AMNH /Anthropology online collection
The first digital space I explored was the AMNH anthropology online collection. Although the site is problematic because not all the collections have been digitalized and the search criterion for each collection is not homogenous, the AMNH site developed a useful search tool for their online visitors: The Anthropology Thesaurus. This search tool was developed to provide a “controlled vocabulary” so that online searching becomes much easier and successful. It made me think about our key word list and how useful it could become for people that might not be familiar with the contents of our collection.
In the AMNH site for example, there was a broad list of categories such as: activities, process and techniques or ceremonies. Each of these categories encompasses specific concepts. Under ceremonies for example, we find: hannukah, initiation, magic, or witchcraft. Once the user clicks any of these concepts several digital images of the objects that relate to the category of interest would appear. Each image also contains basic information about the object (the collection it belongs to, the material it is made of, dimensions, catalog number, etc.) and other search terms that are also related to it.
Although we can not claim that the thesaurus can help us to know the broader meanings of the objects and artifacts, at least it makes the collection a little bit more accessible than others, like the Yale Peabody Museum collection for example. Who ever want to use this former database should be familiarized with the museum online catalogue and even have some expertise in the subject in order to find anything in the collection.
http://anthro.amnh.org/
http://research.yale.edu/peabody/COLLECTIONS/ant/
Field Museum/ Anthropology department, Latin American Textiles
The Latin American Textiles website does not allow the visitor to search into the collection. The Image Gallery however, offers the possibility to relate specific pieces not only with other objects or images from their collection but also with academic articles that have been written about them. I thought this was very useful because usually the information presented in a museum online catalogue is very straightforward: provenance, temporality, culture, etc. Once you have reached the recommended article, it is also possible for the user to visualize what the author is talking about because there are links that can take you back to the digital images.
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/anthropology/default.htmhttp://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/anthropology/anthro_sites/textiles/latinamerican/ig_3397.html
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/anthropology/anthro_sites/textiles/latinamerican/ig_3397_2.html
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/anthropology/anthro_sites/textiles/latinamerican/ig_3397_2.html