National Maritime Museum wins second award
The National Maritime Museum website www.nmm.ac.uk has today won its second Accessibility Award. Following its success at the end of last year in winning a Visionary Design Award given by the National Library for the Blind, the website has now won the Jodi Mattes Access Award.The website was built by Internet Consultancy, Box UK, www.boxuk.com.
Judges included representatives from Leicester University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the RNIB, MCG, MAGDA and Resource: The Council for Museums, Libraries and Archives. The Award for usability and content accessibility was made by the Museum Computer Group, the UK national forum for museum, gallery, archive and related professionals who work with computers, new technologies and new media.
The award is named in memory of Jodi Mattes (1973-2001). Jodi worked at the Royal National Institute for the Blind and the British Museum.
The winners were chosen on the basis of a high level of accessibility for all forms of access technology. Winners were also selected based on the experience that a visually impaired user may have confronting the site for the first time and the value of the information available on the site.
The NMM site was relaunched in October 2002. Designed and built by Box UK (www.boxuk.com), it provides online access to over 7000 items relating to seafaring, navigation, astronomy and time measurement. Box UK created a clear layout, using text alternatives for non-text elements. A low graphics version of the site helps achieve high standards of accessibility for all. Box UK also implemented Amaxus, an advanced XML Content Management System allowing Museum personnel to have full control over the site.
About the National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum - the largest and most important museum of its kind in the world - is housed within a breathtaking architectural space, among the historic buildings of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. It incorporates the Royal Observatory Greenwich (home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian Line) and 17th century Queen’s House (England's first classical building and a rare surviving example of the work of Inigo Jones). Further information is available at www.nmm.ac.uk.
About Box UK
Box UK was established in 1998 to provide internet development, design and consultancy services to a broad range of clients. Since its inception it has moved into creating dynamic, database-driven applications using the latest cutting-edge technologies.
Clients include the National Maritime Museum, DfES, BECTa, Chubb, Corus Rail, UB40, Royal Observatory Greenwich, the Basic Skills Agency, the Port Cities Consortium, McCann Erickson and Worcestershire County Cricket Club.
The company is known for its expertise in all areas of application development, including the implementation of high-level Content Management Systems.
