If we had our druthers, we’d be in Indianapolis this week. Not for the Pacers-Broncos game or to see Art Garfunkel with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (though we’ll admit to being tempted by a play called “References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot”), but for the 13th annual Museums and the Web conference — “the largest international conference devoted to the exploration of art, science, natural and cultural heritage on-line”.

Today’s schedule was made up of full- and half-day workshops, introducing museum staff to, for example, RSS/Geo-RSS tools and using Drupal as part of integrating remote data — like, perhaps, those tags users add to Commons photos. We probably would have ended up choosing the two workshops offered by the Powerhouse Museum’s Seb Chan: one on social media, leading to greater interaction in user communities, the other on how to know if what you’re doing online is actually doing anything.

But since we’re not there, it’s a good thing Twitter is popular in the museums 2.0 world!

Interested in hearing what Museums & the Web 2009 attendees are learning (along with where they’re gathering for drinks after, and where the good wifi is)? You can follow along with the Twitter hashtag #mw2009.

Here are a few of today’s highlights:

@Auckland_Museum: It appears that geo-linked RSS feeds are more promising than ones based on passive cultural subjects, at #mw2009

@kevinvonappen: Last year , it was what social media tools were cool . This year, we’re asking each other WHY we’re using them. Progress! #mw2009

@smannion: @frankieroberto on levels of user engagement. Various models exist. Commonly spouted ‘rule’ is only 1% of users will contribute. #mw2009

There are photos, too! Check out the conference photo pool on Flickr. More highlights here tomorrow, from the keynote speaker on!

Bedford Lemere & Co
First class restaurant reception room on the ‘Titanic’, 1912
National Maritime Museum: G10671

On the night of April 14, 1912, on her maiden voyage, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg; it sank less than three hours later, in the wee hours of the 15th of April. 1,517 people perished in the icy North Atlantic waters. Just after 4 a.m., the RMS Carpathia arrived to pick up the 706 survivors from the lifeboats. The White Star Line chartered the cable ship Mackay-Bennett to retrieve the bodies from the sea. Many were interred at Halifax, Nova Scotia.

We honor this tragedy with a collection of images from the Library of Congress.

TITANIC life boats on way to CARPATHIA

TITANIC survivors on way to rescue-ship CARPATHIA

Crowd awaiting survivors from CARPATHIA

Crowd in front of White Star offices

Louis & Lola ?– TITANIC survivors

Capt. Arthur Henry Rostron of the Carpathia who rescued survivors of the Titanic

J.J. Astor funeral

Services at seaman’s institute – TITANIC Tablet unveiled – Bishop Greer speaking

Capt. Rostron & under officers of CARPATHIA

Capt. and crew of MACKAY-BENNETT

We salute the D.C. Public Library as they enter the Commons today with a wealth of beautiful photographs.

Featuring a wonderful set of photos from the E.B. Thompson collection, whose strengths are in its images of federal buildings, the Arlington National Cemetery, federal memorials, national parades, historic houses, and street scenes. Welcome!

unknown
Unknown Soldier
D.C. Public Library:

view + comment on Flickr

Recent uploads from the Commons:

The Musée McCord presents Irish immigrants and their contribution to the social, cultural, political and economic fabric of Quebec from the era of New France to today.

Being Irish O’Quebec – Irlandais O’Québec

Visit Tarn, France, with the Bibliothèque de Toulouse.

Tarn

See more terrific photographs of Sweden, Denmark and Germany from the Swedish National Heritage Board.

Carl Curman

The Library of Congress shares Bain News Service photographs of New York, Westpoint and various varsity crews.

News in the 1910s

The Brooklyn Museum finds a new location for the Williamsburg Murals inside the Hall of the Americas, on the 1st floor.

Williamsburg Murals

The Smithsonian Institution explores a young pulsar and a vast nebula.

Chandra X-ray Observatory

photocollage by larry&flo

Here’s a mindblowing photocollage by larry&flo, made using Photoshop and an assortment of Commons images — the artist assures us, however, that no LSD was injured in the making of this image. You have to really like an artist who has this as a testimonial:

Who else would show you dervishes whirling and ladybirds shagging?

This photocollage incorporates the following photos from The Commons:

Brooklyn Museum

George Eastman House

Happy Easter to all!

State Library of New South Wales

Library of Virginia

George Eastman House

Library of Congress

More Easter photos on the Flickr Commons

George Silk
Unidentified sailors on HMAS Perth, 1941
Australian War Memorial: 006602

view + comment on Flickr

Heard around the Commons:

Chandra telescope x-ray
A Young Pulsar Shows its Hand, 2009
Smithsonian Institution: PSR B1509-58

This pulsar is spinning around almost 7 times a second and has a magnetic field at its surface estimated to be 15 trillion times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field. It spans 150 light years. In other space news, the Smithsonian’s Chandra blog asks, “Is it easy being green?”

• Again, happy Commonsversary to the Powerhouse Museum!
• Learn more about the Powerhouse’ Commons images impact on their image sales.
• Also, Paula at the Powerhouse informs us on the future of image licensing.
• Courtney Johnson, of the National Library of New Zealand, announces the call for contributions for the 2009 National Digital Forum Conference.
• The Library of Congress, UNESCO and 32 partner institutions will launch the World Digital Library on 21 April 2009.
• The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Oregon State University renew their bond. The OSU Archives’ blog has lots of information on this historic event.
• Jacki Rand, formerly of the Smithsonian, discusses what it’s like to be a Native American working on a committee of white men to plan an Indian museum, from the History News Network.
• Art museums in U.S. hope that technology will sustain interest, from the AP. The Brooklyn Museum gets a mention.
• Also, the Brooklyn Museum discusses the results of their online quiz.
• The History Engine looks like a fun website. Hat tip to OSU.
• Marvin Heiferman, of the Smithsonian Photography Initiative, asks, “What should reality look like?”
• Gays Picket White House: a 1965 film from the Smithsonian.
• Jazz Oral Histories: the Smithsonian presents a number of clips from jazz legends.
• Voices of Slavery: Did you know the Library of Congress has these podcasts online?
• A wrap-up of the State Library of Queensland, Australia’s, 75th anniversary of the John Oxley Library.
• 11,000 Easter Eggs!
• Where’s Smithy?

Go Visit!

14 Apr 2009 – Imperial Superimpositions: The Graphing of Empire at the National Galleries of Scotland, a talk by Lee Fontanella, Carnegie Centenary Professor, University of Stirling. The photographing of Spain by nineteenth-century British photographer Charles Clifford may be understood as a visual narrative in which the image of Empire is underscored.

15-18 April 2009 A Northwest History and Heritage Extravaganza, including the 2009 Oregon Heritage Conference, the Pacific Northwest History Conference and the annual meetings of the Northwest Archivists and the Northwest Oral History Association, will take place in Portland.

Through 19 Apr 2009 – Bradford Babies at the National Media Museum, is a celebration of the babies and their families in our local community, past and present.

Two women holding a sign that reads Easter Holidays! Take a Kodak with you Prices from 5-, ca. 1917
George Eastman House: 1978:0204:0011

view + comment on Flickr

April happens to be Jazz Appreciation Month at the Smithsonian. There’s lots of music across the Commons …

Johan at the Swedish National Heritage Board gets us started with Calla Curman, photographer Carl Curman’s wife, in a sweet cyanotype.

Swedish National Heritage Board

And Stephanie finds us a music visualizations of the Synchoric Orchestra dancing Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony.

New York Public Library

Bandstands are delightful; the music lovers enjoy a respite while listening.

Powerhouse Museum

Moses Williams plays the diddley bow. What’s a diddley bow, you say?

State Archives of Florida

Bang that drum! This is the 2007 National Powwow.

Smithsonian Institution

And a sweet photo of Irish harpist, Patrick Byrne.

National Galleries of Scotland

Found a musical image in the Commons that you love? Post it here!