Re-using reference structures

A museum has put great effort in the creation of keyword lists, thesauri and glossaries. It would be a shame if this structuring information would no longer be used in a digital knowledge-sharing system.

The museum owns all sorts of descriptions, such as descriptions in dictionaries and encyclopedia, and also object descriptions contained in collection databases. These, in combination with the keyword lists, thesauri and glossaries, could provide the basis for digital knowledge sharing.

Thesauri are often substantial in size. If they are converted for a digital knowledge-sharing system, it should be easy to check if the conversion has been successful and to check for the source of any errors. The knowledge-sharing sytem must therefore be transparant.

In short

• How can you leverage existing reference structures for the development of a digital knowledge-sharing system?
• How can large amounts of knowledge be linked to reference structures in an easy (and therefore cost-effective) way?
• How can encyclopaedic descriptions and descriptions from collection databaes be leveraged to make websites searchable?
• Is the knowledge-sharing system transparant and easy to maintain and expand?