from Team Deutsches Museum Digital , Team Deutsches Museum Digital
In the third year after the relaunch, the portal continues to grow - with new data sets, additional information and further improvements!
This content was machine-translated with DeepL. Let us know if you spot anything odd!
Almost three years ago, we comprehensively reorganised the Deutsches Museum Digital (DMD) portal. Since then, we have been working continuously not only to significantly expand the database, but also to improve user-friendliness and the technical basis. Today, the portal offers researchers, teachers and interested parties even more opportunities to discover the collections, archive and library of the Deutsches Museum digitally. This blog post is intended to provide an overview of how the portal has developed technically.
In 2023, the focus was primarily on the integration of large data sets. Since the relaunch in 2022, over 40,000 books from the library and more than 43,000 items from the collections have been added. In addition, a further 129 estates and company archives with around 90,000 archive items have been made available online since the relaunch. With the next update in mid-December, the portal will list the following holdings:
The location – in this case, the musical instruments exhibition – is played out. Photo: Deutsches Museum Digital
The different manufacturing locations of the original and the model are displayed. Photo: Deutsches Museum Digital
We have not only expanded the database, but also added new data fields and expanded existing data fields, which enhances the content of our holdings and makes them easier to find. For example, events such as "Manufacture / Model: Göttingen" are now displayed in the location information for collection items, which provides additional historical context - in this case, it shows that the location relates to the manufacture of the model. A frequently requested function has also been integrated: Objects now show whether they are currently on display and in which exhibition they can be found.
In the archive area, additional data fields on persons involved, subject areas and formal details have been added. In the library, volume numbers and section titles for multi-volume works provide a better overview and easier navigation. The newly integrated page references for bibliographical references facilitate detailed research.
Partial data sets and accessories are linked. Photo: Deutsches Museum Digital
Links within and outside the portal promote the connections between our holdings. Direct links to DEPATISnet now enable quick access to relevant patents. The integration of standardised datasets such as the GND and Wikidata improves the connection of our data and opens up new research approaches. In the collections, main, accessory and partial datasets are now linked with each other so that accessories or parts of objects can be found directly.
The many new data records also help to ensure that the metadata of the collections is more comprehensive and better linked. The integration of additional metadata such as people, places or keywords strengthens the semantic links between the data records. This makes it possible to recognise connections and discover relevant content more easily using the search and filter function.
The signatures of the respective data records are visible in the archive. Photo: Deutsches Museum Digital
In addition to the content enhancements, a central focus was on optimising the user interface. The page layout of the archive records has been redesigned to make information easier to find - particularly helpful in the online finding aids without digitised material. The new display of the "number of archive records" in the tree structure shows at a glance how many documents are located under certain points and thus facilitates orientation in the online indexes. In addition, the archive signature has been integrated both in the structure tree and in the search results to provide a better overview and, in particular, to simplify academic citation.
The image module on the collection, library and archive detail pages has also been updated: the fixed height means that the navigation bar remains stable when scrolling and no longer "jumps". These and many other small but effective improvements noticeably increase user-friendliness. In addition, images can now be downloaded in higher resolution, which is a great advantage for research in particular.
The portal's search function has been further refined since the relaunch in order to further improve the search results. Thanks to an optimisation of the so-called "fuzziness" and an optimised weighting of the data fields ("field boosting"), the search now delivers more precise results and increases the hit rate. The new option of searching directly for inventory numbers or signatures makes researchers' work much easier.
The improved structure and clear organisation of our offers and research projects also help to ensure that content can be found more quickly.
Behind the scenes, the portal's technical components were kept up to date with regular software updates to ensure security, stability and availability. By developing an OAI-PMH interface that delivers data in the standardised LIDO, METS/MODS and EAD formats, the portal data can be efficiently transferred and made available in search portals such as bavarikon, the German Digital Library and Europeana.
The continuous expansion of the holdings and the improved findability of the data - not least through search engines - are reflected in the access figures, which have more than doubled since the relaunch and continue to rise. The number of enquiries about estates and collections has also multiplied.
In addition to the integration of further databases, regular data updates and the provision of additional information, we are also working on other frequently requested features. For example, we are planning to integrate additional media formats such as audio, video and, in particular, our 3D scans. Entity pages (e.g. for people and companies) are also being planned to better illustrate the interconnectedness of our holdings. There are also plans to link objects in the portal to the museum's upcoming virtual tour.
Visit the portal and take a look at the enhancements and improvements under Deutsches Museum Digital.
