Welcome

Welcome to the third and final issue of the EMu Newsletter for 2009. With the end of year fast approaching we'd like to take the opportunity to wish you well for the festive season and new year!

In this issue we report on the latest EMu User Group Meetings and look forward to forthcoming meetings; announce some new members of the EMu family; profile the Naval History and Heritage Command; and offer some tips and tricks for using EMu.

As always, we hope you enjoy the newsletter, and find it useful.

In this Issue

• EMu User Group Meetings
• New Members of the EMu User community
• EMuUsers.org Update
• Support
• EMu Client Profiles
• Did You Know?
• Tips and Tricks

8th Australasian User Group Meeting, Sydney, 26-27 August 2009

The 8^th Australasian User Group Meeting was held in Sydney, Australia, on 26-27 August at the Australian Museum. Newcomers and regulars came together in record numbers to share EMu knowledge and experience, making this one of the most successful meetings to date. The venue was excellent and feedback on the entertaining and thought-provoking presentations has been very positive. Presentations covered a wide range of subjects, including:

• Pest Management
• Record Level Security
• Databasing Tissues and Genetic Products
• Image Management
• Mapping Living Trees
• Heritage Management
• Intranet EMu User Management
• History Collections Online

The Meeting enjoyed an overview of EMu projects from around the world and, popular as ever, Bernard Marshall unveiled the latest EMu features. Discussion groups were lively, covering data quality and digital asset management. Presentations are available on the EMu website.

Drinks at the Lord Roberts Hotel was well attended and was a fabulous opportunity to forge relationships with colleagues in other organisations. A great night was had by all. Once again, the tours proved to be a highlight of the Meeting, and attendees were able to get "behind the scenes" at the Australian Museum, Powerhouse Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Thanks to the staff of the Australian Museum, tour guides at the other institutions, and all who attended the 2009 Meeting. The 2010 Australasian User Group Meeting will be held in Queensland at the University of Queensland. A date is being finalised, but is anticipated to be in August or September. We hope to see you there.

5th North American User Group Meeting, 20-21 October 2009

The 5^th North American User Group Meeting was hosted by the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS), at the Minnesota History Center, on 20-21 October 2009. Coincidentally, the Minnesota Historical Society celebrated its 160^th birthday on the first day of the Meeting.

The week started out sunny and warm, but quickly turned cold and rainy. Apparently, both conditions are equally likely in Minnesota at this time of year. However, the weather conditions did nothing to detract from the quality of the venue, with some fantastic views of the State Capitol Building and the Cathedral of St. Paul, nor did it detract from the enjoyment of the Meeting by the more than 65 attendees.

As usual the Natural History Special Interest Group (NH SIG) convened one day prior to the User Group Meeting. Discussions were held on standardisation of various EMu modules, data sharing and external data projects. Please watch your inbox for a questionnaire distributed by KE Software seeking feedback on some “low-hanging fruit” projects to be worked on before next year's NH SIG.

The Meeting reception, held at the History Center in the Heffelfinger Room, was enjoyable as always, with great food and great service. Post-reception festivities were held at a local hockey bar where attendees were able to soak up some local culture (and local brews).

The Meeting included a good mix of presentations, discussion groups and sneak-peaks into upcoming EMu features. Highlights included the always informative and entertaining “Black Box” presentation by Larry Gall and a recap by Karen Lovaas of MHS’s hunt for a missing moose head. Other presentations included a look at Repatriation in EMu by Kara Lewis, some fantastic views of the Australian night sky by John Doolan, and Andrew Brown’s look at the soon-to-be-released EMu Web module, tentatively titled “NEWS” for “New EMu Web System” (Andrew will be accepting suggestions for a new title).  All presentations were well received, and copies can be found on the EMu website.

Special thanks to those who helped organise this year’s Meeting, in particular Karen Lovaas, Michael Fox, Robert Horton and Janet Christensen from the Minnesota Historical Society, Sylvia Nikolova from KE, as well as MHS staff members for the great tours.

We are pleased to announce that the 6^th North American User Group Meeting will be hosted by the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida, 15-16 October 2010. We hope to see you there!

8th European User Group Meeting, 22-23 April 2010

The 8^th European User Group Meeting will be hosted by Beamish, the North of England Open Air Museum, on 22-23 April 2010.

Details are available on the EMu website and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it can be emailed for more information or to register your interest in attending.

KE has reserved rooms at the Beamish Hall Country House Hotel for this event (details can be found on the EMu website). To book a room, please contact the hotel directly on +44 (0)1207 233 733 and quote "KE Software". A non-refundable deposit is required before January 2010.

The EMu Community Grows

KE Software is pleased to welcome the following institutions to the community of EMu Users:

RMIT Design Archives, Melbourne, Australia

The RMIT Design Archives is a growing facility which actively collects material relating to Melbourne design from the twentieth century onwards, including fashion and textile design, architecture, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture, graphic design, gold and silver smithing and sound. The RMIT Design Archives incorporates the Frances Burke Centre, established in 1994, which houses archives of some of Melbourne’s key fashion and textile designers. Building on this significant collection the RMIT Design Archives is bringing together archives from other design practices in order to tell the story of Melbourne as a design city. These archives are both digital and material, representing historical and contemporary practices.

The RMIT Design Archives supports the work of scholars, providing resources for research into Melbourne’s designed environment, design professions and design practices.

Archives Department, Baillieu Library, Melbourne University, Melbourne, Australia

The University of Melbourne Archives was established in July 1960 to collect and preserve records relating to the University and to business and business people. The University's own records date from its foundation in 1853 and comprise administrative records, records of student societies and the personal papers of many former academic staff.

From 1973 the Archives began to collect trade union and other labour history material, and more than one hundred trade unions are now represented in the collections. During the same period, the Archives began to collect records of professional, community, women's, peace and political organisations.

The highest priority of Archives is making the collections available to researchers, who will find significant resources in the collections whether their interest is in the history of the University, architecture, manufacturing, commerce, economics, trade unionism, engineering, art, theatre, mining, science, politics, the professions, biography, education, law, the women's movement, pacifism or war.

The Archives Department has been using KE's Texpress  for more than twenty years. The upgrade to EMu was completed in October 2009.

EMuUsers.org Update

420 EMu users worldwide are currently registered with EMuUsers.org. KE Software staff regularly submit answers to FAQs and participate in the site's many forums. If you have a question about EMu, you're likely to find the answer (or someone able to answer your question) on EMuUsers.org.

Support

Hours of operation for KE Software support are:

EMu Help

The EMu Help is constantly being improved and updated as new features are added to EMu.

As the Help is updated frequently (and more often than a new release of EMu becomes available), the most recent Help files have been made available from our website. Download the latest version (International English, US English, French), rename it to emu.chm or emu_en-US.chm and replace the existing file.

Client Profiles

Naval History & Heritage Command

The Naval History & Heritage Command is the official history program of the Department of the Navy. Its origins date back to 1800 with the founding of the Navy Department Library by President John Adams. The Command now includes a museum, art gallery, research library, archives, underwater archaeology and curator, as well as research and writing programs.

The Command also oversees fifteen separate museums across the United States, each with its own area of specialisation:

• National Museum of the US Navy, Washington, DC
  The US Navy Museum was established in 1961 and opened to the public in 1963. One of fourteen Navy museums throughout the country, it is the only one that presents an overview of US naval history. Permanent and temporary exhibitions commemorate the Navy's wartime heroes and battles, as well as its peacetime contributions in exploration, diplomacy, space flight, navigation and humanitarian service.
• Great Lakes Naval Museum, Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois
  The Great Lakes Naval Museum is dedicated to telling the story of "boot camp" training in the US Navy, and in particular, the Naval Training Station/Center at Great Lakes, Illinois.
• Hampton Roads Naval Museum, Norfolk, Virginia
  The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is an accredited museum operated by the US Navy that celebrates the 234 year history of the fleet in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. This museum is also the home of the famous World War II battleship the USS Wisconsin.
• National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Florida
  The National Naval Aviation Museum is the world's largest Naval Aviation museum and one of the most visited museums in the state of Florida. It boasts 300,000 square feet of exhibit space on its 37 acre grounds. It is also the home of the US Navy flight demonstration team the Blue Angels.
  The National Naval Aviation Museum has volunteered to host the 2010 North American EMu User Group Meeting!
• Naval Museum of Armament and Technology, China Lake, California
  This is a new Navy museum that preserves and displays unique achievements in naval air armament and technology.
• Naval Undersea Museum, Keyport, Washington
  This museum possesses the largest collection of artifacts in the United States related to naval undersea history, science, and operations. Ranging in size from Trieste II, a 96 ton deep submersible, to a pressure-crushed Styrofoam cup weighing less than an ounce, these artifacts tell the story of naval exploration and operation under the sea. Highlights of the collection include the Navy's second oldest torpedo, a Confederate mine used at the Battle of Mobile Bay (1864), diving suits, and submarine battle flags.
• Naval War College Museum, Newport, Rhode Island
  The Museum's themes are the history of naval warfare and the naval heritage of Narragansett Bay, a tale that begins with the nation's colonial roots. Its collection consists of items perceived to be of value to scholarship, and it forms the core for exhibits throughout the College and for educational outreach projects.
• Navy Art Collection, Washington, DC
  The Navy Art Collection has over 15,000 paintings, prints, drawings, and sculpture. It contains depictions of naval ships, personnel and action from all eras of US naval history, but due to the operation of the Combat Art Program, the eras of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Desert Shield/Storm are particularly well represented. The Branch manages the art collection, produces exhibits, loans artwork to museums and institutions, and provides research assistance on the art collection.
• Puget Sound Navy Museum, Bremerton, Washington
  The Puget Sound Navy Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting the naval heritage of the Pacific Northwest for the benefit of the US Navy and general public. Explore the naval history of the region through exhibits about the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, USS John C. Stennis, and much more.
• Patuxtent River Naval Air Museum, Patuxtent River, Maryland
  Chronicles the history of navy aviation technology and boasts a large collection of aircraft, models, propulsion systems, flight trainers and unmanned air vehicles.
• US Navy Seabee Museum Port Hueneme, California
  Maintains collections relating to the US Navy Seabees and the Civil Engineer Corps of the Navy and is also the main repository of the US Navy Seabee’s operational history. The Seabee Archive maintains a select group of operational records, battalion histories, manuscripts, oral histories, biographies and personal papers dealing with the Seabees since their creation in 1942.
• Submarine Force Museum & Historic Ship Nautilus, Groton, Connecticut
  Maintains the world's finest collection of submarine artifacts. It is the only submarine museum operated by the US Navy, and as such is the primary repository for artifacts, documents and photographs relating to US Submarine Force history.
  The Museum's collections include more than 33,000 artifacts, 20,000 significant documents, 30,000 photographs and of course the USS Nautilus - the first nuclear submarine.
• US Naval Academy Museum, Annapolis, Maryland
  The US Naval Academy Museum serves as an educational and inspirational resource for the Brigade of Midshipmen at the US Naval Academy, and other students of American naval history.  The Museum's holdings include ship models, paintings, prints, flags, uniforms, swords, firearms, medals, sculptures, manuscripts, rare books, photographs, ship instruments and gear, and a wide variety of personal memorabilia.
• US Navy Supply Corps Museum, Athens, Georgia
  The Navy Supply Corps Museum in Athens features ship models, historic uniforms, cooking equipment and memorabilia.
• USS Constitution "Old Ironsides," Boston, Massachusetts
  The world's oldest commissioned warship afloat, promotes the United States Navy and America’s naval heritage through educational outreach, public access and historic demonstrations, in port and underway.

The Naval History & Heritage Command is currently consolidating its collection management hardware and multiple EMu installations, which are located at several individual museums across the US, in one site in Washington, DC. This undertaking to consolidate various data sets poses interesting challenges, not least of which is providing the network infrastructure for the deployment and use of EMu across the United States.

The Naval Historical and Heritage Command has been an EMu User since 2001.

Did You Know...

... it is now possible to choose the font used to display data in EMu?

The Options dialogue box is accessed by selecting Tools>Options from any module Menu bar (or right-clicking the Command Centre).

The default font has also changed from MS Sans Serif to Microsoft Sans Serif.

Tips and Tricks

Multimedia Drag and Drop

EMu 4.0.01 introduced the ability to drag a multimedia file (image, audio, video, documents, etc.) or URL from the Windows environment and drop it on any control displaying multimedia. A new Multimedia record is created for the dropped item with the resulting record attached automatically to the control.

Allowing multimedia to be added via drag and drop does streamline the data entry process, however keep in mind that the Multimedia record created will only contain minimal data (default values, extracted metadata, generated resolutions, etc.). If additional data exists, the Multimedia record can be updated manually.

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