This is how we work together to get your collections online, give your website impact and deliver great content.
1. You provide us with your collections data and image
We take your data any way it comes. We can give you a simple Excel template, or we can take an export from your collections management system, whether it’s MODES, Axiell, TMS or anything else. We’ll take any number of records, from tens to tens of millions. If you’ve previously added your data to the Museum Data Service, then we can use that, too.
We’ll also take your assets: images, audio files, video, and any others.
We then use our specialised ingestion technology to import your records into our system, create sized image assets, zooms, and more, and then connect them all together. At this point we can also augment your data using auto-tagging for use in search or faceting.
2. We make a Museum Platform instance for you
Once we have your data, we make you a Museum Platform instance to host it. If you need a full website, we can build that around it, from a basic off the shelf site, to a fully themed and branded website for your museum. Or we can build you a storytelling platform to go with your existing site. It’s up to you.
3. We connect things up
If you have an existing WordPress website, we give you our custom WordPress plugin. Simply add this to your site, enable it, and then connect it to our system. Immediately, you’ll have access to all your collections on your website, with powerful search, faceting, and zooms.
If you use a different CMS like Drupal, Umbraco, Wix, Squarespace or something else, talk to us about integration.
4. You make great content
Once your collections are online, you and your happy users can stop there. But you can also use our tools to create rich, engaging and mobile-friendly content that builds on your collections.
Our platform uses WordPress, the most user-friendly and familiar web editing environment on the planet. With the block-based editor you can create everything from blog posts to online exhibitions, educational resources and web features.
All of these are part of the package:
- Drop a gallery of related images into a blog post
- Illustrate a story with a map of objects
- Structure objects in a timeline
- Embed 3D records from sketchfab
- Use IIIF for deep and flexible zooms
In the works are image hotspots, audio guides, animation tools and more. All Museum Platform users get these as we roll them out. We’re continually improving and adapting our software based on feedback from our clients and their users.
5. Your content goes beyond your website
We think you can COPE: Create Once, Publish Everywhere. Your Museum Platform content can be delivered to in-gallery kiosks, mobile guides and display screens as easily as it is to your website.
When curators, digital, learning and comms staff are all using the same system, things come together beautifully. Spend less time looking for images and collections records, and more time using them to make an impact.