Virtual Museum

Frannie Blondheim (frannie.blondheim@ualberta.ca)
Leslie Latta-Guthrie (leslie.latta-guthrie@ualberta.ca)
Museums and Collections Services, University of Alberta

What do the Bruderheim meteorite, a Phrygian Tazza, Peruvian textiles, and a woodblock print by Kunisada II have in common? The answer is that they are some of the artifacts and specimens that you might encounter when visiting the University of Alberta's Virtual Museum on the new SunSITE Alberta (www.sunsite.ualberta.ca ). The Virtual Museum site will provide the University of Alberta with new, efficient and exciting ways to present its object-based teaching and research collections to a variety of audiences, resulting in enhanced public access and education.

The intent of the Virtual Museum is to provide multi-level access to the natural and cultural history resources residing within the University of Alberta's 40 collections. By providing tools to enable electronic access, existing information in various Multi MIMSY collection databases on campus can be used to feed Internet, Intranet, kiosk and CD-ROM projects. Access will be provided to the public, as well as to scholars, students and researchers at universities and colleges worldwide.

The University of Alberta began collecting in 1910, making it one of the oldest collecting institutions in Western Canada and one of the largest among universities in Canada. Over 17 million unique objects -- specimens, artifacts and works of art -- play an essential role in the teaching and research activities of 20 academic units. The collections reflect the history of the University, the natural and human history of Western Canada, and the development of subjects from botany and paleontology to art and human ecology. Collections-based research and teaching correspond to areas of established and emerging research excellence where the University is known as a world leader. Many of the University's collections are nationally recognized as natural and cultural heritage resources, and many serve as international standards of reference.

Since 1994, Museums and Collections Services has been working with University curators to implement Multi MIMSY -- an Oracle-based enterprise-wide knowledge management software interface specifically designed for accessing museum or collection related information. To date, the following University collection areas have been involved in the Multi MIMSY implementation: ornithology, ichthyology, mammalogy, herpetology, invertebrate paleontology, art and historical artifacts, ethnology, clothing and textiles, ethnomusicology, classics, paleobotany, meteorites, and freshwater invertebrates.

Working with the University's curators, researchers and professors, the types of electronic access appropriate to each collection will be determined. The end result will allow exploration of U of A object-based collections information one collection at a time, or in combination with each other. There will be several paths to begin exploration of the collections, and a person will be able to access in-depth information on significant topics and aspects of these collections via image, text, sound and video data.

It is envisioned that the Virtual Museum site will provide access in the following ways:

• Access to a single collection or simultaneous access to multiple collections (e.g., a single entry into a database, or a search result that combines information retrieved from two or more databases).
• Interactive online exhibitions.
• Integrating a computer kiosk into an exhibit with online access to additional resources.
• Topical access into database information, with access targeted for the information needs of different audiences (e.g., a grade three class versus a graduate-level researcher).
• The user will be able to undertake unique searches based on individual needs rather than predetermined, linear field searching.
• University-based knowledge can be made available to external audiences (e.g., the Virtual Museum can provide a larger audience with access to expertise and information developed at the University).
• We will be able to link the Virtual Museum information to the Museums Alberta Information Network and the Canadian Heritage Information Network.

The Virtual Museum project has received support from the Museums Assistance Program, the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Learning Enhancement Envelope, Alberta Advanced Education and Career Development, and Museums Alberta.