Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges

The dissemination of content related to Art and Cultural Heritage in the digital era is transitioning from traditional physical exhibitions and galleries towards a hybrid model combining the physical presence of an artwork with an additional online presence on the World Wide Web [1]. This digital presence is not limited only in the form of presentation websites but it has evolved to include artifact and cultural heritage object repositories which enrich the various items with relevant metadata [2]. In an effort to make this information more readily available to web developers and assist in their diffusion, these repositories often provide access through an application programming interface (API). In this study we review some of the more popular APIs focused on content related to Art and Cultural Heritage. These include APIs from the Europeana Collections, the Harvard Art Museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Denmark and the Artsy online marketplace. The various intricacies of both the accuracy and methodology of data acquisition through querying as well as the structure and quality of the provided results in terms of completeness and readability are presented in detail and discussed alongside the technical and other limitations of each reviewed API. Furthermore the study presents similarities and differences between the APIs in order to identify common aspects that are essential to fulfilling their specific purpose with respect to the cultural and artistic nature of their content. Finally the study proceeds to a qualitative formative evaluation of each interface in an effort to outline good practices. Through the presentation, analysis and evaluation of these APIs conclusions are drawn regarding the difficulties involved in providing such an interface, its contribution to the dissemination of Art and Cultural Heritage related content and the further need for standardization.

References
1.Leong, Chee & Khoon, Chennupati & Ramaiah, Chennupati. (2008). An Overview of Online Exhibitions. DESIDOC Journal of Library and Information Technology. 28. 7-21. 10.14429/djlit.28.4.193.
2.Tonta, Yaşar. (2008). Libraries and museums in the flat world: Are they becoming virtual destinations?. Library Collections, Acquisitions, and Technical Services. 32. 1-9. 10.1016/j.lcats.2008.05.002.