Archival Collections Management Systems

Presenter: Veronica Martzahl, MLIS, MA, CAMarch 31, 2015©2015 Society of American Archivists

Basis for this seminar

Original webinar by Lisa Spiro delivered in 2009

Report issued by CLIR (Council on Library and Information Resources) to support its Hidden Collections program, available at http://clir.org/pubs/reports/spiro2009.html

Report issued by CLIR (Council on Library and Information Resources) to support its Hidden Collections program (http://clir.org/pubs/reports/spiro2009.html)

Web seminar originally presented in 2009

Updated web seminar presented by Rachel Onuf in 2014

2

Understand what an Archival Collections Management System (ACMS) is (and is not)

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Evaluation of your institution to determine requirements

Considerations for selecting a system

Comparison of systems

Goals for this seminar

•ERS/EDS/ERMS•DAM•TDR/TIS/PR•DL•ACMS

Alphabet Soup

Electronic Records SystemElectronic Documents SystemElectronic Records Management System

• Enable organizations manage documents and records through the life-cycle from creation to destruction

• Often indicate in their sales documentation that they can “archive” records also, but aren’t referencing archival standards

ERS/EDS/ERMS

Digital Asset ManagementSub-set: Media Asset Management

• Software system that support ingesting, cataloguing, storing, retrieving and distributing digital files

DAM

Trustworthy Digital RepositoryTrustworthy Information SystemPreservation Repository

• A computer application designed to create, store, and retrieve data according to well-documented processes that ensure records based on those data are authentic and reliable

TDR/TIS/PR

Digital Library

• A collection of information resources in electronic format

• A service that uses information technology to provide services similar to traditional libraries, including selection and acquisition, cataloging, reference, and preservation, to provide access to information in electronic format.

DL

Primary focus is on individual file or record management and description

What do all of these systems have in common?

Archival Collections Management System

• A type of software that typically provides integrated support for the archival workflow, such as appraisal, accessioning, description, arrangement, publication of finding aids, collection management, and preservation

ACMS

Archival Collections Management System

• Manages information about the records or collection materials, not the items themselves

• Supports higher levels of description• Collection/Record Group• Series• Creator information

ACMS

Archival Collections Management System

• Place to manage the metadata for various Content Standards

• DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard)• RAD (Rules for Archival Description)• RDA (Resource Description and Access)• ISAD(G) (International Standard Archival Description

(General)

ACMS

Archival Collections Management System

• Export metadata to various Structure Standards

• XML• EAD (Encoded Archival Description)• EAC-CPF (Encoded Archival Context – Corporations,

People and Families)• MARC

ACMS

Challenges

• Time and expense in selecting, installing and maintaining the system

• Difficulty adjusting archival workflows to accommodate new system

• Importing existing “legacy” data can be challenging

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Benefits

• Raise the profile of your archives• Increase use of your collections• Minimize Data Silos• Streamline workflows• Minimizes replication of data & effort• Reduces difficulty locating information• Utilize Standards-based data collection

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Benefits

• Addresses versioning problems• Allows for reports, analyzing patterns in data• Makes archival information (e.g. finding aids)

available to larger community

Less time spent creating, searching, and manipulating metadata means more time can be spent connecting people to your materials…and

doing everything else!

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Questions?

What types of collections do you have?

• Mostly institutional records• Mostly manuscript collections• A lot of artifacts or individual objects• Traditional paper, hybrid collections or

growing digital content • Digitized vs. Born Digital

Evaluating your institution

How are you currently managing your collection information?

• Is the information in some digital form?• If it is already in a system, can you get it out

in a useful format?• Can you crosswalk the data over easily?• Do you have staff who are comfortable with

this process or will you need to rely on outside help?

Evaluating your institution

What is your technology infrastructure?

• Does the system have to work in a specific server environment?

• Do you have internal support or do you need to rely on a vendor?

• Is your institution open to using a hosted solution?

• Are there other systems your ACMS needs to be able to talk to?

Evaluating your institution

Lisa Spiro asked archivists to describe features of their “Dream Tool”:

• Easy to use• Easy to import & export data• Provides remote access• Integrates different types of archival information• Publishes to the web• Standards-based• Flexible in accommodating different workflows• Generates statistics & reports

Consideration for selecting a new system

Needs assessment

• Involve stakeholders (archivists, IT staff, administration, end users)• Establish a project plan with clear milestones and areas of responsibility• Conduct a needs assessment:

• Do you really need new software, and is now the best time (given available resources, current projects, etc.) to pursue it?

• What kind of information is captured, by whom, when, and for what purposes?

• What are the weaknesses of your current system for handling • archival information?

• Produce a weighted "features checklist”• Interview current users of software you’re considering; see it in action

through a site visit, if possible• Demo the software & ask lots of questions

Consideration for selecting a new system

What kind of information is captured, by whom, when and for what purpose?

• Consider how many levels of hierarchical description you need

• Do you need additional add-on modules?• Accessioning• Space Management• Conservation Activities

• How does the system handle multiple manifestations of an object?

Consideration for selecting a new system

Multiple Manifestations – Functional Requirement for Bibliographic Records (FRBR)

• In a nutshell: There is the idea of a thing which is the Work and it is represented by multiple Manifestations

• Example: A student’s thesis exists as multiple manifestations - a physical document, a Word .doc and a preservation pdf/a file

• How would this look in your ACMS?

Consideration for selecting a new system

User Access to Collection Information

• Is it integrated into the system?• How much programming is needed?• Can it be customized?• Do you need a hosted option?• Do you need/want digital surrogates?• Can you print out a finding aid?

Consideration for selecting a new system

10 minute break and then

Questions?

Terminology

• Open Source vs Commercial• Hosted vs Locally Installed• Web Publishing

Comparison of Systems

Open Source vs. Commercial

Open Source Commercial

License Cost Free Varies

Customization You can customize Vendor typically offers customization

Security “Many eyes make all bugs shallow”

Vendor responsible for fixing security holes

Support & training

Community provides Vendor provides

Sustainability Minimize risk of vendor collapse or lock-in

Open Source projects may disappear; vendors can make assurances of long-term support

Hosted vs. Locally Installed

Advantages of Hosted Advantages of Local

Vendor purchases & maintains hardware

Archives retain control over their data

Vendor responsible for ensuring security of and access to data

Archives can more easily customize presentation of data themselves

Archives don’t have to rely on their own tech staff for support; may be good option for small archives

Many ACMS are designed to be easy to set up and maintain

Data available, backed-up at a different site than archive

Long-term access to data even if vendor fails

Vendors have expertise with software

Local likely cheaper than hosted service

Web Publishing Capabilities

Advantages of Web Publishing Features

Disadvantages of Web Publishing Features

Make it easy to get information to the public

Web publishing may entail additional cost

Reach broader public without investing in additional publishing system

Archive may already have system for publishing info online

Make information accessible quickly

It may be difficult to customize how the data is presented

Archivist Toolkit

• Open Source• Works in Windows/Mac/Linux environments• Hosted option not available

• http://www.archiviststoolkit.org/

Comparison of Systems

Archon

• Open Source• Works in Windows/Mac/Linux environments (although

Windows server is not recommended)• Hosted option not available

• http://www.archon.org/

Comparison of Systems

ArchivesSpace

• Open Source• Works in Windows/Mac/Linux environments• Hosted option available from Lyrasis

• http://www.archivesspace.org/

Comparison of Systems

The navigation panel on the left side of the ArchivesSpace staff interface provides a snapshot of the major high-level sections of an ArchivesSpace record.

An ArchivesSpace record is a linear document, and, while scrolling through a record, the highlighted section of the navigation panel will change to keep the staff user oriented to the current position within the record.

ArchivesSpace Record template

A Customized Public Interface

Axiell CALM

• Commercial• Windows based• Hosted option through Axiell• Integrated with Preservica preservation repository

software

• http://www.axiell.co.uk/calm-for-archives

Comparison of Systems

Axiell CALM

Comparison of Systems

CIDER – Collection Information and Description Environment

• Open Source• Linux environment preferred• Hosted option not available• Flexible export of metadata for use in other systems

• https://github.com/TuftsUniversity/cider

Comparison of Systems

CIDER

Comparison of Systems

CIDER

Comparison of Systems

CollectiveAccess

• Open Source• Mac or Windows environment• Hosted option not available

• Two components:• Providence: core cataloguing and data management application

• Pre-configured with several library and archival standards including DACS, PBCore, Dublin Core, VRA Core

• Pawtucket: optional "front-end" publication and discovery platform

• http://www.collectiveaccess.org/

Comparison of Systems

CollectiveAccess

CuadraSTAR Archives Management (SKCA)

• Commercial• Windows or Linux environment• Hosted option through CuadraSTAR• Suite of products for museum and image collections

• http://www.cuadra.com/products/archives.html

Comparison of Systems

CuadraSTAR Archives Management (SKCA)

Comparison of Systems

Eloquent Archives

• Commercial• Windows environment• Hosted option through Eloquent cloud

• http://www.eloquent-systems.com/products/archives/

Comparison of Systems

Eloquent Archives (https://vimeo.com/55974157)

Comparison of Systems

ICA-AtoM

• Open Source• Windows/Mac/Linux environment• Hosted option through Artefactual Systems• Integrated with Archivematica and new ArchivesDirect

service

• https://www.ica-atom.org/• http://www.artefactual.com/

Comparison of Systems

ICA-AtoM

Comparison of Systems

Minisis M2A

• Commercial• Windows environment• Hosted option not available• Suite of Library and Museum modules

• http://www.minisisinc.com/pages/products-m2a.html

Comparison of Systems

Minisis M2A

Comparison of Systems

PastPerfect

• Commercial• Windows environment• Hosted option not available

• http://www.museumsoftware.com/

Comparison of Systems

PastPerfect

Comparison of Systems

Re:Discovery Proficio

• Commercial• Windows environment• Hosted option not available

• http://www.rediscov.com/archives.aspx

Comparison of Systems

Re:Discovery Proficio

Comparison of Systems

Re:Discovery Proficio

Comparison of Systems

The Museum System (TMS)

• Commercial• Windows environment• Hosted option through Gallery Systems

• http://www.gallerysystems.com/products-and-services/tms/

Comparison of Systems

Free software… Fee-based consulting: Whirl-i-Gig, CollectiveAccess's

development team, works directly with end-users who require assistance in realizing their projects Data migration or new feature development, or a full project

lifecycle from design to implementation to publication Work-for-hire plowed back into the application

All work is performed under GNU General Public License v3, ensuring that contracted development becomes part of upcoming software releases

An increasingly common model

• Many good options for managing, describing and publishing archival collections are available

• Which system you choose depends on:• Desired features, depending on your users and the

nature of your holdings• Available resources (especially money and technical

support)• And many other factors specific to your institution

• Consult with the user community for an ACMS to determine what system is best for your institution

Conclusions

• Archivist Toolkit http://www.archiviststoolkit.org/• Archon http://www.archon.org/• ArchivesSpace http://www.archivesspace.org/• Axiell CALM http://www.axiell.co.uk/calm-for-archives• CIDER https://github.com/TuftsUniversity/cider• CollectiveAccess http://www.collectiveaccess.org/• CuadraSTAR

http://www.cuadra.com/products/archives.html• Eloquent Archives

http://www.eloquent-systems.com/products/archives/ https://vimeo.com/55974157

Resources

• ICA AtoM https://www.ica-atom.org/ http://www.artefactual.com/

• Minisis M2A http://www.minisisinc.com/pages/products-m2a.html

• PastPerfect http://www.museumsoftware.com/• Re:Discovery Proficio

http://www.rediscov.com/archives.aspx• The Museum System

http://www.gallerysystems.com/products-and-services/tms/

Resources

• SAA’s Collection Management Tools Roundtable http://www2.archivists.org/groups/collection-management-tools-roundtable

• Documentation Portalhttps://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-0a277FLP36b2hxX1JFb1Ywd00&usp=drive_web

Resources

Questions?