Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP 5 WP 5 Guidelines of Quality for Public Cultural Web Applications and the managing of web contents Ministerial NEtwoRk for Valorising Activities in digitisation U. Boccioni, Stati d’animo: quelli che vanno (1911) MOMA NYC

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 Outline the MINERVA project foreground partners policy scenario structure working packages network enlargement MINERVA website the WP5 Quality Framework the Quality Handbook recommendation on long-term conservation of web contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 –June 2000: eEurope endorsement by EU States –April 2001: meeting in Lund for co-ordination of digitisation programmes across Europe  Lund Principles to be developed through the Lund Action Plan the MINERVA project the MINERVA project foreground

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 MINERVA is the instrument to support the implementation of the Lund Action Plan co-ordinating national programmes establishing relationships with: other European countries international organisations associations networks international and national projects, DigiCult action with a special focus on the DigiCult action of IST the MINERVA project the MINERVA project foreground

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project Original Partners Italy, coordinator (Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali) Belgium (Ministère de la Communauté Française) Finland (University of Helsinki) France (Ministère de la culture et de la communication) Spain (Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte) Sweden (Riksarkivet) United Kingdom (The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries)

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project New Members Have already signed the membership agreement: Denmark Greece The Netherlands Are going to sign: Austria Germany Ireland

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project Policy Scenario The main aim of MINERVA is to support the European framework made up of NRG, Lund principles, Lund Action Plan and Presidencies of EU in the field of the cultural heritage digitisation. The members agreed to give the highest visibility to the Lund principles in their countries, by setting-up national structures in charge of disseminating the results of the Minerva project. All the member states agreed on the opportunity to invest on MINERVA project their own funding besides the budget provided by contract.

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project how MINERVA works 5 Working Groups at European level Publications (guidelines, reports, case studies, etc.) National Policy Profiles concerning digitisation N ational R epresentative G roups meetings Workshops Co-operation with other projects Harmonising activities Enlargement of the network

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project the Working Groups To provide political and technical frameworks for improving digitisation activities of cultural and scientific contents To contribute at the definition of a common European platform for the harmonisation of national initiatives Benchmarking framework Identification of Good practices and Competence centres Interoperability, Service Provision and IPR Inventories, discovery of digitised content, multilingual issues Identification of user needs, contents and quality framework for common access points (WP5)

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project BENCHMARKING coordination: University of Helsinki (FL) To exchange comparable information between Member States on programmes and policies To promote the adoption of a benchmarking framework as a key tool for co-ordinating and harmonising national activities as well as to develop measures to show progress and improvement short and long term strategies to report on the results achieved so far, at the next NRG meeting in Corfù (June 2003) to set-up methodology, shared data format and tool, for collecting data on a continuous base; to update constantly qualitative and quantitative information and to create a common database.

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project GOOD PRACTICES coordination: Riksarkivet (SE) to select and to promote good practice examples from Member State programmes and projects in order to exchange experiences, skills and to collect consensus from different communities of users. short and long term strategies first selection presented in Alicante (E), June 2002 first MINERVA Handbook on Good Practices to be published during 2003, at the moment available in a draft version on the Minerva Website

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project INTEROPERABILITY coordination: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries (UK) within the general scope to contribute to the development of eventual European Guidelines for cultural digitisation analyse, identify and evaluate activities on metadata, registries and schemes promote discussion on standards, conformance testing centres, agreed terminologies, common metadata scheme, middleware specifications examination of related issues, such as IPR

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project INVENTORIES coordination: Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (FR) To share experiences, to discuss and to facilitate implementation of common actions concerning inventories of past, on-going and planned digitisation projects based on national observatories technical infrastructure for coordinated discovery of European digitised cultural and scientific content, including a common set of metadata for description multilingual issues

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project WEB QUALITY coordination: Ministère de la Communauté Française (BE) define quality criteria for the digitised content encourage the adoption of quality criteria for developing cultural and scientific web applications supporting the initiatives launched by the European Commission with the provision of national digital content encourage training actions in cultural sites, to promote knowledge of multicultural issues

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project Network enlargement the instruments:  Membership Agreement  Membership Agreement to formalise the participation of Ministries to the Minerva Network;  Co-operation Agreement  Co-operation Agreement to formalise the participation of interested organisations to the Minerva Users Group.

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the MINERVA project the MINERVA project MINERVA web site whose goals are: in the short term : to promote the Lund principles as well as the activities and the results of the project to promote the project’s partners to be a “gate” to other linked initiatives in the long term : to be an essential instrument on web quality, digitisation, metadata, long-term preservation,

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework milestones March 2002 Beginning of the Minerva project May 2002 Set up of the Minerva Quality Working Group February 2003 First Deliverable on quality March 2003 Index of the «Quality Handbook for Public Cultural Web Applications – Recommendations and Guidelines » June 2003 Draft version of the « Quality Handbook » (Corfu) November 2003 Definitive version of the « Quality Handbook » (Parma)

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework results achieved An effective European Working Group A first Deliverable document on Quality Synthesis of all the work of the meetings on quality, but also an account of the contributes delivered by the different experts of the national working groups on Quality A definitive Quality Framework, basis of the Quality Handbook a set of criteria to be used at the difference stages of development of a cultural web site, i.e.: for the development of new cultural web sites to measure the quality of a project under development, in order to improve weak components to validate and assess complete projects

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework 1 st goal: the Quality Handbook References April The Lund principles December The Brussels Quality Framework November The Greek WG5 questionnaire January The Italian WG5 draft document #1 February The first Deliverable on quality of WP5 March Index of the « Quality Handbook for Public Cultural Web Applications »

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework next steps June 2003 Presentation of the Handbook draft at the Kerkira NRG meeting November 2003 Published in the form of a Handbook in the Minerva Editorial Line November 2003 Final approval and adoption at the Parma NRG meeting Dissemination and e-learning programme

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 Quality Criteria for Public Cultural Web Applications a new approach on quality beyond the user-defined Web WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook table of contents  RATIONALE  INTRODUCTION 1. Definitions, Principles and basic Recommendations 2. Basic Quality Criteria for Web Applications 3. Specific Quality Criteria for Public Cultural Web Applications  ANNEXES Validation methods International rules on public web

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 Chapter 1 Definitions, principles and Recommendations The complex issues coming from the crossing of the cultural world with the Web revolution needs: definitions Synthetic and efficient definitions : classes, notions and subjects principles General principles, acting like basic premises in every Web project Policies and strategies: Recommendations on Policies and strategies: Recommendations on to be followed during the Web projects WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 1.Definitions PCE 1.Public Cultural Entity (PCE) PCE identity PCE categories PCE goals PCWA 2.Public Cultural Web Application (PCWA) PCWA goals 3.PCWA Users PCWA Users’ needs PCWA Users’ routes WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 Definitions PCE 1.Public Cultural Entity (PCE) An institution, organisation or project of public interest whose mission is to produce, preserve, safeguard, valorise and diffuse culture in any sector (archives, libraries, mobile and immobile heritage, archaeological, artistic, architectural, historical, demo-ethnological, anthropological). PCWA 2.Public Cultural Web Application (PCWA) Every Web application whose services and contents concern cultural heritage in all its sectors, and which provides cultural information and promotion and/or offers educational and scientific services. 3.PCWA Users Everyone, professional or non professional, who uses in a systematic, casual, incidental or finalised way a PCWA, satisfying different needs depending on his cultural profile, his aspiration to a personal growth or his incidental curiosity. WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents 1.Archives 2.Libraries 3.Monuments / Sites / Parks /Reserves 4.Museums 5.Conservation departments 6.Research/training institutes 7.Exhibitions 8.Temporary projects The 8 PCE CATEGORIES

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 PCWAGOALS PUBLIC CULTURAL WEB APPLICATION PCEGOALSUSERSNEEDS Specific Quality Criteria WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 2.Principles a PCE should provide to: 1.Promote the widest diffusion of culture 2.Share the whole community of cultural entities 3.Use innovative channel of communication’s effectiveness 4.Adopt a suitable use of web applications 5.Conceive quality as a process with the agreement between PCE and Users’ goals WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 3.Recommendations: policies and strategies 1.Networks and thematic access points 2.PCWA quality validation 3.PCE coordination between internal and external information flow 4.PCE communication channels coordination 5.PCWA process management: project, development and financial management 6.IPR and privacy control for PCWA contents 7.Long-term preservation of PCWA contents WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 Chapter 2 Basic Quality Criteria for Web Applications quality criteria framework basic specific The quality criteria framework is composed by two main groups : basic and specific criteria. basic framework The basic framework, a synthesis built according to the widely accepted criteria on web quality, is composed by two parts: Accessibility Accessibility and Usability The two macro-criteria should act together, one depending from the other. WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents ACCESIBILITY ACCESIBILITY issues Accessibility The conceptual and practical issues concerning Accessibility are presented and explained. Accessibility must be a primary goal for a PCE: openining the access to cultural contents to the widest number of users, indipendently from their age, ability, techinical equipment, health. 2. Basic Quality Criteria for WA

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 USABILITY USABILITY issues Contents criteria Consistency, Currency, Accuracy, Content responsibility, Advertising policy, Objectivity, Content organization evidence, Content membership evidence Application evidence criteria Application mission evidence, Application responsibility, Maintenance strategy evidence, Technical strategy evidence Navigation criteria  Link evidence, Link soundness, Link coverage, Backtracking soundness, Context evidence, Media control soundness, Media control evidence Query/Search usability Appropriateness of query/search forms Completeness of query/search results Possibility to bookmark/save query/search results Presentation criteria Scannability, Similarity, Proximity, Consistency, Minimalism WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents 2. Basic Quality Criteria for WA

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 Chapter 3 - Specific Quality Criteria for Public Cultural Web Applications (PCWA) Contents 1.Premises 2.PCWA goals / quality criteria crossing table 3.PCWA goals definitions 4.PCE categories and the Web 5.PCWA goals / quality criteria cards WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 Chapter 3 Specific Quality Criteria for Public Cultural Web Applications (PCWA) Besides the respect of basic quality criteria, the specificity of Public Cultural Web Applications require specific quality criteria. Those criteria may change according to each PCWA goals. Each of the 12 PCWA goals must descend from the agreement between PCE goals and users needs. WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 Chapter 3 Specific Quality Criteria for Public Cultural Web Applications (PCWA) For each of the 12 PCWA goals are defined and commented the proper quality criteria, both for PCWA content and for its technical characteristics, intended as valid for all PCE categories. When necessary, the criteria will be better clarified according to the specificity of each PCE category WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 1.Presenting PCE identity 2.PCE activity transparency 3.PCWA mission transparency 4.Promotion of PCWA role in thematic networks 5.Presenting legal rules and standards 6.Diffusing cultural contents 7.Promoting cultural tourism 8.Educational services 9.Scientific research services 10.Services for culture-related professional 11.Reservation and e-commerce services 12.Promotion of thematic communities WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents The 12 PC WA GOALS

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents Contents 1.Completeness 2.Comprehensiveness 3.Conciseness 4.Richness of information 5.Multilinguism 6.Appropriateness of language 7.Authority / Responsibility 8.Uniqueness Content organisation 9.Appropriateness of grouping 10.Appropriateness of nesting 11.Appropriateness of splitting The 11 specific CRITERIA

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Handbook contents Each PCE category will be treated on a special scheme: the PCE category and the web the PCE category and its usual Web Application goals the PCE category and its users the PCE category Web application and the usual digitisation strategies The PCE categories and the Web

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework PCWA goals/quality criteria crossing table

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 WP5 the WP5 Quality Framework Quality Criteria cards

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the long-term preservation Handbook Recommendation the UE Council Resolution of 25 June 2002 on digital preservation notes that: “memory institutions such as archives, libraries and museums have a central role to play” for a preservation policy of digital informations one of the main goals of Public Cultural Entities should be to contribute to turn upside down the anti-historical tendency of cyber-world the PCE should be in the front line in disseminating guidelines and best practices for long-term preservation of Web contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the long-term preservation Quality Handbook Recommendation in the Web Quality notion in our Handbook about digital contents creation and management we want to incorporate in the Web Quality notion the necessity for Web developers of a long-term preservation policy

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the long-term preservation Quality Handbook Recommendation A preservation policy regards organisational aspects and technological strategies, planned together. The Quality Handbook points up with emphasis the importance of such issues in its Principle # 4: “Adopt a suitable use of web applications” Recommedations # 3-7: 3.Coordination between internal and external information flow 4.Communication channels coordination 5.PCWA process management: project, development and financial management (technical and organisational) 6.IPR and privacy control for Application contents 7.Long-term preservation strategy for Application contents

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the long-term preservation Quality Handbook Recommendation organisational preservation policy 1. A organisational preservation policy for archiving Web Application materials should provide: a primary role for the Producer/Creator among the stakeholders a strategy that preserve the hypertextual relationships among materials: original or due to further modifications/interactions A strategy that considers the original distinction between public and private contents (i.e. Internet and Intranet applications) a strategy for valutation/selection a strategy that preserve somehow the interaction between application and users (logfiles, , forum, blogs, newsgroups, etc)

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 the long-term preservation Quality Handbook Recommendation technical preservation policy for archiving Web Application materials 2. A technical preservation policy for archiving Web Application materials should provide : A strategy considering web applications as composed by many media and formats, generated by many producers who create, update, rename, move and delete daily web contents, sometimes with the intervention of remote users A strategy that provides the creation, currency and conservation of proper finding/browsing/searching aids A strategy that forecastes and plans the consequences of hardware/software obsolescence

Pierluigi Feliciati – Kerkira 23 May 03 The Kerkira ERPANET Training Seminar conclusions will be the basis for the Minerva Quality Handbook Recommendation on preservation policy. THANK YOU !