How ResourceSpace integrates with The Museum System (TMS)

16th April 2020

Museums look after the world's cultural and historical treasures, and they're always looking for new ways to ensure these artifacts remain accessible for future generations. This might involve optimising existing software or addressing outdated methods of storing and managing catalogues. Often, it also means introducing a digital asset management (DAM) system.

It's essential for your new DAM to talk to your collections management system. One of the most popular collections management systems is The Museum System (TMS) and both systems need to understand the metadata associated with each object to ensure information is shared seamlessly.

Growing libraries need an effective storage method. Intuitive software will encourage staff to use it properly and will help staff adapt to the new process more quickly. With the right DAM integration, you can successfully set your museum up for the future.

At ResourceSpace, we've worked closely with museums to tailor our DAM services for the needs of the industry. If our case studies and positive customer feedback have piqued your interest, you may be considering working with us. To help you make the right decision, here are some of the more technical aspects of integrating TMS with ResourceSpace.

The TMS and EMu integrations

We're sure you're already well aware of just how useful ResourceSpace is as a tool for managing your digital assets online. But for those in the gallery and museum sector, there's only one thing that could make our Digital Asset Management (DAM) services better.

ResourceSpace offers full integration with TMS (The Museum System) and EMu. Whether it's curating art or artefacts, professionals in this industry use platforms such as these to manage the data they hold on their various collections, from archives and object details to exhibition management and conservation records.

ResourceSpace can work alongside TMS and EMu to provide a seamless DAM experience. One way in which this integration offers an even sleeker experience, is an improvement in our already feature-rich metadata system.

By using ResourceSpace in conjunction with TMS or EMu, you'll be able to tag your assets in an even more comprehensively. Simply upload a file, like a photograph or video, which refers to a physical object in your collection, such as a priceless painting or an ancient vase, and enter the Collection Management System reference for said piece. ResourceSpace then fetches all the appropriate metadata for that item from the CMS, such as Object Name, Object Number, ID, Classification, etc.

In this way, you'll be able to immediately import data from one system to the other without having to manually input it, allowing you to quickly transfer between ResourceSpace and TMS or EMu, making your job just that little bit easier.

After all, you may deal in history on a daily basis, but we're sure you'll be happy to make excessive admin procedures a thing of the past!

Let's take a look at the TMS and EMu integrations in more details

Seamlessly integrate with TMS

No one likes a jarring technology switch from one platform to another. That's why ResourceSpace works in conjunction with TMS. This means transfers and immediate syncing can be achieved easily.

ResourceSpace automatically retrieves metadata such as Object Name, Object Number, ID and Classification, so you can start importing data across systems right away.

It's also worth noting that ResourceSpace is open-source, meaning there's unlimited potential. If you've identified functionality that would be useful, but that isn't part of the latest ResourceSpace release, it can be developed.

The TMS plugin

When going ahead with a DAM integration, efficiency and speed are critical. With the ResourceSpace plugin for TMS, you can easily extract metadata from a TMS collection management database. Once you set up the connection, you can synchronise from multiple TMS modules and map your TMS fields to your ResourceSpace fields.

"The TMS link is probably the biggest and most valuable customisation that we've had because it's saved us decades of cross cataloguing!" KATE BLANCH, Systems Manager, Data & Digital Resources, The Walters Art Museum

The benefits of the TMS-ResourceSpace integration

Finding the budget for improvements can be challenging for museums. When it comes to a DAM integration, your decision-makers will look for the following:

• Secure access for staff
• Ability to scale with your growing collection
• Seamless integration
• An intuitive interface

ResourceSpace offers all of these benefits and more. We'll help you improve your exhibition management and conservation record-keeping by serving as a centralised online hub for managing digital resources.

You'll want the ability to find what you need quickly and easily, and that's where metadata comes in. You can organise and classify files in a way that enables broad searches, honing in on asset descriptions and attributes.

ResourceSpace will work alongside TMS to optimise your workflows and make uploading, storing, and distributing digital assets quick and easy.

Knowledge Base for TMS

When shopping around for a museum DAM system, the right partnership is essential. You need reassurance that you'll get support and product information that's easily accessible.

At ResourceSpace, we go way beyond the setup phase. Our team provides continued support to ensure that you get the most out of your integration as your needs change. For museums, a DAM provider with industry experience is key. You also need a partner that can anticipate any challenges and offer solutions.

With ResourceSpace, you can tailor our DAM to suit your needs. Our experts will guide you through setting up all the relevant features for your integration and, if you need something more customised, our software is open source - so you can tailor it to your needs.

You can also tap into our online Knowledge Base. These pages are regularly updated to answer your questions, and our extensive user guides are designed to help you troubleshoot and get to grips with using and understanding the system.

ResourceSpace introduces exciting new asset management possibilities for your museum through a highly efficient TMS integration. We supply the plugins, support, and expertise so you can hit the ground running with minimal disruption to your daily operations.

Find out for yourself why ResourceSpace is the first choice of Digital Asset Management for museums with our free trial. We're always on hand to answer your queries and discuss the benefits of our TMS integration, so don't hesitate to get in touch.