AusStage

Sourcing and entering data entry is a fundamental operation for AusStage. Sustainability in data entry is crucial for AusStage's future. Outlined below are some principles, mechanisms and strategies to sustain prospective data entry for AusStage in partnership with industry and government.

1 Principles

1.1 Scope

AusStage has attempted to create a comprehensive listing of live events with a dramatic content from January 2001, covering all of Australia (excluding music in the form of concerts, rock bands, etc., but including music theatre). However, there are gaps in this data. In particular, not all regions have been covered, while other regions, including some capital cities, have not yet been brought fully up to date.

1.2 Status

Status describes the socioeconomic circumstance for the production of an event. Describing the status of an event is mandatory when creating a record in AusStage. A controlled list of status terms reflects distinctions between contributors' expertise (amateur, professional, etc.) and financial structure (paid, voluntary, etc.). The status terms used in AusStage are:

Amateur
Community
Pro-Am
Professional
Professional cooperative
Professional Training Schools/Colleges
Youth Theatre

Status is a useful concept in devising strategies for data entry and allocating resources.

1.3 Significance

The Collections Council of Australia advocates a process of significance assessment for objects and collections. Significance 'defines the meanings and values of an object' through a process of research, analysis and assessment against standard criteria.

There are four primary criteria for assessing significance: historic; aesthetic; scientific, research or technical; and social or spiritual. There are five comparative criteria for evaluating the degree of significance: provenance, representativeness, rarity, condition and interpretive potential.

These criteria were developed to assess the significance of objects and collections but we may adapt them to assess the significance of performance events. In particular, the following criteria may apply to assessing an organisation's production of events:

Aesthetic significance: An event may be aesthetically significant for its artistry, style, technical excellence, beauty, demonstration of skill and quality of design and execution. Evidence of aesthetic significance may be found in published reviews and industry awards.
Social significance: An event may be socially significant if it is held in community esteem. This may be demonstrated by social or cultural expressions that provide evidence of a community's high regard. Social significance may be demonstrated by public participation, engagement and debate around an event.
Representativeness: An event may be significant because it represents a particular category of event, or cultural activity, social milieu or historical theme.
Interpretive potential: An event may be significant for its capacity to interpret and demonstrate aspects of experience, historical themes, people and activities.

Significance may be a useful concept in devising strategies for data entry and allocating resources.

(Adapted from Heritage Collections of Australia (2001). Significance: A Guide to Assessing the Significance of Cultural Heritage Objects and Collections, Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.)

2 Mechanisms

2.1 Consultation

AusStage has been developed through partnerships with industry and government. Consultation with key informants in industry and government informs the development of strategies for sustainable data entry. Involving industry-based personnel in data entry work will enhance the image and capacity of AusStage to serve as a repository of industry knowledge.

2.2 Partnerships

AusStage trains and supports organisations to enter data into AusStage. Partnerships are successfully sustained with a number of performing arts collections.

These organisations use AusStage to record information on performing arts events and items in their collections. Data is both retrospective (past events) and prospective (recent and forthcoming events). AusStage supports discovery and access to items in collections by:

associating collection and item descriptions with AusStage records on people, venues, organisations and productions.
directing users to item records, collection descriptions and finding aids in online catalogues and collection websites.
linking users directly to digitised resources (text, pictures, sound, moving image) in digital archives and online repositories.
hosting item-level cataloguing for smaller collections seeking to integrate their resources within a national database.

AusStage welcomes contributions from users - from artists, spectators, producers, agents, students, teachers, researchers, librarians, archivists and the public. Users can contribute information to AusStage by:

Contributing event information. There is an online form to contribute information on performing arts productions and other live events. Users can contribute information on current, upcoming and past events and suggest changes to events already in AusStage.
Contributing performing arts collection information. There is an online form to contribute information on collections related to the performing arts, such as materials in libraries, museums, archives and personal collections.
Commenting on a record. When browsing AusStage, users have an option to 'Comment on this record', by sending a comment on the record being viewed.

These mechanisms for user contributions are promoted on the AusStage website, via government funding agencies and directly to organisations, venues and contributors. Contributions are reviewed for accuracy and relevance before they are added to AusStage. Contributors are informed when changes are made and records are ready to view.

2.3 Contribution

Contributing event information. There is an online feedback form to contribute information on performing arts productions and other live events. Users can contribute information on current, upcoming and past events and suggest changes to events already in AusStage.
Contributing performing arts collection information. There is an online form to contribute information on collections related to the performing arts, such as materials in libraries, museums, archives and personal collections.
Commenting on a record. When browsing AusStage, users have an option to 'Comment on this record', by sending a Feedback comment on the record being viewed.

These mechanisms for user contributions are promoted on the AusStage website, via government funding agencies and directly to Organisations, Venues and Contributors. Contributions are reviewed for accuracy and relevance before they are added to AusStage.

2.4 Communications

AusStage draws on information sourced by subscribing to electronic mailing lists with Venues, Organisations and any other relevant performing arts body which advertises and provides information on its events.

3 Strategies

Strategies for sustaining data entry are articulated in relation to the status and significance of Events. Events of different status and significance are targeted with different strategies. Differentiated strategies assist AusStage in allocating limited resources. Strategies in use vary with the availability of data entry staff and funding but may include data entry examples in line with the Event status.

For example:

a) Events of status Professional / Professional cooperative / Pro-Am include organisation-funded, project-funded, commercially produced events and festival events.

Four strategies have been used for sustainable data entry on events of these status:

government funded organisations - professionally produced events
reviews in eg Factiva newspapers and eg Australian Stage Online - commercial events, festival events, in addition to some organisation-funded and project-funded events
reviews in eg RealTime - organisation-funded and, in particular, project-funded events
reviews in Australian theatre blogs - range of events, including emerging artists and organisations

b) Professional Training Schools/Colleges - events of these status are targeted by tracking graduate networks and campaigns to encourage feedback from artists on their own records.

c) Amateur/Community/Youth Theatre - events of these status are targeted through outreach, promoting AusStage to organisations and training volunteers to undertake data entry.