Book-Browsing using KE Emu: Publishing Books on-line 12 April 2007

1. Book-Browsing using KE Emu: Publishing Books on-line12 April 2007 Julian Tomlin Head of Administration

2. Contents • The project - Thomas Wardle sample books • Review of other book-browsing technologies • Developing KE Emu’s Book-Browser • The Flash alternative • Questions

3. Thomas Wardle Sample Books • The Whitworth’s textile collection • 11 sample books used at Thomas Wardle • 4 groups • 5 Block print trials • 3 Block record books • 2 Copper roller books • 1 Colourways record book • Dated between 1875 and 1915 • 2000 pages, 1500 excluding blanks plus 200 samples

4. “Wardle Sample Books Revealed” • Designation Challenge Fund 2006/8 • Grant of £59k for £76.5k project cost • Aims • To reveal Thomas Wardle’s contribution to story of textile and design history • To use new research to tease out unexplored links and meanings • To facilitate public engagement by disseminating it in different ways • To exploit new technologies to make difficult material accessible to users • To collaborate with other North West museums

5. The Task

6. “Wardle Sample Books Revealed” • Liaison with other Designated collections in North West • Specialist researchers • Mind-maps • Data entry coordinator • For entering records in KE EMu • Conservation • Photography • Page by page, including inserts • Publication - including Book-Browsing

7. Review - What’s out there? • British Library • Turning the Page • Tate Gallery • Sketchbook viewer (catalogue style interface) • Turner sketchbooks • Flash viewer • Edward Hopper; Donald Rodney • Museum Victoria • Caught and Coloured

8. KE EMu Book-Browser • Spinning the Web • TUC - Workers’ War • Tailoring to produce a “better browser” • Drawing up spec • Delivery and testing • Detailed cataloguing • Launch

9. Whitworth Book-BrowserSearch Results • Integration with on-line Collections Catalogue • Built-in recognition of books to determine how published • Changing search results • Adding searching for narratives in Simple Search • Results “Try these narratives first ….” Then objects list • Revised to “Try narratives in these categories” (by narrative type)/Or these objects (by collection group)

10. Search results

11. Whitworth Book-BrowserBook pages • Generic development • Page by page display to include related narratives • Page Description narrative published in full • Other narratives published as links • Related objects and Multimedia also published • Navigation - forward, back, start, end but not Flash • Demonstration of test pages

12. Flash pages • Not KE EMu but using EMu • Open Source software • Page-flip, based on Adobe Flash • Custom design • Generic development • Navigation • Link to and from KE EMu catalogue record • References Multimedia from KE Emu • Test page

13. Next steps • Develop object/narrative search results • Evaluate in context of website • Complete KE EMu development • Catalogue and publish Wardle Sample Books • and Walter Crane Children’s Books and … • Share with other KE EMu users!

14. References The North West Pattern Book Survey, Philip A Sykas, Textile History, 32 (2), 156 -174, 2001 Page Turning: Revealing the interface issues of on-line document viewing, Karen Elinich, Museums and Web, 2006 http://www.archimuse.com British Library / Turning the Page http://www.bl.uk / http://www.turningthepage.com Tate Gallery http://www.tate.org.uk Spinning the Web http://www.spinningtheweb.org.uk Museum Victoria - Caught and Coloured - Choose ‘Prodromus of Zoology of Victoria’ from highlights of McCoy’s World http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/caughtandcoloured Downloadable page flip software http://www.iparigrafika.hu/pageflip/ / http://www.page-flip.com

15. Thank you julian@juliantomlin.com http://www.manchester.ac.uk/whitworth

16. A page from one of the Pattern Books

17. The End