The Archivists’ Toolkit
ECURE Presentation
28 Feb. 2006
Bradley Westbrook & Lee Mandell
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
1
Overview
• Project objectives and overview
• Summary of application features
• Description of functional modules
• Application architecture and technology
• Demonstration example
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
2
Project Objectives
To build digital tools that will:
• Support archival processing in a manner that promotes
efficiency and standardization
• Integrate key functions in the archival lifecycle:
–
–
–
–
Accessioning
Description
Subjects and name management
Location management
• Produce outputs such as EAD, EAC, METS,
MARCXML and various administrative outputs
• Be deployable in a range of archival settings
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
3
Project Team
• Brian Schottlaender, UCSD, Co-Principal Investigator
• Carol Mandel, NYU, Co-Principal Investigator
• Brad Westbrook, UCSD, Proj. Mgr & Spec Team
Leader
• Lee Mandell, NYU, Design Team Mgr
• Jason Varghese, NYU, Programmer
• Kelcy Shepherd, FC, Analyst
• Brian Stevens, NYU, Analyst
• Luc Declerck, UCSD, and David Ackerman, NYU,
Administrative
Oversight
Archivists'
Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
4
Project Advisory Board
•
•
•
•
•
•
Robin Chandler, CDL
Michael Fox, MHS
Merrilee Proffitt, RLG
Richard Szary, Yale
Guenter Waibel, RLG
Beth Yakel, U Mich
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
5
Project Partners
•
•
•
•
•
Bates College
Five Colleges: Amherst College Archives and Special
Collections, Hampshire College Archives, Mount Holyoke
College Archives and Special Collections, Smith College
Archives & Sophia Smith Collection, & UMass-Amherst,
Special Collections and Archives
NYC: The American Museum of Natural History, The
Brooklyn Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, The Center for
Jewish History, & Manhattan College
NYU: Fales Library, Tamiment Library, University
Archives
UCSD: Mandeville Special Collections & SIO Archives
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
6
First Year Accomplishments
• Functional Requirements Identified
• Application Specification Composed
(http://archiviststoolkit.org/ATspecification/index.html)
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
7
Goals for Second Year
• Build Prototype from AT Specification
– Interface Design
• Compose User Documentation
– User Manual
– Application Help Module
– Installation Scripts
• Test Application and Documentation
– Functional Testing
– Usability Testing
• Formulate Business Plan
• Release Tested Application (est. Nov. 2006)
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
8
Application Features
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Output neutral data
Modular
Customizable
Easy to use
Secure
Stand-alone or network
Context-sensitive help
Open source
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
9
Design Overview
•Administration/Project Management
•Ingest
•Accession
•Description (Resources, Surrogates)
•Names
•Subjects
•Location
•Search
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
10
Application/Project Management
• Establish repository record
• Manage users
• Customize default fields, required fields,
input forms
• Create project definitions
• Record Management / Tracking
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
11
Ingest Module
• EAD version 2002
• MARC XML parent
records
• MARC XML
controlled headings
• Accession data in
delimited format
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
12
Accession Module
• Preliminary descriptive information
• Some collection management fields
• Descriptive and administrative outputs:
–
–
–
–
–
Accession record
Accession receipt
Acquisitions report
Processing reports
More…
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
13
Description Module
• Archival resources and surrogates
• Inputs based on DA:CS, ISAD(G)
• Outputs:
•EAD
•METS
•Dublin Core
•Collections guide
•MARC XML
•MODS
•Printed finding aids
•More…
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
14
Location Module
• For tracking “permanent” locations
• Accommodate a range of practice
• Outputs:
– Location record
– Shelf list
– List of all locations for a resource
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
15
Names Module
• Authority control for names (personal,
family, and corporate/conference)
• Includes fields for contact information,
biographical/historical note
• Supports see also and see references
• Outputs:
– Source record
– Sources list
– EAC record
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
16
Subject Module
• Basic authority control for subjects
• Can create records in advance or on an
as-needed basis
• Outputs:
– Repository subject guide
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
17
Search Module
• For moderated use in reference setting
• Features:
– Search for resource by resource ID, title,
creator, or subject
– Search for resources, resource components,
surrogates, and surrogate components by
keywords in title
– Search for locations by resource ID
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
18
Back End (database)
• Developed with mySQL
• Will work with many SQL databases both open
source and commercial
– Partial list: DB2, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, Sybase,
Microsoft SQL Server, Informix, Ingres ...
• Why SQL and not other technologies like xml and
object databases?
– Maturity of SQL databases
– Likelihood of local IT departments having SQL expertise
– Many existing open source projects to integrate into the
projects.
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
19
Front End (Client)
• Needs: Cross platform (Mac OSX, Windows 98+,
Linux), open source, sophisticated user interface
capabilities
• Solution: Java desktop client
– Many more user interface options than a web based client
– Will run on any computer with Java 5 (1.5) installed
• Client and database can be installed on the same
computer or on different computers.
– Single machine configuration
– Local network configuration
– Wide area network configuration
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
20
Open Source
• SourceForge
– Project will be listed by the end of the year.
– Source code will be available in an early alpha version
early next year for viewing only
– When we enter beta testing we will be open to other
developers joining the effort
• Anyone will be able to download the source code
and use it as they wish.
• We hope a developer community will grow out of
the project
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
21
A Live Demonstration
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
22
http://archiviststoolkit.org/
Archivists' Toolkit - ECURE Presentation, 28 Feb. 2006
23