections Made major changes to field names and layout Added many fields Added Claims procedure Modified Movement/Inventory procedure Migrated 725K object records, plus 2M procedural records (inventory, accession, loans) plus vocabulary records from legacy system Developed reports Building web apps to support specific workflows

UCB Deployment versions Schema extension model Domain/Community of Practice versions PAHMA Bot Garden UCJEPS CSpace Core Platform HAVRCCEDVRC BAM/PFA

Learning to collaborate Partnerships take work. Plan for change. Keep partners engaged in community decision- making (or unique demands will overwhelm) Keep people on board while 85% common functionality is built Work in faculty-driven R&D style Build a team that can be successful collaborating with academic research stakeholders

Dimensions of collaboration CollectionSpace Project Across Campus Beyond Berkeley

Communities of practice Collaboration and community-building are key to CollectionSpace and to UC Berkeley Community design workshops IMLS workshops Developer community – Deployer workshop – Code contribution model Hosting community

Learning to collaborate The importance of museum leadership and vision Recognize that coalitions are often stronger outside your own university Community-building takes time – set expectations accordingly Nurture your developers and keep them communicating across traditional boundaries

Conclusions Learning how to collaborate How to learn more – – – How to get in touch with us – –