New Look BCIN Launches with Support from Four Original Partners
One of the most important tools for retrieving bibliographic information on cultural heritage conservation has relaunched on a new platform. Offering access to more than 260 000 references from several leading institutions, the upgraded Bibliographic Database of the Conservation Information Network (BCIN) is easier to search and comes with the features users expect from modern online library catalogues.
The new look BCIN is a collaboration between ICOMOS, ICCROM, the Canadian Conservation Institute and the Getty Conservation Institute – four of the partners responsible for developing the original database in 1987 – and retains most of the existing records, which contributing institutions previously had to upload directly. The new platform streamlines this process by using the latest VuFind technology to browse their respective library catalogues simultaneously, meaning the database updates in real time as new resources are added. Plans are afoot to expand the network as well, with the same four institutions that comprise the current BCIN membership looking to attract new partners and grow the number of references available to users.
Over the years, museum and heritage professionals, conservators and researchers have come to rely upon the database to help them find relevant literature on conserving, preserving, and restoring cultural heritage.
The value of BCIN can be seen in the wealth of materials it encompasses, including:
• books, published and unpublished monographs and serials
• journal articles
• monographic analytics
• conference proceedings
• technical reports and theses
• audio visual materials
• software and machine-readable files.
With the start of this new chapter, a story that began nearly four decades ago is set to continue for many more years.
Search the new BCIN now Read a short history on how this important tool was developed
See also
Search ICOMOS Open Archive: EPrints on Cultural Heritage