For centuries, libraries, archives, and museums have been creating structured data, organizing information, and managing metadata in order to organize and share cultural artifacts and knowledge with the public. Unfortunately, the bulk of these systems have evolved in isolation, long before the advent of the World Wide Web. However, the convergence of developments in culture and technology are resulting in exciting new ways for individuals and developers alike to interact directly with unprecedented amounts of structured data, historical photos and archives, and more. Expert developers and project managers in this field will lead a discussion focused on the question: How can developers leverage open data from libraries, archives and museums being made available to the public? Panelists will review new developments and highlight examples, considering use cases with Linked Data, Flickr Commons, Smithsonian Commons, mobile apps, and scalability.
I'm the coordinator for a statewide cooperative digitization program, Texas Heritage Online, at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. I collaborate with colleagues in libraries, archives, and museums statewide to provide seamless, integrated access to primary resource materials. I maintain the TexasHeritageOnline.org search tool, developed under an Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant. I teach workshops on digitization and metadata and promote partnerships and collaboration statewide.
I am a project manager at Azavea, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software development firm, where I work on client implementations and product development of Sajara, Azavea's web-based geographic digital asset and collection management system. I also serve as the project manager for PhillyHistory.org, a web-based consortium of collections run by the Philadelphia Department of Records that provides public access to more than 92,000 historic photographs and maps from five Philadelphia organizations. PhillyHistory.org is accessible via mobile technology and will implement an augmented reality feature in early 2011, enabling users to view historic photos of a location as they stroll the streets of Philadelphia.
I'm a veteran project manager and the creator of LookBackMaps, an innovative public history project that is one of many new mashups in the field of historical and cultural heritage websites. Working at the intersection of history and technology, I specialize in innovative solutions and community engagement across a diverse range of projects. An interest in historical photos inspired me to create LookBackMaps in 2008 and quickly evolved into identifying collaborative efforts for institutions to harness public interest in their holdings, share metadata, and leverage crowdsourcing. Among other things, I currently serve as the project manager for Civil War Data 150, a project that seeks to demonstrate the potential of Linked Open Data across libraries, archives, and museums.
Michael Edson is the Smithsonian Institution’s Director of Web and New Media Strategy. Michael has worked on numerous award-winning projects and has been involved in practically every aspect of technology and New Media for museums. In addition to developing the Smithsonian’s first Web and New Media Strategy and the Smithsonian Commons concept, Michael helped create the Smithsonian’s first blog, Eye Level, and the first Alternative Reality Game to take place in a museum, Ghosts of a Chance. Michael has a BA from Wesleyan University.
