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The Art of Information and Data in Digital Cultural Heritage
1. THE ART OF
INFORMATION
& DATA
IN DIGITAL
CULTURAL
HERITAGE
Saskia Scheltjens
Head Research Services
@saschel - slideshare.net/saschel
Lecture Series – New Horizons
University of Luxembourg, 25/4/2019
*MetadataDressbyAndreaWallace,nomineeoftheRijksstudioAward2017
3. +1 mio objects
+2 mio visitors on-site
State funded since 1800
Partial privatization in 1995
Build in 1885 by Pierre Cuypers
Closure & Renovation (2003-
2013)
614 FTE staff
SOME FACTS & FIGURES *annual report 2017
4. We
• collect,
• keep,
• manage,
• conserve,
• restore,
• research,
• prepare,
• present,
• publish, and
• share
data and information about
art and historical objects
for the public
HISTORICAL FOCUS ON COLLECTIONS
10. New department of
Research Services
Centralisation of
all collection
information ánd data
(analog & digital)
to support
innovative research
+/- 35 people
LAM-IFICATION
11. ‘DIGITAL = COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY’
Related departments
1. IT : digital systems & infrastructure, IT security
2. Communication & Marketing : digital marketing, website, social
media
4. Collections Management : metadata creation, digitization
5. Curatorial departments : metadata creation, digital knowledge
production & - dissemination
4. Conservation & Restoration: data science for technical art history
4. Public & Education : digital learning
12. Lorem Ipsum
Inaugural lecture by prof. dr. Erma Hermens about Technical Art History
University of Amsterdam - April 17, 2019
13. TAKE AWAY
Information and data
make the interdisciplinarity en multiplicity
of current & future research possible
14. TAKE AWAY
Information and data
are like GLUE
not acknowledging their role
hinders innovation & professionalisation
15. HISTORICAL EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE
on collecting, ordering en presentation
of cultural heritage
and the role of (collection) information
and - data within an institution
16. ENCYCLOPEDIC COLLECTIONS (1500-1800)
Ole Worm's cabinet of curiosities, from Museum
Wormianum, 1655 – Inv. nr SIL21-07-001
Cabinet of curiosities of the
Strahov Cloister in Prague, 2019
18. Bibliotheek en rariteitenkabinet van de groothertog van Toscane by Jan Luyken, 1689
http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.142772
ENCYCLOPEDIC COLLECTIONS (1500-1800)
19. INFORMATION SOURCES
• Inventories
• Visitor reports
• Gallery paintings
• ‘Galeriewerke’
The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest by Willem van Haecht
(1628) Rubenshuis, inv. nr RH.S.171
ENCYCLOPEDIC COLLECTIONS (1500-1800)
27. ‘A PLACE FOR ART AND SCIENCE’
Cartouche in the library
Motto by J. Verdam about the relation between art & research
28. Reading Room (Cuypers Library Hall), 1928 Study Room (Prints & Drawings), 1928
LIBRARY = DOMAIN OF CONNOISSEURS
29. Marjorie Bottenheim (1898-1983), de facto head of the
Rijksmuseum Research Library from 1934 until 1961
PROFESSIONALISATION
Else Van der Vossen-Delbück (1923- ),
first official head of the Rijksmuseum
Research Library from 1962-1988
30. Toegang tot het informatie-
centrum, Rijksmuseum, 1973
http://hdl.handle.net/10934/R
M0001.HARCHIEF.10419
EDUCATIONAL ASPIRATIONS 1970’s
Exhibition space with information panels and visitors, 1976
http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.HARCHIEF.15389
31. AUTOMATION & REGISTRATION
1980 – First computer enters the Rijksmuseum
1989 – Library is the first department with a modem &
terminal. Start first library system (TinLib)
1990 - Collection registration in first collection
management systems (Quixis – 1990; Adlib 1998-)
- Launch of local Online Public Access Catalog of the
library in MS-DOS
32. Head of the Rijksmuseum Research Library Geert-Jan Koot with first modem & terminal ,1989
34. AUTOMATION & REGISTRATION
1995-1999 – ARIA project, first digital collection
information for the public on CD-ROM and local terminals
1999 - First Rijksmuseum website
2002 - First online Library OPAC
2004 – Second Rijksmuseum website, including collection
data from ARIA ánd Adlib
36. 2008- Start of new Collection Management department
PK Online & VOILA projects: 2D digitization of the
complete collection in combination with registration
MASS REGISTRATION & DIGITIZATION
37. SCALING UP – NETWORK POWER
2003-2011
Discussions with curators & director of collections about
opening up the collections online
Library starts opening up library data via Z39.50 and SRU
data exchange protocols
Implementation first DAM system (MediaBin)
Co-operation with universities in NWO/CATCH projects
re early semantic heritage data research (VU, CWI)
43. SCALING UP – NETWORK POWER
Open collection data (CC-BY 2011 / CC0 2013)
Object Collection
Open API’s -> portals like Europeana (2013),
Geheugen van Nederland (2014), Google Arts
(2016), …
Library
SRU -> AdamNet (2003); Virtuele Katalog
Kunstgeschichte (2004); WORLDCAT (2012);
International Art Discovery Group Catalogue (2014)
45. 2012
First PID server for open collection data (handle system)
Open Cultuur Data hackathon
Release of 111.000 images with a CC-BY licence
Launch of a new website and a new collection discovery
interface Rijksstudio (all build by Q42 and Fabrique)
Development of first ever digital strategy, linked to the
website but also linked to mission & values of the museum
SCALING UP – NETWORK POWER
46. First ever digital strategy in the museum
• Public first, technology second
• Mobile first
• Focus on the visual
• Content needs to be shared
• Everyone is a maker
Link to mission & core values
Closely connected to 3rd website redesign
Developed in co-operation with Fabrique and Q42
DIGITAL STRATEGY (2012)
53. SCALING UP – NETWORK POWER
2013
Release of public collection data & images under CC0
Launch of the first API with the OAI-PMH protocol
2016
Launch of a live API (JSON), instigated by a request from
Google Arts & Culture (GA&C)
2018-2019
Minor redesign of Rijksstudio, launch of digital products
like the Rijksmuseum app, SnapGuide, You Tube channels
58. Datasource for
all kinds of different
academic research
ChrisDijkshoorn,LoraAroyo,…
http://www.accurator.nl/#IntroThomas Mensink and Jan van Gemert,
https://staff.fnwi.uva.nl/t.e.j.mensink/uva12/rijks
ACADEMIC RE-USE
62. • Research Data Management & Infrastructure
• Extending Open Collection Data policy
• Opening of - 24/4/2019
• Further development of Rijksstudio
• Review of Social Media policy
NEAR FUTURE
66. • Rise of Technical Art History
• Growing collaboration with Digital Humanities
• Growing body of applied research in AI, data
visualization, distributed search, IoT,
distributed infrastructure
• Growing consensus re interdisciplinary
heritage data modeling
OPPORTUNITIES
67. Copyright Andrew Tallon / Vassar College
3D model of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, 2015
68. The challenge in cultural heritage
today is how information and data
are activated within
a network or digital ecosystem
to connect people with art
TAKE AWAY
69. THANK YOU
Parts of this presentation are based upon
work of and talks with
This presentation uses images & fonts with an open license, except otherwise indicated by an *
Taco Dibbits
Rosemie Callewaert
Nanet Beumer
Loic Tallon
Chris Dijkshoorn
Rob Hendriks
Maarten Kuiper
Lora Aroyo
Trilce Navarrete
Peter Gorgels