The Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA) has launched a new online collections management system known as an open public access catalogue (OPAC). The catalogue is an automated research tool that will allow the public to search for information in the PAMA art gallery, museum and archives collections.
The new tool is all about access, outreach, open data, and information sharing and offers new research capabilities not offered on this scale before. It finally allows PAMA to share vital, public domain information about our collections with the people and groups we serve in Peel and with the rest of the world.
Researchers will be better prepared before visiting. This is especially helpful to users of the Regional Archives since its collection is the most directly accessible of PAMA’s collections to researchers on a day-to-day basis. OPAC also better aligns PAMA with other cultural institutions that have a searchable online catalogue of their collections.
The project is still a work in progress. It will build gradually over the years as additional records and corresponding images are added to the collection.