Atlanta, GA – November 20, 2017 – LYRASIS, a nationwide leader in the development and provision of technology and content solutions for archives, libraries and museums, has been awarded a grant in the amount of $90,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to research current technology uses in museums, especially in relationship to collections information management.
LYRASIS was awarded the grant in October 2017 to work with consultants from the Balboa Park Online Collaborative (BPOC) and Ithaka S+R to investigate the museum technology landscape around collections and how well it supports internal operations as well as community programming. Surveys and interviews will gather input and ideas to identify opportunities within museums and other collections-holding institutions to leverage collections information technologies in support of public-facing programs and inter-institutional collaborations. Final reports and datasets will be made openly available in spring 2018 to share findings and support community dialogue around potential future directions.
Robert Miller, CEO of LYRASIS, says, “A variety of technologies are in use to support important internal operations related to collections management, yet many are not fully utilized to address museum priorities around community engagement. Through this research project, LYRASIS seeks to gather insight from the field to not only inform our museum-based initiatives, but also the work of others seeking to strengthen the value that museums bring to the world through effective implementation of technology.”
As the home for two community-supported, open source collections information management systems, CollectionSpace and ArchivesSpace, LYRASIS is especially interested in how collections technology can work across multiple organizational units, such as multiple non-textual collections managed by an institution of higher education or government agency. Ann Baird Whiteside, Librarian and Assistant Dean for Information Services, Frances Loeb Library, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, notes that, “This grant provides an opportunity for me to explore the potential for further innovation and collaboration between my collections and others at Harvard University. As Chair of the CollectionSpace Leadership Working Group, the project also will provide valuable perspectives about museum needs that can influence future directions for our software community.”
Surveys and interviews will take place between November 2017 and January 2018. We hope you will take the time to share your knowledge and experiences when you receive an invitation to participate.