by Alison Dalgity, Getty Conservation Institute
In an effort to share the buzz of activity that is surrounding Arches with those of you who are not directly engaged in the project, we have decided to start a group blog. The purpose, from our side, is to share our experiences, ideas, and what we are learning in the process of developing Arches, and we would like to hear from you!
Yes, that’s right, you too can contribute, and we are encouraging you to do so! Our larger purpose is to broaden the Arches community to all who may be interested. And, we do recognize how important it is to share our work and get other, outside views on the project.
It has been an extremely busy few months since the release of the source code in January. We are at a critical stage in the system’s development, with the release of version 1.0 slated for the beginning of September, just in time for an information session that we are organizing for the 2013 CIPA International Symposium in Strasbourg. CIPA is the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Heritage Documentation. The session will be held on Monday, September 2, beginning at 10 am. (You are welcome to join us, while there is still space available!)
We are a very small team, each of us with other projects and priorities — and as everyone knows, putting words to paper is something that easily leads to procrastination in the face of seemingly more urgent tasks. So, this is all the more reason we could use your help with our blog. Anything related to Arches or cultural heritage inventories and documentation is fair game. In fact, everything that would be of interest to the documentation side of the broader cultural heritage community is welcome.
We have several posts lined up to get us started:
- thoughts on our recent workshop at Shendish Manor in Hertfordshire, UK
- a post about the types of institutions that have expressed interest in using Arches, and what those varied uses might be
- how Arches might contribute to disaster preparedness and response
- how we have addressed some of the more obscure technology challenges
So, please check back here soon, and let’s hear from you!