Online Exhibits and Collections Jenn Riley Digital Media Specialist IU Digital Library Program

Exhibits vs. Collections Exhibits  Selected items displayed  Interpretation fundamentally linked with presentation  Museum aesthetic Collections  Complete logical groupings displayed  Interpretation presented separately  Library aesthetic

Exhibit – Mystic Seaport

Collection – Cushman (IU)

Good practices Well-defined target users Complete, accurate description Logical organization Digital objects in appropriate formats Good web design Professional interpretation

Well-defined target users Guides all other decisions Making of America Reciprocal Net Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection

Complete, accurate description Good  Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection  Online Archive of California Online Archive of California  Getty Online Collections Getty Online Collections Not so good  Seattle Star Collection Seattle Star Collection  Early Las Vegas Early Las Vegas

Logical organization Good  Cuban Heritage Collection Cuban Heritage Collection  Sue at the Field Museum Sue at the Field Museum Not so good  Frank M. Hohenberger Photograph Collection Frank M. Hohenberger Photograph Collection  City Engineer Photograph Collection City Engineer Photograph Collection

Digital objects in appropriate formats Audio, video, maps very difficult Good  Eighteenth-century Fiction Eighteenth-century Fiction Not so good  Geology of Lehigh and Northampton Counties, PA Geology of Lehigh and Northampton Counties, PA

Good web design VERY subjective Good (by some standard!)  British Museum British Museum  Picture Australia’s Picture Trails Picture Australia’s Picture Trails Not so good (by some standard!)  American Memory American Memory  Artists of Brücke Artists of Brücke  Einstein Archives Online Einstein Archives Online

Professional interpretation Good  U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum  Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection  American Memory Learning Page American Memory Learning Page Not so good  Museum of the City of San Francisco Museum of the City of San Francisco  James Joyce Scholars’ Collection James Joyce Scholars’ Collection

Bottom line Balance marketing with content Select and present for your users Share your important and unique collections with the world!