Activating Smithsonian’s Open Access
There are +3M objects in Smithsonian’s collection designated as Creative Commons 0.
Smithsonian's Open Access initiative is one of the largest in the world. It comprises dozens of museums, research centers, libraries, archives, and even the National Zoo. There are over three million objects that are Creative Commons Zero (CC0). This means the data and images associated with these objects are free to use for any purpose.
But with that many objects to choose from, where would you even start? In a way the sheer volume of content is intimidating. That is why Cooper Hewitt's Interaction Lab put together a grant program to develop prototypes that ease or enrich this collection for audiences. I am proud to share today that I, along with Sunny Oh and Hiroaki Yamane, represent one of seven recipients of this grant. Our goal is to make interacting with these objects more personal and creative through the process of writing.
Over the next ten weeks, I will be heads down trying out a lot of different approaches with my collaborators. If you are interested to see the in-progress prototype or play-test, I would be happy to add you to the password protected website. Just respond to this email.
Wishing you an energizing spring,
—Jono