Let’s talk about the Exhibition Object Data Exchange Model (EODEM)

And how it’s making exchanging data for exhibitions so much easier

The new Exhibition Object Data Exchange Model (EODEM) is all about saving time—and a registrar is almost always pressed for time.

While they’re checking the facility report of one institution, another institution is asking for an object to borrow, and yet a third ran into difficulties with the shipping of a loan. Plus, that registrar needs to stay focused enough to transfer loan data into their database, as it just came in via email. Without typing errors, of course, otherwise a showcase might be built the wrong size or it’s overlooked that some lender requirements can’t be met.

Exhibition workflows can be hectic, but there’s a new way to simplify data exchange between institutions. This is where EODEM, or the Exhibition Object Data Exchange Model, comes in.

What is EODEM, or the Exhibition Object Data Exchange Model?

EODEM, or the Exhibition Object Data Exchange Model, is a concept geared toward making the life of registrars, collections managers, exhibition managers, and other museum staff a little bit easier.

The idea is simple: what if you don’t need to type in all the object data you receive from the other institution? What if your fellow registrar just sent you a file you could feed into your collections management system and all the data would be displayed right in the correct fields?

Sounds like magic? Granted, it does.

Is it magic? No, it’s XML.

During the last couple of years, Rupert Shepherd from the National Gallery of London has gathered a team of experts to develop exactly that: an exchange format that is LIDO compliant and works on all collections management systems that will support it.

The beta of EODEM was presented at the CIDOC conference in Tallin in May 2022 and is now free for all software vendors to develop tools for importing and exporting those files. You can view the EODEM specifications here.

From the very beginning, Gallery Systems was part of the working group that developed the EODEM format. It is on our roadmap to make it available for our clients as soon as possible.

Hear more about EODEM at ERC 2022

Gallery Systems’ Angela Kipp will be presenting on EODEM at the next European Registrars Conference, happening November 2-4 in Strasbourg, France.

The session, EODEM: Exhibition Object Data Exchange Model, is scheduled for November 4th at 11 am.

If you’re attending, feel free to come say hello afterward and ask any questions about EODEM and its exciting possibilities. We hope to see you then!