Download Cooper-Hewitt Collections Data
From the post:
Cooper-Hewitt is committed to making its collection data available for public access. To date, we have made public approximately 60% of the documented collection available online. Whilst we have a web interface for searching the collection, we are now also making the dataset available for free public download. By being able to see “everything” at once, new connections and understandings may emerge.
What is it?
The download contains only text metadata, or “tombstone” information—a brief object description that includes temporal, geographic, and provenance information—for over 120,000 objects.
Is it complete?
No. The data is only tombstone information. Tombstone information is the raw data that is created by museum staff at the time of acquisition for recording the basic ‘facts’ about an object. As such, it is unedited. Historically, museum staff have used this data only for identifying the object, tracking its whereabouts in storage or exhibition, and for internal report and label creation. Like most museums, Cooper-Hewitt had never predicted that the public might use technologies, such as the web, to explore museum collections in the way that they do now. As such, this data has not been created with a “public audience” in mind. Not every field is complete for each record, nor is there any consistency in the way in which data has been entered over the many years of its accumulation. Considerable additional information is available in research files that have not yet been digitized and, as the research work of the museum is ongoing, the records will continue to be updated and change over time.
Which all sounds great, if you know what the Cooper-Hewitt collection houses.
From the about page:
Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. The Museum presents compelling perspectives on the impact of design on daily life through active educational and curatorial programming.
It is the mission of Cooper-Hewitt’s staff and Board of Trustees to advance the public understanding of design across the thirty centuries of human creativity represented by the Museum’s collection. The Museum was founded in 1897 by Amy, Eleanor, and Sarah Hewitt—granddaughters of industrialist Peter Cooper—as part of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. A branch of the Smithsonian since 1967, Cooper-Hewitt is housed in the landmark Andrew Carnegie Mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
The campus also includes two historic townhouses renovated with state-of-the-art conservation technology and a unique terrace and garden. Cooper-Hewitt’s collections include more than 217,000 design objects and a world-class design library. Its exhibitions, in-depth educational programs, and on-site, degree-granting master’s program explore the process of design, both historic and contemporary. As part of its mission, Cooper-Hewitt annually sponsors the National Design Awards, a prestigious program which honors innovation and excellence in American design. Together, these resources and programs reinforce Cooper-Hewitt’s position as the preeminent museum and educational authority for the study of design in the United States.
Even without images, I can imagine enhancing library catalog holdings with annotations about particular artifacts being located at the Cooper-Hewitt.