Celebrating Three Years of Open Access at The Met | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This February marks the third anniversary of the Met's Open Access program; it's been an extraordinary third year, one that has far outstripped our expectations and revealed the significant impact the program is making. Open Access has been a remarkable success: The Met's artwork has reached a phenomenal 225 million annual views on Wikipedia. A diverse range of users have employed the data for a variety of purposes; creators are developing new interfaces, as well as data visualizations that uncover fascinating new stories about our collection. Learning from our users' needs and behaviors, we are only just beginning to realize the program's potential for helping The Met reach a wider global audience (in sometimes novel ways). As we cross this important milestone, which coincides with the Museum's 150th anniversary, we'd like to reflect on some of the goals we've achieved with Open Access, and share our vision for the program's future.