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Published: March 1999.
Digital Image Managers for the New Millennium: A Museum / University Collaboration
Samantha Hastings , University of North Texas, USASession: IMLS Sponsored R&D Projects
The University of North Texas and the African American Museum in Dallas are partners in a program designed to produce expert managers of digital images and information. The School of Library and Information Sciences in cooperation with the School of Visual Arts received a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library services to build a collaborative program that includes a digital imaging laboratory and fellowships for students in a Certificate of Advanced Study Program. The work of the digital image manager includes the production of visual images, the creation and management of databases and the ability to use advanced network and information technologies to improve access to digital images and information. The program of study prepares individuals to work as digital image managers in museums, libraries, archives, and other information centers.
The project provides a unique educational experience made possible by the cooperation between a museum and a university. Students digitize objects from the museum collection and build an image database that will be accessible on the Web. The experience includes the use of video-conference technologies to enhance collaboration between the museum and the university. Students communicate with the museum staff, work on images and database information simultaneously and share experiences immediately. By linking the digital image laboratory and the African American Museum, students have every opportunity to learn from museum professionals as well as from university professors.
The project is a model for training professionals in the creation, use and management of digital images and may serve as a model of collaboration between museums and universities. In addition, the project assesses the impact resulting from improved access to a museum collection through the Web.