That's set the scene. So, where does SGML fit into this picture? One answer is that it doesn't, yet, for the average museum. But there are several ways in which it could, and there are working projects which demonstrate the possibilities.
In general terms, SGML offers a lot of features that matter to museums. As an International Standard, it is system- and platform-independent. It is also future-proof. The logical result of being in the for ever business is that museums want their mission-critical information to be usable for as long as the objects themselves last (or even longer, some would argue). To achieve this, they must copy and update their physical storage media on an ongoing basis. It is highly desirable that the information's logical structure, at least, should continue to make sense. An SGML document will hopefully be readable by software in 50 years: it is pretty certain that a Word for Windows Version 6.0 document will not!
SGML provides an information structuring framework that copes effortlessly with features of museum information that tend to floor databases, such as semi-structured free text, and even long and complex records. Accented characters and non-latin scripts can be represented in a system-neutral manner. SGML also provides linking mechanisms which have the potential to support hyperlinks that are as future-proof as possible.
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Contact Robin Cover with corrections and updates, or to submit contributions to the ISUG online document database.
