 |
|
|
|
Archives & Museum Informatics info @archimuse.com |
 |
The BABEL Project: A Museums and Libraries NetworkGuillermo Cisneros, José M. Martínez & Jesús Bescós, E.T.S. Ing. Telecomunicación
Subsidiary Session: International Focus: Spain and Brazil
BABEL is a project aiming to create a network of Museums and Libraries
in Spain, compatible being with the European initiatives, to make possible
a teleconsult of their databases either from the Internet or from any
public network point with access segment to the Internet. The teleconsult
system must be based on a common manual, but respecting heterogeneities,
particularities, and personalizations of the object registration cards
resident being in the different Museums and Libraries (may be also at
the level of different Departments of every Museum or Library). BABEL
is a capitalization of results coming from projects sponsored by the
European Commission, and the idea is to extend a network as much as
possible by means of incorporating associate members to BABEL. These
associate members may be information providers and users simultaneously,
or only users. Another objective is the creation of a common information
point to enter the Culture Spanish network (PIC) called Virtual Museum
and Virtual Library. The user can navigate through descriptors resident
being in this PIC, and then decide which databases are to be consulted.
Normalization of a few fields must be agreed to make it possible the
navigation in this PIC, but the personalization of the registration
cards is kept in the different databases belonging to the Museums and
Libraries. The participation of selected sponsors is crucial for the
establishment of the PIC and for ensuring postproject actions to keep
the BABEL fundamentals. BABEL is in line with the preparation of Museums
and Libraries for its new role of service providers, converging with
initiatives such as the Memorandum of Understanding launched by the
European Commission. |
