Global Memory Net

Global Memory Net
Homepage of Global Memory Net (memorynet.org), updated December 12, 2011
Web address http://memorynet.org/
Commercial? No
Type of site
 International education
Available in Multilingual
Owner United States
Created by Prof. Ching-chih Chen
Launched July 1, 2006
Current status Online

Global Memory Net (GMNet) is a world digital library of cultural, historical, and heritage image collections. It is directed by Prof. Ching-chih Chen, Professor Emeritus of Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts and supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF)/International Digital Library Program (IDLP). The goal of GMNet is to provide a global collaborative network that provides universal access to educational resources to a worldwide audience. GMNet provides multilingual and multimedia content and retrieval, as well as links directly to major resources, such as OCLC, Wikipedia, Internet Archive, Million Books, and Google.

History

Global Memory Net superseded Chinese Memory Net (CMNet) , which was founded in 2001 as a NSF/IDLP project. It was intended to make Chinese cultural and heritage resources globally accessible in a multimedia format. "The experiences and knowledge gained from [CMNet] made me realize the need to rethink the model for information dissemination and use," wrote Prof. Chen in 2001.[1] CMNet later expanded to represent global collections and officially became Global Memory Net in 2003.

GMNet's initial collection starts with the invaluable images included in Prof. Chen's interactive videodisc and multimedia CD-ROM, entitled The First Emperor of China on the First Emperor of China's 7000+ terracotta warriors and horses. These are products of her earlier PROJECT EMPEROR-I, supported by the US National Endowment for the Humanities (1983–1986). The selective images of this project became the core collection of Chinese Memory Net (CMNet) and is named "Emperor Collection" in GMNet. Since 2002, the project's scope has expanded quickly to cover many countries' cultural collections.

Much of these unique collections are of great value to education and research and are not currently accessible due to distance, form, and technical barriers. This project is intended to find new ways to enable users to access and exploit these significant collections via the global network. Each collaborator of this complimentary and synergetic group possesses experience, knowledge, expertise, and capability in different but related research area(s). Each contributes either part of its superb culture and heritage collection, or cutting-edge techniques to facilitate the image retrieval.

GMNet‘s Collection is constantly growing, and its system and interface design are continually being upgraded and modified to take advantage of improvements in technology. Since September 2010, these activities have been supported by Global Connection and Collaboration, Inc. (GlobalCC).

Collections

Reflecting GMNet’s origins in CMNet and Prof. Chen’s earlier PROJECT EMPEROR-I, an interactive multimedia project , the strongest portion of the collection’s content is from China and Asia. This collection includes over 8000 images and featured videos of this World Heritage Site and the original discovery and excavation of the Emperor’s terracotta army.

Additional to the Asian collections are materials from around the world. A number of comprehensive collections are included, covering specific sites, cultures, and other overarching themes from content collaborators, including the UNESCO's Memory of the World, Asia Division of Library of Congress, national libraries, academic institutions, and some private groups. These collections feature images of geographical locations and historical sites, historical manuscripts, maps, art, indigenous crafts, weapons, pottery and musical instruments. Every image is accompanied by metadata information. Images of musical instruments are linked with the audio and video files, and with notations. Metadata is recorded in multiple languages. In general, English is provided and is often also available in the local language of the object’s country of origin. A recent ongoing project is the multilingual and multimedia documentation of all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, known as World Heritage Memory Net.

Collections in GMNet are broken up into the following categories to help users browse the extensive content:

In addition, GMNet also includes instant access to over 2530 digital collections from over 80 countries in the world in its World Digital Collections.

Usage

Search Methods

When one enters GMNet, all collections can be searched using an open search box, which allows traditional search by metadata fields (such as title, date, location, keyword, source, etc.) in multiple languages. Advanced Search with additional Boolean Operators is available for both Collections and images by language and by multiple fields.

Information in GMNet is retrieved not only by the traditional way of searching by collection listings, country, or timeline, but especially by enhanced search methods including freely browsing, randomly looking for images of interest, finding similar images, zooming for details, and obtaining appropriate annotations.

GMNet's search capabilities include:

A user can gain familiarity with an unknown collection through CBIR using Random and Browse image searches, which allow users to browse the collections without requiring knowledge of the language used to describe the records. Randomizing allows users to view a randomized overview of thumbnail images for a collection; users can then follow their visual or contextual interests and narrow their focus if they wish by using the Similar, Larger, and Info functions. Similar retrieves images of the same color and shape, and uses the CBIR developed by Prof. James Z. Wang at Penn State University, but modified in-house . Users can enlarge the thumbnail images (magnification varies with resolution) and also obtain additional descriptive information, including multilingual, multimedia and links where available.
When one has some knowledge of a given collection or of specific information that they are seeking within that collection, a search box allows traditional search by metadata fields (such as title, date, location, keyword, source, etc.) in multiple languages.
Collections are also accessible through a navigation bar link to a listing by country, leading to multiple browsable images and information.
All Collections are listed on a sliding timeline which links to individual Collection pages with information and browsable images. Users can scroll through the centuries viewing all relevant Sites Collections related to the time period of interest.

Linked Data

GMNet links to outside data sources to provide more additional information resources to the user. These resources include OCLC, Internet Archive, Million Books, Google Scholar and Google Books, Wikipedia, and Flickr.

User’s Projects

Registered users may create up to 3 projects and save images in a durable portfolio within GMNet. As users search through the collections they can save and add notes and metadata to individual objects.

Partners

GMNet's partners can be divided into two categories:

Technology partners

Content partners

Related projects

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Chen, Ching-chih. 2001. Chinese Memory Net (CMNet): A model for collaborative global digital library development, In: Global Digital Library Development in the New Millennium: Fertile Ground for Distributed Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration. Beijing, China: Tsinghua University Press. pp. 21–32.
For extensive references regarding additional publications by Dr. Ching-chih Chen, consult the detailed listing and full-text files of the sources listed in GMNet Archives.

Other Publications authored by Collaborators and Third-Parties are listed below: