May 2011 Update

Museums 101 Workshop
On May 26-27th we held the inaugural workshop in our new museum studies program.  We had 18 participants in all, representing each of the 4 regions.  We've received some very positive feedback and many people said they're already looking forward to the next workshop.  You can read more about Museums 101 here.

Database Renewal Project

With the Museums 101 workshop out of the way, I will now be focusing on this a whole lot more.  This month we migrated another 10 databases, bringing our grand total of CollectiveAccess users to 17.  What I'm hearing from users is that the system is far easier than our old one, one person even calling it "a thing of beauty".  Seriously though, we are very happy with the new system and so grateful for all the help we're getting from the Whirl-i-gig gang.  You guys rock!

As you can imagine, this is a very fast-paced project, so please keep that in mind when I call to get your database for migration.  I really need you to respond promptly.  Also remember that once I get your database, you cannot continue to work in the old database.  Until I get the database file, you can continue to enter and edit records, but cannot attach photographs.  Should you experience any weird error messages or issues, it is crucial that you stop using the old database and call me right away.
Our goal is to have everyone migrated by the beginning of August.

QR Code Usage Stats
We've cracked the 1000 view mark!  We now have statistics coming from 11 of the 12 participating sites.  Most notable this month were the additions of the Army Museum on Citadel Hill in Halifax, and the North Highlands Community Museum in Cape North, Cape Breton.  Both have only had their codes up for a couple weeks now, but are seeing at least 2 views every day.  While this may not be very impressive, I am encouraged by the steadiness of usage.  I'd be very worried if we saw a complete drop-off in use.
The most popular qr code this month was the Army Museum's Lewis Gun. 

If you have qr codes in your museum, please make sure your interpretive staff mention them to visitors.

Site Visits
I am now starting to schedule site visits for the season.  This year will be a bit trickier than others because of our major database renewal project.  This means that I won't be visiting until your database has been migrated to CollectiveAccess.   So I'll be in touch soon, and look forward to a fun summer of travels and database training. 

Provincial Museums Associations Meetings
Fyi, Anita and I will be in Ottawa next week for the annual PMA meetings so the ANSM office will be closed from Monday - Wednesday.  This is a great networking opportunity where we can meet with the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN), Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), Canadian Museums Association (CMA), and staff members from the other provincial associations to talk shop, share notes, and see how we can partner more.  Stay tuned for pics and posts.