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In this online help you will find:
Have you seen examples of ZooLex animal exhibit presentations in the ZooLex Gallery? - This is what you are going to create.
A ZooLex exhibit presentation is comparable to an article for a magazine
or a presentation at a conference, just with a bigger audience from all
over the world! Therefore, preparing a ZooLex exhibit presentation takes
as much effort as another type of exhibit presentation. It will take any
time from a few hours to several days depending on the complexity of the
exhibit, the availability of information, and your equipment. Once you have
all pictures in digital format and all text prepared, filling in the ZooLex
online forms will take you about 2 hours.
You don't have the time? Here are your options:
Template for preparing ZooLex exhibit presentations:
Template for download and print: html file (13 kB), MS Word.doc (70 kB)
You are welcome to use the ZooLex template for preparing text for ZooLex exhibit presentations offline. Using the template facilitates filling in ZooLex submission forms online. Please also see "How to use ZooLex submission forms".
Alternatively, you may fill out the template and send it as a print by mail or as an email attachment or on disc along with your pictures. We will upload the information provided for free.
ZooLex Zoo Design Organization
Sobieskigasse 9/12
A-1090 Vienna
zoolex@ zoolex.org
If your native language is German, Spanish, French, Dutch or Russian we can offer support
with translating. You may send text in your native language and we translate
into English. Our English translation will be published additionally to your original.
Step 1: Choose an animal exhibit suitable for a ZooLex exhibit presentation.
Before starting with a ZooLex exhibit presentation you need to decide on the contents. Where are the exhibit boundaries? This is easy to decide for a single species or a mixed species exhibit. Take the exhibit, the visitor viewing area, the off-view holding area and the adjacent service area. This is the space to be presented in the ZooLex Gallery.
What if you wish to present a thematic series or complex of exhibits? Try to find units that can be described in a meaningful way. Maybe, some of the exhibits have common sight lines, or they were built at the same time. These exhibits make up units for separate ZooLex exhibit presentations.
A ZooLex exhibit presentation contains up to 25 pictures and about 1500 words. Try to describe one enclosure in one submission only. You can repeat information to create additional presentations of exhibits which are part of a thematic series or complex.
Step 2: Take pictures of the animal exhibit to be featured.
Any picture format can be used: prints, slides and digital images. Choose pictures showing important features of the exhibit and animals using them, an overview of the outdoor exhibits, the indoor exhibits, the holding areas, the visitor areas, the keeper areas, boundaries, rockwork, plants, water features, interpretive devices, people using them, etc. If you are using someone else's pictures please make sure they may be published in ZooLex.
Order up to 25 pictures along some kind of storyline. Put them in the order you want to appear in your exhibit presentation. Number the pictures for reference. The numbers will be saved with the pictures and may refer to a plan showing the picture views.
Number 1 should be a nice animal picture in landscape format. This picture
will represent your exhibit in the index of all exhibit presentations.
Step 3: Find suitable plans of the site.
Ideally, a schematic overview of the exhibit's location within the institution and an illustrative plan of the exhibit should be used. Make sure that there is a North arrow and a scale on the illustrative plan. Do you have permission to publish the plans?
Step 4: Prepare your plans and pictures for the internet.
Scan your prints or slides. Scanning can also be done by specialized copyshops. Please convert your picture files to the jpg or gif format (choose the option "progressive" if available) and scale them down to a maximum of 800 x 800 pixel. The final file size should be about 100 kB.
Alternatively, you may send us pictures and plans, prints or slides for scanning. We return this material if desired. However, we prefer to receive digital pictures on CD-ROM.
Step 5: Create a picture view plan.
Make a copy of the exhibit plan. Put labels with picture numbers and arrows for the view direction in the copy of the site plan. Position each label on the plan where the corresponding picture was taken.
Step 6: Compile text.
The subjects given in a ZooLex exhibit presentation are: a description of the exhibit, features dedicated to the animals, the keepers, and the visitors, interpretation, management, research and conservation relating to the exhibit and the use of local resources for design and construction. Furthermore: specifications on the animals exhibited, size and costs of the exhibit (estimates if not available), opening date, firms involved in design and construction, beginning of design, beginning of construction, and a list of the plants used.
We recommend you use the template to compile text for ZooLex exhibit presentations:
ZooLex template for download and print: html
file (13 kB), MS Word.doc (70 kB)
Step 7: Submit your ZooLex exhibit presentation
You can send us your material by mail or by email. We will prepare pictures and plans for the internet, upload text and images and ask you to check the presentation before publishing.
You can also use ZooLex online forms to upload text and images to the ZooLex website and to check the result in a preview. When your exhibit presentation is ready for publishing please send an email to inform us. We will publish your exhibit presentation and announce it in the ZooLex Newsletter.
How to use ZooLex online forms:
If you have never used online forms before - don't worry - you will like it. Hit the preview button frequently. In the preview you will see your exhibit presentation grow.
There are 12 online forms to fill in. We recommend you prepare text and pictures first and save them in separate files for copying into ZooLex submission forms. You may print the template for this purpose. We recommend you download the template and fill it in offline. Your may either use an html editor or import the html file in your word processing program. We offer a MS Word file for those using Microsoft programs.
ZooLex template for download and print: html file (13 kB), MS Word.doc (70 kB)
If a subject given does not apply to the exhibit you are desribing, just leave the relevant space empty or put in n/a for not available. There are no requirements to submit certain information. It is your choice which information you wish to share on the ZooLex website. When you finished filling in the template you can copy and paste your text from the template into ZooLex submission forms for upload to the ZooLex server. For this purpose, we reommend you open two windows, one showing your template, and the other showing ZooLex forms online. You can also copy text from another document, or type in ZooLex online forms. Your text should flow since the lines in the forms are broken automatically. Please don't brake the lines by hitting return somewhere in a paragraph. You only need to brake your text into paragraphs (hit return twice as usually). While filling in ZooLex submission forms and uploading pictures you may want to see the results. For this purpose you may check the "Preview". You may also print the preview.
Please note: When you hit "submit" in the status line of an exhibit presentation it is not accessible for you any more. The decision to hit "submit" is like sending a text to a printer. However, updates can be made. Please inform us when you wish to make an update. We will make your exhibit presentation accessible to you. The updated version will be published as "Update" with the new date of publication.
| You can fill in ZooLex online forms in the given order by using the "Next Form" button. |
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You can also choose a topic to work on by using the icons. Each heading in an exhibit presentation is represented by an icon. When you put the cursor on the icon the heading appears. If you click on the icon you switch to the respective form. |
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| You can switch between forms and a preview of your whole exhibit presentation. Use the "Preview" button on the form to see the preview. Use the "Back to Form" link on the preview page to go back to the forms. |
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| Your exhibit description is saved on the ZooLex server page by page each time you switch to a different form. You can use the "Next Form" button or the icons to switch form. |
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| ATTENTION! Entries into "Site Plans" or "Picture" forms need to be
saved with the "Save"-Button!
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If you have any questions please contact us:
ZooLex Zoo Design Organization
Sobieskigasse 9/12
A-1090 Vienna
zoolex@zoolex.org