Hub and Spokes Development June07

The Archives HubThe Archives Hub

The service, the users, and The service, the users, and the development of the the development of the distributed Archives Hubdistributed Archives Hub

Jane StevensonMIMAS

University of Manchester

Archives HubArchives Hub A union catalogue for archives held in A union catalogue for archives held in

universities, colleges and other organisations universities, colleges and other organisations throughout the UKthroughout the UK

Funded by the JISCFunded by the JISC

Now holds c.20,000 finding aids from 150 Now holds c.20,000 finding aids from 150 institutionsinstitutions

Funded for academics and students (JISC), but Funded for academics and students (JISC), but free to access for allfree to access for all

One of a range of national services provided by One of a range of national services provided by MIMAS at the University of ManchesterMIMAS at the University of Manchester

MethodologyMethodology

Responsibility for creating descriptions Responsibility for creating descriptions has always been with the institutionshas always been with the institutions

Raw materials are text files structured Raw materials are text files structured according to the international archival according to the international archival XML standard EADXML standard EAD

Hub Hub online templateonline template

Data qualityData quality

Data EditorData Editor

Data creation guidelinesData creation guidelines– 'For Archivists''For Archivists'

Contributors' trainingContributors' training

Indexing standardsIndexing standards– Subject finderSubject finder

Hub usersHub users

Origin of Archives Hub users, March 2006

UK academic

21%

Overseas13%Other

66%

Searching stylesSearching styles

Search types, August 2006

Advanced5%

Browse and index link searches

73%

Quicksearch21%

Subject finding

1%

Search types, August 2002

Advanced25%

Browse and index link searches

24%

Quicksearch50%

Subject finding

1%

Search terms, August 2006Search terms, August 2006 Tolkein papersTolkein papers london transportlondon transport bangor cathedralbangor cathedral ethnomethodologyethnomethodology grave-robbinggrave-robbing bee beetlebee beetle middleeastcrisesmiddleeastcrises Teddy BoysTeddy Boys Harry PotterHarry Potter ninjaninja How many people were killed during Ida How many people were killed during Ida

Amin's powerAmin's power

Beyond finding aids…Beyond finding aids…

September 2001: September 2001: Collection of the MonthCollection of the Month

July 2003: July 2003: 'Guided Tour''Guided Tour'

January 2004: 'For Archivists' sectionJanuary 2004: 'For Archivists' section

February 2006: Archives Hub February 2006: Archives Hub BlogBlog

SustainableOwned by the

community

Comprehensive

Ubiquitous

We want the Archives Hub to be:

The distributed HubThe distributed Hub

Originally all data held at ManchesterOriginally all data held at Manchester

Distributing the data was part of the Distributing the data was part of the plan from the early stages of the plan from the early stages of the serviceservice

It's been a long time coming...

Jan-03

Jun-03

Jan-04

Jun-04

Jan-05

Jun-05

Jan-06

Jun-06

Jan-07

Jun-07

Pro

gre

ss o

n S

po

kes

soft

war

e

Mo

od

of

con

trib

uto

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Frustrated

Happy

Graph inspired by Jessica Hagy http://indexed.blogspot.com/

Testing

Feedback

Development

Testing

Feedback

Development

Cheshire Development

Team, University of Liverpool

Archives Hub service team, Manchester and

early adopters at universities in

Scotland and England

Direct from testers and more formally through

Spokes Users and Developers group and Contributors’ Forum

Cheshire for

Archives 3.2

Quick guided tourQuick guided tour

Spoke home pageSpoke home page

Customisation of home pageCustomisation of home page

Results displayResults display

Collection-level recordCollection-level record

Full multi-level finding aidFull multi-level finding aid

Search term ‘photograph’Search term ‘photograph’

Administration interfaceAdministration interface

Managing EAD filesManaging EAD files

Overview of activityOverview of activity

Technical detailsTechnical details

Runs on a Linux (Red Hat or Fedora) Runs on a Linux (Red Hat or Fedora) serverserver

Cheshire3 information retrieval Cheshire3 information retrieval softwaresoftware

Cheshire for Archives EAD-specific Cheshire for Archives EAD-specific softwaresoftware

All open source

InstallationInstallation

Takes around one hour to installTakes around one hour to install

……but not always trouble freebut not always trouble free

Free to download Free to download (http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/arch/spokes.(http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/arch/spokes.shtml)shtml)

Documentation and support from Documentation and support from Archives Hub website Archives Hub website and Spokes mailing and Spokes mailing listlist

Cheshire for ArchivesCheshire for Archives

Provides Web, Z39.50 and SRU Provides Web, Z39.50 and SRU interfaces to archival descriptionsinterfaces to archival descriptions

Highly customisable: XHTML display Highly customisable: XHTML display controlled by XSLT and CSScontrolled by XSLT and CSS

Search options make full use of Search options make full use of EAD’s descriptive markupEAD’s descriptive markup

IssuesIssues Time: software development is a time-consuming Time: software development is a time-consuming

businessbusiness

Evolving standards: Z39.50 being succeeded by Evolving standards: Z39.50 being succeeded by SRU has entailed additional workSRU has entailed additional work

Requirements: institutions’ needs and Requirements: institutions’ needs and preferences vary considerably - important to build preferences vary considerably - important to build flexibility into the software flexibility into the software

Communication: importance of keeping a wide Communication: importance of keeping a wide user community up to date with developments user community up to date with developments and any problemsand any problems

Benefits for Archives Hub Benefits for Archives Hub communitycommunity

Software gives control of data back to the Software gives control of data back to the repositoriesrepositories

– Makes it more likely that they will add new Makes it more likely that they will add new descriptions and expand upon existing onesdescriptions and expand upon existing ones

Built-in interoperability means that data Built-in interoperability means that data can be accessed by a wide range of can be accessed by a wide range of services, from search engines to services, from search engines to metasearch applicationsmetasearch applications

– Including the Archives Hub!Including the Archives Hub!

Sun Mill CompanySun Mill Company

John Rylands’ SpokeJohn Rylands’ Spoke

The Archives Hub becomes…The Archives Hub becomes…

More sustainableMore sustainable

Community-ownedCommunity-owned

Increasingly comprehensiveIncreasingly comprehensive

Available to users wherever they areAvailable to users wherever they are