CMIS Evaluation Technology Focus

On January 16 2008 flickr launched The Commons, starting with a  pilot project in partnership with The Library of Congress.

One year later, 17 participating institutions have contributed to The Commons from their photographic archives. Australian contributors include: The Powerhouse Museum, The State Library of NSW and The Australian War Memorial.

Screendump from www.flickr.com/commons

The program has two main objectives:

1. To increase access to publicly-held photography collections, and
2. To provide a way for the general public to contribute information and knowledge.

If you make use of a photo from The Commons, you are advised to read the usage rights statement.

from The Commons website…

The best way to get involved is to add a tag or two to the photos you see, and if you happen to know anything else about the subject, by all means add a comment.

*Any Flickr member is able to add tags or comment on these collections. If you’re a dork about it, shame on you. This is for the good of humanity, dude!!

For readers new to online photo sharing here is quick introduction.

Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum has joined The Commons project on flickr releasing many historical photographs for public access. This project is designed to open archived photographic collections for the public to view and perhaps contribute knowledge about the items to enrich the collections. The Powerhouse collection comprises over 7000 glass plate negatives which provide a snapshot of life in Australia at the turn of the 20th Century.
Teachers will find this a very useful addition to classroom resources for enhancing projects with primary source information.