Case Study: imai Foundation achieves streamlined cataloguing and long-term preservation of Time Based Media with Gallery Systems' The Museum System (TMS)

Cataloguing Time Based Media

The imai Foundation, Düsseldorf’s inter media art institute, cares for a collection of more than 3,000 time-based media works and faced the challenge of cataloguing multiple physical and digital versions (many in obsolete formats) while preserving migration histories and streamlining workflows. To tackle this, imai adopted Gallery Systems’ collections management platform, The Museum System (TMS), to provide a structured way to document complex video objects, tapes and digital files.

Using Gallery Systems’ TMS, imai implemented Department-based records (Work, Tape, Digital), custom forms, Flex Fields and parent-child/see-also relationships to capture provenance, migration history and multiple file versions (archival, mezzanine, preview). The solution produced a consistent, scalable catalog for 3,000+ objects, improved preservation of new 2016–17 migrated files, more efficient storage and streamlined workflows, and enabled better online access and keyword export as the digitization and cataloguing project nears completion.

imai Foundation

Hiroko Kimura-Myokam

Research Fellow