Fujitsu System for Management of Collections Information Now Operating at Chosun Minhwa Museum

Tokyo, Japan, Seoul and Yeongwol County, Republic of Korea, August 13, 2014

Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Korea Limited, and Chosun Minhwa Museum today announced that Chosun Minhwa Museum is now operating a system to manage its collections information, which was jointly constructed by Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Korea Limited. The system, the FUJITSU Education Solution Musetheque management system for museums and digital archives, began full-fledged operation on May 28, 2014.

Musetheque systemizes the information management of photos, management data, and related documents for around 4,000 Chosun minhwa⁽¹⁾ in Chosun Minhwa Museum's collection, and facilitates the release of information on the Internet. As a result, the Chosun Minhwa Museum has been able to make its process for managing collections information significantly more efficient. Also, when users access the museum's website, they are now able to browse information on the current collection from any location. Visitors to the museum can use their own smart devices to read the QR codes attached to the exhibit nameplates or elsewhere to easily reference information on the collection from the Chosun Minhwa Museum's website. This feature lets users enjoy viewing the exhibited paintings while deepening their understanding of the details of each work.

The Chosun Minhwa Museum has a collection of around 4,000 exhibits, mostly folk paintings from the Joseon Dynasty. It is the central museum in the museum district designated by the South Korean government in 2008, and, along with coordinating with other museums in the district and upgrading its operations, it is promoting scholarship, art and education.

The Chosun Minhwa Museum system for managing collections information utilizes Fujitsu's Musetheque, which has been deployed to 50 museums throughout Japan. It optimizes the management of exhibits and upgrades services for visitors. In addition, by implementing this system, the Chosun Minhwa Museum is taking the initiative in advancing the use of ICT among South Korean museums.

This collaboration with the Chosun Minhwa Museum marks the first time that Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Korea Limited have localized and constructed a Korean-language version of Musetheque for the management of collections information.

Features and Effect of Musetheque

1. By archiving all information in a database, allows for instantaneous searching

   The system integrates and manages 5,000 pieces of information by registering information in one database, not only on minhwa paintings, which are the main focus of the museum, but also information on printed materials owned by the museum, products sold in the shop, and events.

   Fujitsu's Musetheque is equipped with FUJITSU Software Interstage Shunsaku Data Manager, an XML database engine that enables high-speed searches of large volumes of written material, and even if there is a future increase in collections information, high search speeds will still be possible owing to a multicore parallel processing function.

   Information on the exhibits, publications, products, and events managed by the museum can be instantaneously searched by a single system, which enables all types of work, including management of the museum's collections information, written materials, and shop items, to be performed more efficiently.

2. Smooth process to make information public via the Internet

   Just by arranging the setting to disclose information, designated museum staff can release information registered in the system's database to the museum's website, making it easy to transmit information in a timely manner.

   In addition to the exhibit information it is making public, the Chosun Minhwa Museum also puts on its website photographs and information such as size or other related information on the products it is selling in its museum shop. At any time, wherever they are, users can access the Chosun Minhwa Museum's website to reference detailed information on exhibits or the products being sold.

   For example, prior to visiting, users can get a grasp of exhibit information or information on the products sold so that, when they visit, they can systematically prioritize the exhibits they want to see.

3. QR codes enable quick access to details on exhibit pieces

   Visitors to the museum can use their own smart devices to read the QR codes attached to the exhibit nameplates or elsewhere to easily reference information on the collection from the Chosun Minhwa Museum's website. As a result, they can enjoy viewing the exhibited paintings while deepening their understanding of the details of each work.

Comment from Oh Suck-Hwan, Director, Chosun Minhwa Museum

"To manage information on our collection, we recognized that we needed individual cards to record the details of each item, but because we have an enormous amount of materials, the problem was that it took too much time to organize. We had put off the work of organizing it, but deploying Musetheque enabled us to easily resolve the problem of organizing the enormous amount of material.

"Musetheque streamlines the basic work of museums, and it has a wealth of functions to promote efficiency, so it is very effective not just in managing information on the collections but also in managing the work of the museum.

"In addition, because anyone can use our website or QR codes to easily search and use the materials that have been made public, we have received very positive feedback from users. We have heard that the next version will add many new and convenient functions, we expect it will be used by many other museums in addition to Chosun Minhwa Museum."