Streamlining art collection management with Ramp & RFID.
Parliament House employs RFID for efficient art collection management.
Overview
Unique art collection management
Parliament House in Canberra houses a significant collection of approximately 8,000 Australian artworks, managed by the Department of Parliamentary Services. Unlike most galleries that display around 5% of their collections, Parliament House showcases about 50% of its art collection at any given time. The artworks are displayed throughout public spaces, corridors, and parliamentary offices, making the collection highly mobile and complex to manage.
The Federal Parliament, spread over a 32-hectare site with thousands of rooms, presents a unique challenge for auditing and tracking artwork. Additionally, political events such as elections, by-elections, or cabinet reshuffles necessitate rapid relocation of artworks, further complicating the management process.
The problem
Challenges in tracking and auditing artworks
The mobility and size of the art collection, coupled with the vastness of the Parliament House, posed significant challenges in tracking and auditing the artworks. The need for quick audits with minimal interruptions, especially in MPs offices, was a crucial requirement.
However, political events often triggered the need for swift relocation of thousands of pieces of art within a short span, adding to the complexity of managing the collection.
The solution
Implementing Smarttrack RFID for efficient management
Smarttrack RFID, a joint venture between International Conservation Services (ICS) and Ramp, RFID specialists, provided a solution tailored to the unique needs of Parliament House. The solution integrated acid-free RFID tags, Ramp’s software, and Vernon Collection Management System (CMS), a popular system in the art and museum sector.
This comprehensive solution enabled automatic, real-time tracking of artwork movement. It also facilitated quick and easy audits, reducing interruptions, and enhancing the efficiency of collection management.
Transforming Art Collection
Management with RFID
Smarttrack RFID revolutionised the management of Parliament House’s art collection.
“Our collection is large and extremely mobile. Not only does it need to be tracked with frequent moves, but we needed a solution that allowed quick audits of artwork in MPs offices with minimum interruption.”
Department of Parliamentary Services
Justine van Mourik – Director Art Collection & Exhibitions
Technology
Harnessing technology for better art collection management
Ramp’s RFID solution was leveraged to streamline the management of a large and mobile art collection at Parliament House.
RFID Tagging
Highly efficient UHF EPC RFID tags enabled superior item-level tracking and visibility
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RFID Hardware
State-of-the-art readers and printers optimized scanning, encoding, and overall inventory management.
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RFID Software
RAMP’s proprietary software served as the backbone, seamlessly integrating with Tuchuzy’s POS system.
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