Databases
The resources center has been computerized since the 1980’s. Its databases where used at first for the inner use of the laboratory but have since been slowly opened to the outside. They became accessible online in 2002. The two historical bases of the Lrmh were named Castor – for bibliographic data – and Image – for illustrations. Those two databases are now united inside the new digital system called Synapse.
Archives digitization
Since 2018, the resources center has been engaged in a wide digitization plan of its scientific archives. Intervention reports were the first to be digitized. It allowed us to establish a complete collection of digital reports that are now available online. The Arkhenum society started to digitize the intervention files – called « geographic files »- in 2019. Those files represent the living scientific memory of the laboratory and can be used as a health record of the historical buildings. They are processed in alphabetical order of cities and monument by monument inside them. This project will likely come to an end in 2022.
SYNAPSE : a global approach of the resources
The federation of the Castor and Image bases was only a first step. They are currently undergoing integration in the Synapse portal. However, the resources center wanted to share a privileged access to its numerous collections, including the one from its materials library. This collection is formed of the union of numerous samples produced by the research workers of the laboratory. The first ones to be shared online are those from the Wall painting and polychromy and the Decorated caves departments.
Eventually, other scientific departements will be able to share their materials library, starting with the Metal departement.
Cultural Heritage : on the way to open data
The first mission of the Resources center is to make accessible all the resources and data of the LRMH. In order to do that the center is invested in national and international research programs about data and metadata harmonization. One of them, the ANR SoCore! project intends to create a tool that would allow to globally structure and share data in the conservation field. This project is a development of the PARCOURS program, financed by the PATRIMA labex of the cultural heritage science Foundation.
The Resources center is also involved in another project from the PATRIMA labex : REPERAGES. Thisproject focuses on spatiotemporal tracking of fallen architectural elements inside the cathedral Notre-Dame in Paris.