Autry Museum of the American West

Purpose: Sustaining Cultural Heritage The mission of the Autry National Center is to make the history of the diverse peoples of the American West relevant to contemporary audiences. The center's strategic goals focus on the conservation and long-term protection of the historically and culturally significant Southwest Museum collections, which are threatened by years of inadequate storage and neglect. The Electronic Cataloging Initiative (ECI) is a major, multiyear cataloging and digitization project related to these collections. The project will improve the management database used by collections, curatorial, and other interpretive staff by (1) creating, updating, or enhancing 5,000 artifact records and 30,000 archival records; (2) creating 5,000 digital images of ethnographic materials and 24,000 images of archival materials; and (3) exporting 10,000 artifact records, 8,000 related digital images, and 5,000 subject records to the center's "Collections Online" Web site. Access to the materials will be made available to the center's staff through an intranet and to researchers, K through 12 students, teachers, and the general public through the Web site. The ECI will enable the center to expand its audiences; increase the visibility and reputation of its collections; and create outstanding exhibitions, publications, online curricula, and other educational opportunities.