PAROMITA BISWAS, METADATA LIBRARIAN WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY, [email protected] ELIZABETH SKENE, DIGITAL INITIATIVES LIBRARIAN WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY, [email protected] LYRASIS Second Fridays February 13, 2015 FROM SILOS TO (ARCHIVES)SPACE: MOVING LEGACY FINDING AIDS TO ARCHIVESSPACE AS A MULTIDEPARTMENT LIBRARY COLLABORATION
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PA R O M I TA B I S WA S, M E TA DATA L I B R A R I A NW E S T E R N C A R O L I N A U N I V E R S I T Y, P B I S WA S @ W C U. E D U
E L I Z A B E T H S K E N E , D I G I TA L I N I T I AT I V E S L I B R A R I A NW E S T E R N C A R O L I N A U N I V E R S I T Y, E M S K E N E @ W C U. E D U
LYRASIS Second Fridays
February 13, 2015
FROM SILOS TO (ARCHIVES)SPACE:MOVING LEGACY FINDING AIDS TO ARCHIVESSPACE AS A
MULTIDEPARTMENT LIBRARY COLLABORATION
WELCOME
Paromita
Metadata Librarian
Traditional cataloging, digital projects, institutional repository
MLIS, University of California, Los Angles
Liz
Digital Initiatives Librarian
Digital collections, institutional repository, digital humanities
MSI, University of Michigan (Archives & Records Management)
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
My organization currently uses ArchivesSpace or is in the
process of getting started with ArchivesSpace
If this is true for you, click “Agree”*
My organization is thinking about or exploring
implementing ArchivesSpace
If this is true for you, click “Disagree”*
*Please note, you’re not actually agreeing/disagreeing with the statement, this is just a way to vote.
OUR PROJECT
Move 700 legacy finding aids (MS Word documents) online via ArchivesSpace
Process
Workflow
Challenges
PART ONEFinding aid overview
Past efforts
Choosing ArchivesSpace
Workflow decisions
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AT HUNTER LIBRARY
Showcase Appalachian life and natural history, especially of Western North Carolina
Notable collections
Horace Kephart
George Masa
Nantahala Power & Light Company Records
ACCESS TO SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Monday – Friday: open 9am-noon; by appointment only in the afternoon
Some collections are available online through CONTENTdm
11 collections
5,000+ items
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS FINDING AIDS
Most Special Collections’ materials accessible through finding aids
700 finding aids in MS Word in the library’s internal server
The problem
No online presence of finding aids
Findings aids available only to patrons who visit or contact the library
Finding aids/Special Collections remain hidden and inaccessible to the larger audience
CURRENT FINDING AID LOCATION
HISTORY: EFFORTS TOWARD AN ONLINE PRESENCE
2010: NC ECHO* provides Hunter Library with templates for creating EAD encoded finding aids
Two librarians work in Notepad Pro: time consuming process
Lack of technical knowledge to modify generic templates or publish the finding aids online
35 finding aids published as HTML documents via a widget available online
*NORTH CAROLINA EXPLORING CULTURAL HERITAGE ONLINE
FINDING AIDS CURRENTLY ONLINE
CHOOSING ARCHIVESSPACE
Lack of resources:
No server space
No IT support
Limited staff time
ArchivesSpace offered to Hunter Library:
Option for a hosted server space by LYRASIS
Technical assistance provided by LYRASIS
Training and relative ease of use
PROJECT WORKFLOW
Interdepartmental collaboration
Special Collections: review and map finding aids to ArchivesSpace
Digital, Access, and Technology: training and aligning ArchivesSpace finding aids with digital collections
Content Organization & Management: provide catalogers to do the major work of migration to ArchivesSpace
MIGRATION TO ARCHIVESSPACE
Why choose catalogers??
Copy + pasting from Word document finding aids
Adding controlled vocabularies (names and subjects) to the finding aids – catalogers already trained to do this
BENEFITS OF USING CATALOGERS
No training required in adding controlled vocabularies
Familiar with content management systems (CONTENTdm) other than traditional ILS
Familiarity with the area and local history
Summer can provide the opportunity to do majority of the migration work
PART TWOThe process
Challenges
The future
Take aways
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
My organization’s finding aids reside in an archival
management system [Archon, AT, etc.]
If this is true for you, click “Agree”*
My organization’s finding aids reside in a homegrown
system [Access database, etc.], as word processing
documents or hardcopy.
If this is true for you, click “Disagree”*
*Please note, you’re not actually agreeing/disagreeing with the statement, this is just a way to vote.
THE PROCESS
1. Project team
2. Set priorities
3. Training manual
4. Testing
5. Training
Flickr user kenfagerdotcom, BY-NC-SA
1. PROJECT TEAM
Metadata Librarian
Content Organization & Management department
Digital Initiatives Librarian
Digital, Access, and Technology Services department
Library Technical Assistant
Special Collections department
2. SET PRIORITIES
+ Frequently requested
+ Items in CONTENTdm
– Access restrictions
– Errors in description
3. THE MANUAL
Map
Finding aid template showing the corresponding field in
ArchivesSpace
View the manual at bit.ly/WCU2014ASmanual
3. THE MANUAL
Step by step guide
A how-to for adding data to ArchivesSpace
View the manual at bit.ly/WCU2014ASmanual
3. THE MANUAL
Glossary
Entries with definitions and examples
View the manual at bit.ly/WCU2014ASmanual
4. TESTING
Testing by
By the project team
By one cataloger
Arents Cigarette Cards, NYPL
5. TRAINING
Training
What is it?
How does it work?
Work in pairs
Regroup, revise
Flickr user thelotuscarroll, BY-NC-SA
CHALLENGES
New software
Inconsistency of finding aids
Catalogers vs archival vocabulary
Where does ArchivesSpace live?
Word finding aids
Hunter Library, Western Carolina University
INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATION
Publishing finding aids
Not made available to public during migration/input
Special Collections reviews
Lets catalogers know if a finding aid needs editing
Addressing the inconsistency of the finding aids:
Answering the questions raised by catalogers, for example, some of the finding aids lack important information such as dates, extent etc.
PROJECT PROGRESSPriority 2 Folder
Completed:
J. D. McRorie—REVIEWED AND PUBLISHED--JB
John Parris—REVIEWED AND PUBLISHED--JB
Lloyd Cowan—REVIEWED AND PUBLISHED--JB
Jack and Anna Kilpatrick (some question as to dates—dates in detailed inventory do not seem to
match dates on the accession form)
H. T. Hunter—REVIEWED AND PUBLISHED--JB
Kilpatrick Cherokee Language
Ron Rash—REVIEWED AND PUBLISHED--JB
A Mountain Heritage—Tyler Blethen
Sol Schulman (extent needs to be given in linear feet—not given on accession form) This collection is 4 linear feet—jb Corrected 1/29/15--SH
Ron Rash, Add #1 (extent needs to be given in linear feet—not given on accession form) I have updated the entire finding guide. The entire collection description should be replaced. Sorry about that.--jb.
Venoy and Elizabeth Reed—REVIEWED AND PUBLISHED--JB
Maurice B. Morrill—REVIEWED AND PUBLISHED--JB
THE FUTURE
Go live! Market! Shout it from the rooftops!
Migrate 500 finding aids by 2016
Link to CONTENTdm materials
Explore regional consortium
Update manual
NASA, First Lady Astronaut Trainee Jerrie Cobb
TAKE AWAYS
What is the end goal?
Who has the knowledge?
Progress or perfection?
Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection, BY-NC-ND
QUESTIONS? Thank you!
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