2009-2012, 2014-2020
Role: Systems developer (as a staff member of the Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford)
Brief: Develop and maintain the main Website for the Museum (but not the social media channels) and integrate the collections management system (KE EMu).
Solution: I oversaw the redevelopment of the WordPress site in 2010, mostly into one multisite instance, including previously disparate elements such as the collections search, and then its gradual refinement through to 2012. I overhauled the server provision, standardising on Debian Linux, in University data centres. Security was enhanced at various levels, through content caches, script hardening, Apache mod Security with a fine-tuned ruleset, and integration into the University’s single sign-on system, at that time using Stanford Webauth.
Subsequent work on the site then focused on the design and instantiation of content, such as special exhibition sites (see example below). Then, from 2017 onwards, it mainly concerned the digital preservation of legacy online exhibits during the migration to a centrally managed service, to which I also contributed substantially.
URLs
https://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/
(main site until 2018), home page now redirecting
to:
https://hsm.ox.ac.uk/ (main site from
2019 onwards).
https://blogs.mhs.ox.ac.uk/
Slides:
integration of the collections database using the
KE EMu PHP5 API.
MHS Home page 2012
The rotating banner image (here displaying orrery by Thomas Wright) showcases objects and exhibitions.
I brought together several separate WP sites into a single WP multisite setup and in 2011 integrated Webauth for single sign-on.
This screenshot, taken two years after the relaunch, shows how the site was kept up to date.
MHS: History (with the ATBar)
Pages were also tested using the JAWS screen reader (Freedom Scientific).
MHS Collections Search
Two kinds of search are offered: free text (basic and advanced, which provides boolean search), plus field search.
Result options include: show thumbnails and only return records that have images.
A presentation on the integration was given at the KE User Group in 2011,
https://www.slideshare.net/paultraf/ke-user-group-2011-showcase-notes
Screenshot from the Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford, taken in 2012.
MHS Collections: Field Search
Screenshot from the Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford, taken in 2012.
MHS Steampunk exhibition
This microsite, hastily put together, is shown here for comparison with the next slide. Note the theme elements — header, sidebar, and so on.
MHS Steampunk exhibition – archive
To preserve the exhibition site and ensure consistency of branding, a new template was created on the old site, featuring the new logo and marked as ‘archive’.
The removal of the old header and sidebars, makes for a comparatively clean and simple layout — and the thumbnail strip looks okay.
MHS Steampunk Live Mannequin
I edited the original photo (by Keiko Ikeuchi) and inverted it, fading the current (visitors) to black and white of the past, whilst retaining the vibrant colour of the Victorian soldier, as he seemingly gazes at the historical crowd.
I created the effect using MS Image Composer.
The Renaissance in Astronomy
MHS Blogs
Blogs were set up for marketing (‘Inside MHS Oxford’) and for staff and student projects, for reflection and dissemination.
Screenshot from the Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford.
–
MHS Special Exhibition: Back from the Dead – Demystifying Antibiotics
2016
Brief: To provide a website to accompany the Special Exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science (since renamed, History of Science Museum). Content needed to be easy to maintain by staff in various teams.
Solution: Using the existing WP multisite infrastructure I was able to create a number of special exhibition sites relatively easily, using responsive off-the-shelf themes. The basic structure was up and running very quickly and could be refined on an ongoing basis. Care was taken to ensure that educational aspects, especially, were made accessible.
URL: https://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/backfromthedead/
Back from the Dead: Exhibition home page
In the accompanying website, most attention given to the exhibition, to make available images and descriptions to spark interest and to inform those who could not view in person.
Screenshot from Exhibition index.
Back from the Dead: Myth Busting question
Screenshot from History of Science Museum: Website for Special Exhibition, ‘Back from the dead’.
Back from the Dead: Myth Busting reveal
Screenshot from History of Science Museum: Website for Special Exhibition, ‘Back from the dead’.
Back from the Dead: Myth Busting (text version)
An element of interactivity is retained with collapsible text panels.
Screenshot from History of Science Museum: Website for Special Exhibition, ‘Back from the dead’.
Back from the Dead: Feedback cards
A link to text transcriptions included for accessibility.
Screenshot from History of Science Museum: Website for Special Exhibition, ‘Back from the dead’.
Back from the Dead: Feedback cards (text)
In this case, transcriptions of handwritten feedback cards.
Screenshot from History of Science Museum: Website for Special Exhibition, ‘Back from the dead’.
Tags
API, collections, EMu, exhibitions, history of science, metadata, museums, Oxford, projects, software, templates, theme, WordPress
This page was published on 17 May 2022 and last updated on April 7, 2025.