For over two decades, Surface Impression has been working with galleries, libraries, archives and museums to help them transform the reach and value of their collections through digital initiatives and innovation.
Work with collections can be anything from in-depth explorations of small selections of objects through to complete catalogues spanning many millions of items. In response, we’ve developed flexible strategies for integrating and presenting collections online, building up experience, tools and techniques to address different collections management systems, asset management workflows, curatorial practices, cataloguing conventions and, ultimately, creative approaches to audience engagement. This experience, built up over the years, is invaluable, but we also know that every institution is unique and every collection deserves its own customized approach and understanding.
Turning data into discovery
Getting records online should be straightforward: as soon as a record is marked as ready for the public, it should be available on the web.
In practice, most collections management systems aren’t designed for the demands of online traffic, and there are many barriers between the museum database and the public. By ingesting public-facing records into a high-speed, search-optimized index, alongside also-optimized versions of all media (the images, audio, video and documents), the presentation of your collection will become fast, flexible and secure, ready to be shaped to the precise needs of your institution and your audiences.
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Features
Multimodal search suitable for everyone from casual browsers to expert researchers
Simple search (with tolerance of spelling mistakes) and filtering modes (familiar from shopping sites)
Accumulative advanced search that previews results as users build queries
Combined catalogues that bring different collection types into one unified search
Search engine optimization recognizes that research often begins with Google or Bing
Related and relevant content promotion to encourage users to continue their journey further
Engaging presentation methods to bring records to life through curatorial interpretation
Space to express the stories behind objects, movements, contexts and much more
Going beyond the object photo
Collections really come to life when objects are represented well. Digital media can enhance representation in ways that aren’t possible even in physical museum displays.
IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) enables high-resolution deep zoom, multi-page document viewing, annotations and the ability to draw together images from different collections into a shared workspace. We’ve adapted IIIF viewers for specialist needs, including navigation of ancient scrolls.
3D scans are becoming integral to collections display. Formats such as glTF and web components like the open-source model-viewer have transformed the viability of presenting objects online – from tiny fragments to large-scale artefacts.
Integrating collections with other content
Incorporating collections into standard pages should be as easy as adding a picture, but generally it isn’t. The result is rigid divisions between items drawn from the collections database and everything else. We’ve built WordPress and Drupal editing tools that use standard components (including native Gutenberg blocks) to make it simple to blend formal assets from your collection with other media, text and more. Create the pages you want to make, not those the system forces you to make.
Software and standards
In nearly 25 years of working with collecting institutions, we’ve encountered a very wide range of systems and software suppliers.
We’ve built up knowledge, tools and workarounds to help integration run smoothly, and we’ve developed relationships with all parts of the sector and vendors, bringing understanding that lets us act as translator between institution and software provider – brokering the common purpose needed to align everyone towards project goals.
We rely on sector standards such as Spectrum for museum objects, ISAD(G) for archives and MARC for library collections. Standardised terminologies like the Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus and the World Historical Gazetteer often come into play. These aren’t just best practice for collections management – they make information interoperable and ready for integration into further initiatives that can amplify collections even further.
A few collections projects
Royal Scottish Academy
The RSA’s collections showcase significant works by Scottish artists and architects from the past 200 years. The site connects artworks, artists and exhibitions.
National Gallery of Ireland
Archival material and a wide-ranging library and references relating to over 2,500 individual artists. Automatic integration with Axiell Calm means updates go live without human intervention.
International Dunhuang Programme
An online collection bringing together holdings from the Eastern Silk Roads, coordinated across partners in China, France, Korea, Japan, Germany and the UK. Features specially adapted IIIF viewers for reading long scrolls in multiple historical languages.
Cooper Hewitt Museum
Providing access to one of the world’s most diverse and comprehensive design collections (over 215,000 objects), this project saw the creation of a ground-breaking GraphQL data interface. A collaboration with Knowledge Integration.
Interpreting collections into digital space is a design challenge that constantly inspires new solutions. The work might be access at scale or a deep dive into a single item. Sometimes digital reveals what can’t easily be achieved in an exhibit – every page of a rare book, both sides of a giant banner, an X-ray of a painting. We’re always ready to tackle the next challenge that collections will bring.
Do you want to transform access to your collection? We’d be very happy to discuss any aspect of digital and collections with you, without obligation. Let’s have a chat…
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