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organised by the mcg
hosted by The University of Leicester
sponsored by The 24 Hour Museum, mwr and Simulacra

Thank you to all participants and speakers for making the day such an inspiring and successful event. These comments are my perceptions and personal take homes. They do not necessarily represent the opinions of the speakers. - Mike L.

Publishing

• Bring out your digital collections and engage people!
• We have great concepts, which sometimes result in poor websites: Project management is absolutely key. If you have not already, buy a primer.

Valuing

• We can't do everything: analyse our core competencies and look for help from professionals in related disciplines.
• Large scale infrastructures are requires to do the web properly - a need for partnerships?
• Connections - connect objects (wherever they are) to people (whoever they are). Build communities.

Accessing

• We must do better and there are rewards for doing better!
• We can't do everything for everyone.
• The technical complience guidelines are not the whole story. A holistic approach is needed.
• Usability and accessibility can be in competition - do not sacrifice one for the other, find the middle road.
• Exploit other media where appropriate and where it can be done properly. Focus sites on audiences.

Defining

• Digital objects are not immaterial, but are intangible - Ross proposes e-tangibles.
• Net-Art - its often subversive nature may not sit well with establishment institutions.
• It can be deliberately hard to find and unusable... go figure....

Future

• ...is semantic. We must take some initiative and get our fingers dirty in the 'self - describing web'.

Managing

• MDA is revitalised and refocussed.
• We are reminded that the Digital Object requires collections management as much as the 'real object'.
• MDA is in a unique position to support the development of the cultural semantic web.

Reality for smaller Museums.

• Its tough to do things well, and its not fair.
• Don't put our objects out there 'because they are there'.
• Write for our audience and put our feet in thier shoes.
• Promote what is unique about our institutions.
• Even the basics are still not always done well.

Mike L final thoughts:
- The mcg must look to how it can support the efforts of smaller Museums better.
- The mcg will look for a demonstrator of semanctic web principles.