CHArt Seventeenth Annual Conference

Jane Carlin, University of Cincinnati, USA
Digital Consortia: Opportunities for Collaboration. A case study from North America - the OhioLINK Digital Media Center

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The internet has transformed information seeking and access, and indeed, Malraux's "museum without walls" is a reality as scholars can easily visit the web sites of museums and scan and send images across international boundaries with simply the click of a mouse. But despite the obvious advantages, this form of technology also brings the need to establish standards, organize and classify as well as to develop software and hardware systems that can manage the plethora of information.

This paper will provide an overview of a unique collaborative effort in place in the state of Ohio, USA. The OhioLINK information network not only provides access to textual information (catalogues, databases, and circulation information), but also is the first in the country to provide access to digital images through the Digital Media Center (DMC). The Center is a repository of a variety of digital images from commercial vendors, the museum consortium AMICO (art museum image consortium) as well as contributions from the collections of libraries, museums, archives and faculty within the state. Images are accessible from all participating institutions (now over 70) as well as from remote access (home/dormitory/personal computers). This paper will discuss the organizational aspects of administrating and managing such a consortia as well as information on how information is catalogued and organized. In addition, the paper will focus on practical aspects of contributing digital images to this resource. The goal of the OhioLINK DMC is to provide a cohesive and unified approach to locating quality images as well as to provide assistance in using these images in computer generated "slide" programs for professional and academic presentations.

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