MUSEUMS AND LIBRARIES DATA STANDARDS PROJECT
The Cultural Ministers Council Statistics Working Group (CMCSWG), in partnership with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, has initiated a project to develop data standards for major cultural institutions (i.e. museums, art museums, libraries and archives).
A draft project plan was prepared and the October 2005 meeting of CMCSWG endorsed the project in principle. CMCSWG has agreed to provide funding from 2006-07, but only if there is support for the project from the Collections Council of Australia Ltd, and the major cultural institutions.
The results of a pilot study of NSW institutions (undertaken in 2005) showed that there are a wide range of data items which may be amenable to the development of standards. The institution staff who participated expressed support for the project, as did two Victorian institutions that were consulted separately. These institutions indicated a willingness to develop the coordination and standardisation of their data. They wish to improve data quality and enable comparability across like services and/or institutions both nationally and, in some cases, internationally.
The project was considered by the Collections Council at its recent Board meeting (28 February 2006) and received 'in principle' support. There was agreement that further consultation should proceed with the institutions themselves. This will occur during March.
If you are interested to find out more about this project, please contact Jenny Dobak on (08) 8237 7317 or by emailing <nccrs@abs.gov.au>.
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