Informational retrieval system (IRS) "Science Activities of Historical & Architecture Museums in Russia".

A. Samal
State Historical Museum
Phone: (095) 924-55-42
Fax: (095) 928-83-83
E-mail: webmaster@shm.ru

Databank is the basement of IRS, which is developing in scientific and methodical department of SHM.

Since 1918 SHM is the methodical centre for all museums over the country. At the present time the scientific and methodical department of SHM is the information service for all historical museums in Russia and controls their fund and science work. According to that there are some branches of Data-Banks. The department controls the activities of the science council of Russia either. Thus the central Data-Bank is forming for science activities of Historical & architecture museums of Russia.

Nowadays modern computer Technologies allows co-ordination of the science activities of historical & architecture museums at high, newer grade of developing.

That caused the creation of the Informational Retrieval System "Science Activities of Historical & Architecture Museums in Russia" under the program "Historical & Architecture Museums of Russia". The project is mainly regional and embraces regional and municipal Museums.

Science activities are the main course of museum activities. Yet, in modern informational field there are no so much attention paid to the science activities as it should be. Russian interregional projects are works in another direction. They are not for specifics of research activities (http://www.museum.ru - the site "Museums of Russia") Science researches are repelled only in regional projects, however the topic of researches is for one region only (http://museum.omskelekom.ru).

In general, all known projects such as presented in ”RUNET” projects and projects under developing are to integrate museum resources of one region only. But our project is to integrate Regional projects under the IRS program. Thus the systematisation of regional information is major distinguishing feature of the present project.

There are many regional museums take part in the declared project.

The information of science activities should be classified to the following sections in the database.

1. Location (Territory/Land, district, region, city)
2. Museum name
3. Subordination
4. Museum profile
5. Address (phone, fax, e-mail)
6. General Director
7. Deputy Director in the scientific work
8. Museum internet links (optional)

1. Profile sciences
2. Applied sciences
3. Additional historical sciences

1. History

• Historiography
• Russian museums history to 1917
• Russian museums history since 1917 to 1986
• Russian museums history since 1986 till now.

2. Theory and methodic

• Museum source science
• Researches in completing of funds
• Projecting of science expositions
• Researches in culture and education activities
• Using and securing of Culture and Nature heritage.

Information about conferences, seminars, consultations, projects and resolutions.

Museum scholars, participation in other museum scholars.

The information is available by any following ways:

• in accordance to the above classification
• by regions, cities, museums
• by authors
• by key-words

"Science Activities of Historical & Architecture Museums in Russia" is a long-term project and fulfils by separate parts.

In the future the project may enlarge and include the databases of culture and educational & exposition activities.

The first step.

The classification is prepared according to the information receiving from Historical & Architecture museums of Russia, new blocks are defined, new complex of tasks. As a result of preparatory stage the database and basic structure of IRS has been created.

IRS includes researches activities database of Regional Historical & architecture museums of Russia and council database fulfilled on SQL-server.

Database of science council consists of:

• Staff of Science Council
• Topic of Council
• Location and time of organisation
• Participant information
• Topic of reports
• Analytic information, etc.

Researches activities dB consists of the following points.

• Data of museums and their Leaders
• Researches subjects
• Authors
• Scholars titles with annotation and description of year, place, and bibliography which is described according to 'Dublin Core' meta-data standards
• Information of conferences, seminars, consultation, projects and resolutions.

Software is developed with possibility to enlarge the Database with new information (Open system)

The Second step

The project presented in multimedia centre and at the Internet site of the State Historical Museum (http://www.shm.ru)

The realisation of the project will give possibility to make single informational space for professional discusses and for experience exchange.

The realisation will allow:

• To integrate researches in general topic;
• To plan combined issues & exhibitions;
• To co-ordinate Science Council activities at the new high level.

This is very important with insufficient financing to organise meetings etc. The project will be of interest not only for museum specialists but also for ordinary people, teachers, students and so long.

Kuljabina Svetlana Jurievna had finished Russian State University for the Humanities in 1992. Major Archive & Museum science. Works in the museum since 1999 in scientific and methodic department as science collaborator. Has publications in SHM scholars and periodic.

Samal Alla Vikentievna had finished Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation. Major System Engineering. In 1999 finished aspiration of the same major in the same University. Works in the museum in Computer science department in Technical & Technological Support of the SHM. Has publications in MSTU CA scholars and periodic

State Historical museum (SHM) is one of the largest museums in Russia. The huge collection of the museum represents the whole History and Culture from the ancient period till the present time. The museum was founded in 1872. The exposition started working in 1883.

Scientific and methodic department.

In 1972 scientific and methodic department has been constituted in SHM. From 1980 it became scientific and methodic service under Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation.

In 1994 functions of scientific and methodic service has been laid on the SHM for the historical and Regional Historical & architecture museums in Russia. Co-ordination of research, exposition, and fund activities has been laid on scientific and methodic department of SHM.

Nowadays scientific and methodic department co-ordinates activities of the Science council of historical Regional Historical & architecture museums.