Hypermuse: A Prototype Hypermedia Front-End for Museum Information Systems

A model is proposed of a hypermedia package fronting an existing database package. This would utilise the advantages of each. Museums have text databases of their collections that, for public use, would require navigational access. The paper focuses on the design of a hypermedia front end for a hypothetical museum, using services information and object records from real museums. The resulting Hypermuse system consists of a 386 PC running dBase as a back end and an Apple Macintosh LC running HyperCard as the front end: a serial link, managed at each end by the packages pcAnywhere and Commstalk respectively, connects these machines. The prototype system is evaluated and found basically sound but in need of minor improvements in the front end. It is concluded that the concept is a viable one for implementation in museums.