Download - Experiences with implementing EMu at the Australian Museum. - Lance Wilkie (EMu Unit Manager)
Experiences with implementing EMu at the Australian Museum.
- Lance Wilkie (EMu Unit Manager).
The Australian Museum
Collection databasing –1877 to mid 1990s
•Card files in use for over 20 years Card files in use for over 20 years (still referred to infrequently) (still referred to infrequently)
• Data sheets still used in some Data sheets still used in some collectionscollections
Hardcopy ‘Era’:Hardcopy ‘Era’:
• Earliest Museum register in 1877.Earliest Museum register in 1877.
• Traditional registers – used till 2000 Traditional registers – used till 2000 (or later) in some collections(or later) in some collections
Databasing at the AM falls into two ‘eras’ – Databasing at the AM falls into two ‘eras’ – hard copyhard copy and digital. and digital.
Collection databasing –1970s to 2004
5) 2004 - SUN SunFire5) 2004 - SUN SunFire 280R server, 1.4 TB 280R server, 1.4 TB SAN, and tape robot SAN, and tape robot purchased purchased ~$400,000~$400,000
Digital ‘Era’:Digital ‘Era’:
1) Mid 1970s – batch1) Mid 1970s – batch loading of data into loading of data into CSIRO Cyber 76 CSIRO Cyber 76 computer started computer started
2) 1987 to 2001 – 2) 1987 to 2001 – severalseveral ‘old’ servers used ‘old’ servers used
3) 2001 – first EMu 3) 2001 – first EMu server purchased for server purchased for an integrated an integrated collection collection management system.management system.
4) 2002 – Collections 4) 2002 – Collections database integration database integration project commenced.project commenced.
Australian Museum Texpress Databases• 1987 - data into KE Titan 2.01987 - data into KE Titan 2.0• 1995 - data into KE Texpress 5.0.391995 - data into KE Texpress 5.0.39• Became the major repositories of Became the major repositories of Collections data.Collections data.
• 1987 - data into KE Titan 2.01987 - data into KE Titan 2.0• 1987 - data into KE Titan 2.01987 - data into KE Titan 2.0• 1995 - data into KE Texpress 5.0.391995 - data into KE Texpress 5.0.39
2002 - ?: Australian Museum Texpress Databases to EMu
Discipline Original Database EMu Database Current Status Approx. # Catalogue records
Arachnology Texpress Spiders AMlive Merged and live 93, 000
Entomology Texpress Entomology AMlive Merged and live 122, 000
Herpetology Texpress Herpetology AMlive Merged and live 164, 000
Marine Inverts Texpress Marine Inverts AMlive Merged and live 167, 000
Mammals Texpress Mammalogy AMlive Merged and live 43, 000
Mineralogy Texpress Mineralogy AMlive Merged and live 2, 000
Ornithology Texpress Ornithology AMlive Merged and live 86, 500
Paleontology Texpress Paleontology PALlive Live, yet to be merged with AMlive 25, 000
Icthyology Texpress Icthyology FISHlive Live, yet to be merged with AMlive 175, 000
Malacology Texpress Malacology MALtest Test phase. 452, 000
Anthropology ? AMANTHlive Live, not merged with Natural History databases
74, 000
Still To Do: Total: 1, 403, 500
Mineralogy Non-texpress: Dbase, Excel Yet to be mapped and loaded ??
Evolutionary Biology Unit Texpress EBU Yet to be mapped and loaded ??
Collections Integrity Unit AREV Yet to be mapped and loaded ??
Various disciplines Non-texpress data formats eg. Access databases, Excel spreadsheets.
Yet to be mapped and loaded ??
Problem #1 - Customisation
Who is going to change, and how much?
Cetacea tab
Mammals tab
Ornithology 1 tab Measurements tab
Problem #2 – User Level Permissions
Who can do what?
Past
Discipline
Admin CollectionMan.
Data Entry Visitor
User Group Level
Priveledge # Users
Present
The Implications of Object-Based Databases
PartiesCatalogue
Parties
Catalogue
Collection Events
Sites
Taxonomy
Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4 Field 5
Record Security Feature
Discipline Tagging and Insert/Query Defaults
Registry Category
Qu
ery
Disp
lay
Insert
Ed
it
Delete
Glo
bal E
dits
Ru
n R
epo
rts
Desig
n R
epo
rts
Notes
Admin
No restrictions to access or permissions. Every registry group other than Admin is further subdivided by Disclipline (eg. BIRDCollectionManagement, MAMDataEntry etc).
Temporary Editor
Now includes permission to delete, edit and global edit for certain modules (excluding Catalogue). Access may or may not be restricted by Discipline (in first instance). NB. Temporary setting only - permissions removed when job complete!!!
Collection Management
Now includes permission to delete and edit for certain modules (excluding Catalogue). Access may or may not be restricted by Discipline (in first instance). Edit and Delete permissions for Collection Management restricted in a similar way to Data Entry groups.
Data Entry
Now includes permission to edit for certain modules only. Access restricted by Discipline. Editing permission for Data Entry groups confined to Catalogue, Bibliography, Loans, Locations and Parties modules. Previous group "Others" has been modified and merged into "Data Entry" groups.
Read Only
Access restricted by Discipline. (eg. Research scientists, etc.) Previous group "Research" has been combined with "Read Only"
Read Only Vis For Visitors - they can view data, but can't take it with them without
Coll Manager's permission.
Admin Read Only Access not restricted by Discipline (eg. Spatial Systems Unit).
SpecialHighly restricted access to approved users only (eg. secret and
sacred artifacts).
Registry Renovation
Problem #3 – Impacts on Collection Management Work
Practices.Who will do it if I can’t?
Finally….Some things we’d like to see:
• The capability to copy values from one field to another using the global edit facility.
• More connectivity between Sites, Collection Events and Catalogue modules – particularly an “Objects” field in Query mode for the former two?
• A review of the Cerberus issue management facility – improved issue tracking