1. Digital Wizardry

2. What do I do?
 Clean data (constant struggle, boring but necessary to make search engine work)
 Keep system running, fix overnight errors, monitor logs
 Write new code
 Streamline and rewrite old code (daily) as my skills are better now
 The technology has to stay up-to-date for security
 Fix your errors (performed ½ million edits since September)
 Answer queries for the public, researchers
 I only have limited time to create code, test it and deploy it.
 Lecture and write talks on technology etc.
 Perform roles of: Server admin, database admin, front end developer, back end
developer, software tester, web monkey.

4. How code generated
Developed on pc at work and If code works on You get to play with it
OSX at home, then tested locally beta.finds.org.uk then
before pushing to deployed to finds.org.uk. If
beta.finds.org.uk not, sent back to my desktop

5. Code all placed on GitHub
All custom code, using Zend Framework

6. Unique visitors 2006
165,118
Volume of visitors has grown 3 fold since 2006. Same budget, different
technology.

7. Unique visitors 2011
463,160

8. Unique visitors 2012
519,180*
* 12% increase on previous year.

9. Indexed pages on Google

10. Budget
£4,727 per
annum
High tech on a low budget. If this was a start up, we’d have died by now.

11. Which pays for?
@

12. Support networks for help
 FLO colleagues
 Museum
professionals
 Find advisers
 Team treasure
 Central Unit

13. Support networks - me
 Internet
 No colleagues do the same
thing in the BM
 Books
http://staceyburr.wordpress.com/2010/06/page/2/

15. All this happens
behind the scenes.
Consumer sees this
Finds.org.uk

16. How are servers are arranged
This needs scaling soon as we are getting bigger
Grendel Beowulf Back up in the cloud
I pay for this.

17. New features since July
(Lots of serendipitous stuff)

18. Uptime
99%
Automatic script restarts search index if it crashes

19. License change
Images and text can be used in Wikipedia, we’re
Opendata and mobile apps might get built.

20. New layout

21. Responsive design
Desktop Tablet (Google Nexus 70

22. If you’re using IE, I am sorry I
cannot support old versions

23. Configuration for self recorders
If you have not seen this go to:
Database > People > Search person > Edit.
When they log in, they see screen below. Instead of
bugging me, ask your finder if they can see the lines in
bold. If not, then just add them again.
You don’t need me to intervene.

24. Search engine
If you don’t understand it, try
topics here:
http://finds.org.uk/help/database
or ask!

25. Similar records
Compiled on the fly, using 3 matches against a whole list of fields.

26. Copy last record
I was told this was a big problem!
 Only 9 of you have used the finds
function
 Only 4 of you have used the find spots
function
 Only 5 of you have used the coins
function
If you don’t know where to configure this:
http://finds.org.uk/users/configuration

27. Configure image copyright
If you don’t know where to configure this:
http://finds.org.uk/users/account/edit

28. Self recorder contact form

29. Audited tables
 Finds
 Find spots
 People
 Publications
 User accounts
 Organisations
 Static content
I would like to make these public, like Wikipedia, but I
can’t due to some of the data added. These audit
tables are only available to FA, Flos, Treasure, Admin
and are found at the bottom of a record.

30. Shared calendar
 Was this really
needed?
 Only 3 people have
used it to add events
 Averages only 2 page
views per day
 If you can’t find it:
http://finds.org.uk/use
rs/calendar/

31. Database csv downloads
 Compiled nightly
 Stored on Amazon
 Bypass download limits from
search
 If you can’t find it:
http://finds.org.uk/database/data

32. Lego error pages
(to make them less scary)
Errors trigger email and
logging

33. Numismatic updates
 522 coin types added for the medieval periods
 23 new rulers
 This is an extremely complex task with 6 different tables
involved; cross referencing of each for denomination, type,
period etc.
 Foreign rulers aren’t my job to create
 Jettons/tokens: I’ll do when I have time, there’s substantial
code rewrites to do first.

34. Twitter Cards

35. More map layers

36. Pleiades/ Pelagios integration

37. Domesday data integrated
If you haven’t seen this in action, go to NARC-8BEA01 for an example.

38. Yahoo geo-data

39. QR code – why, how, what?
 Bar code
 Print this off (click on qrcode at page foot)
 Attach to record sheet
 Scan with reader on smartphone
 Takes you to record
 Give it a go if you have the technology

40. Things to ponder

41. Think! Do you really
need to use known as?
 Prevents people parish searching. Majority of Suffolk cannot be
searched by parish.
 Produces too many records with low res data eg:
 We’d all prefer this:

42. Errors and bugs
 Too many emails saying “doesn’t work”, it is as useful as
saying I have a headache.
 What am I meant to do with that?
 You all have different OS/ IS policies/ local network issues
 Send me a screenshot and detailed descriptions of your
problem so I can try and help

43. Handling bugs
 Might take 5 minutes
 Might take a week
 I cannot predict how
long it will take
 Telling me to fix it right
this second is not
going to make it
happen

44. Sisyphus

45. Common problems
 Low resolution images
 Poorly edited images
 Forgetting to change image labels when you change object
identification
 Not filling in all the geo data fields
 Entering denomination in the classification field
 Not following the FA guidelines

46. Problems that will not go away
 Validation of records
 Records on review
 Records in quarantine
 Enhancement of rubbish records
 Correction of geo data
 People moving on and leaving the
new person unfinished work
 Medieval coin data enhancement
 Quality vs Quantity (the former is now
imperative IMHO)
 Unfinished Treasure records
 Time Team

47. End.
dpett@britishmuseum.org
@portableant