What's cooking at the NHM?
| Pages | 16-20 |
| Date | 01 March 1997 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040638 |
| Published date | 01 March 1997 |
| Author | Malcolm Beasley |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
What's cooking at the
NHM?
by Malcolm Beasley, Natural History
Museum,
London
The Natural History Museum's Department of
Library and Information Services has been
developing a pilot image database using iBase
software.
This personal assessment of
progress considers the pitfalls encountered
and
problems associated with numerous
practical
issues,
such
as
image
capture,
layout
and output
requirements,
compliance with
standards,
and database
stability.
Since early 1996, to prove the image digitisation
concept for library use within a searchable data-
base and using information from the automation of
existing catalogues, the Natural History Museum's
Department of Library and Information Services
chose its Botany Library to pilot an imaging
project. Because of
its
rich collections of interna-
tionally important original scientific artwork,
which could be given prominence by use of cut-
ting-edge technology in a library environment,
choice of materials to demonstrate our ideas was
quite easy.
An iBase system had been in use in the Museum's
Picture Library for a year or so and good perform-
ance together with ongoing development of the
product suggested it would be suitable as the
software for the pilot project.
The project was begun using images from Cook's
first voyage of circumnavigation (1768-1771).
Initial discussions had taken place in November
1995 and a contract was duly signed for licences
and product development for our department's
specific needs. I was selected as being the key
person to implement the project within the special-
ist library, as Botany Librarian, which built on my
interests in computer use and development.
We had several early critical meetings with iBase
staff to decide the eventual scope and size of the
database, the fields which would be needed for text
input and which of those would need to be
searchable by the user. Screen design was another
important aspect of the discussions and a provi-
sional scheme was drawn up. Initial discussions
with the database suppliers on what would need to
be seen by a user in both a browsing and an editing
mode of operation were highly significant. I
believe this would be the case in any similar
project. Several versions were developed and
enhanced through live use and discussion with the
software writers in the Museum. This proved to be
an invaluable exercise which brought considerable
rapid benefits in use. Ideas on the practicalities of
using the package could be exchanged and the best
incorporated in the next released version. Training
in the use of the package was given at the same
time and a manual is still being prepared to cover
full operational requirements.
It was required at this early stage that images
would be specially taken colour photographs on
35mm transparency film, which would then be
scanned by a bureau to produce a master CD-ROM
collection. Provisional enquiries were made to
select suitable bureaux.
I began the sequence of events by requesting
photography of the whole collection of original
artwork, sketches and finished watercolours, the
subsequent proof
prints,
lithographs and recent
colour
prints.
It was decided that photography of
the 738 copper printing plates from which the
prints were originally made would not give any
additional useful information to users of the
database, so they were excluded from our imaging
plans.
The photography had to be done in far from ideal
circumstances, away from our photographic
studios, because of the sheer bulk of the physical
art collection, which had been recently conserved
and placed in Solander boxes. As it was, 238 large
boxes had to be manually carried down a flight of
stairs to an area reserved for the photography,
where a large and very solid moveable gantry had
been assembled to aid steady filming. We esti-
mated six months for this phase, with up to four of
the Museum's own photographers taking it in turns
to do the job quite regularly, whilst library staff
provided the material to photograph in sequence
and cleared away completed work. Note that all
processed film images were visually "checked"
before the artwork could be considered finished
with. The cameras used did unfortunately fail on
several occasions with shutter faults, delaying
16 — VINE 107
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