UPDATED FOR 2014: Archives work is messy -- in many cases archivists have to organize and make accessible large amounts of mixed data in a variety of formats, both physical and digital. Thankfully, there are a variety of technology tools available to help solve the messiness problem and make collections more accessible. In this session, audience members will learn about current and emerging archival technology tools, the pros and cons of the major tools, and resources for further education.

1. Archival Technologies
Cliff Landis
Web Services Librarian
Georgia State University
47th Annual Georgia Archives Institute
June 9 – 20, 2014

2. "Good grief, what have we gotten
ourselves into..."

3. Learning Objectives
● Identify existing and emerging areas of archival
technology development.
● Learn about the capabilities, pros, and cons of
major archival management tools, such as
Archon and Archivists' Toolkit.
● Learn about the capabilities, pros, and cons of
major digital collection management tools, such
as CONTENTdm and Islandora.
● Discover resources for further professional
development in archival technology areas such as
digital preservation, linked open data, and data
formats and standards.

4. Introductions
EGO TIME!
● Library (and Archival)
Technologist
● Author of A Social
Networking Primer for
Librarians (2010)
● Professional Geek
● I work as a translator
between several library
dialects including:
Student, Techie,
Librarian, Archivist and
Administrator!

5. Two questions
1) What one thing do you hope to learn
today?
2) What one thing do you hope to do with
archival technology?

6. Why does this stuff matter?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80749232@N00/2563365462/

7. We keep history and cultures alive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Jaffna_library

8. Two questions
1) What one thing do you hope to learn
today?
2) What one thing do you hope to do with
archival technology?

9. The problem of "hidden collections"

10. The problem of "hidden collections"

11. The problem of "hidden collections"
http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/spiro/spiro_Jan13.pdf

12. http://www.flickr.com/photos/31333486@N00/1977134004/

13. It's all about using the right tool for
the job...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/takomabibelot/4355506368/

14. Evaluating Technologies:
Preliminary Considerations
● Free vs. paid
● Open source vs. closed source
● Local server vs. cloud hosted
● Few features vs. many features (vs. some
features)
● Web-based vs. client-based (vs. both)
● Ease of setup, ease of use
● Degree of technical support
● Standards compliance

15. Archival management
software
aka, "What's all this old stuff, where did we
put it, and what can we do with it?"

16. Archon
http://sandbox.archon.org/latest/index.php?p=digitallibrary/digitalcontent&id=777

17. Archon
http://sandbox.archon.org/latest/index.php?p=admin/avsap/avsapstoragefacilities

18. Archon
● Developed by the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign (2006-2011).
● Free, Open-Source Software (FOSS), locally
hosted, many features, limited exports.
● Has both a back-end (for managing records)
and a front-end (for access).
● Full life-cycle management. Lacks some
features (some metadata exports,
deaccessioning, etc.).
● As of January 2014 it is unsupported
software, but many archives still use it.
http://www.archon.org/

19. Archivists' Toolkit

20. Archivists' Toolkit

21. Archivists' Toolkit

22. Archivists' Toolkit
● Developed with a Mellon Foundation grant and
continued by Five Colleges, Inc., New York University
Libraries, and the UC San Diego Libraries (2006-2009).
● Free, Open-Source Software (FOSS), locally hosted,
many features, exports in many standards/formats.
● Server and client software
● Has a back-end (for managing records). No web
publishing available.
● Full life-cycle management. Lacks some features
(backup/restore, publishing finding aids, etc.)
● AT support ended September 1, 2013.
http://www.archiviststoolkit.org/

23. ArchivesSpace
http://aspace.hudmol.com/wireframes/resource_workflow/02_create_resource.horizontal_tree_pane.png

24. ArchivesSpace
http://archivesspace.middlebury.edu/repositories/2

25. ArchivesSpace
http://archivesspace.library.illinois.edu/search?type=repository

26. ArchivesSpace
● Funded by a Mellon Foundation grant, created by New
York University, the University of California San Diego,
and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Hmmmm...those names look familiar...
● The best of both worlds?
● As of May 13, 2014 it is at version 1.0.9
● Membership option, free option
● "Organizational home" at LYRASIS (including hosting)
http://www.archivesspace.org/
https://github.com/archivesspace/archivesspace

27. AtoM
http://demo.ica-atom.org/job-no-580-vancouver-city-hall-construction-site;isad

28. AtoM
http://rbscarchives.library.ubc.ca/index.php/digitalobject/browse?page=2&mediatypes=137&limit=30

29. AtoM
● ICA-AtoM is web-based archival description software
that is based on International Council on Archives
('ICA') standards. 'AtoM' is an acronym for 'Access to
Memory' (2008-2014).
● Developed by Artefactual Systems in collaboration with
the ICA Program Commission (PCOM) and a growing
network of international partners.
● Free, Open-Source Software (FOSS). Web-based, so
requires server or virtual appliance setup. Current
version (2.0.1) released on December 16, 2013.
● Packaged with Archivematica (digital preservation
software)
https://www.ica-atom.org/
https://www.accesstomemory.org/en/

30. Others
● Adlib Archive
● Calm for Archives
● Cuadra STAR / Archives
● Eloquent Archives
● MINISIS M2A
● Collective Access
● PastPerfect
...and many more

31. Digital collections/asset
management software
aka, "Isn't all that old stuff online by now?"

32. Fedora
http://dl.tufts.edu/

33. Fedora
http://uwyo.coalliance.org/fedora/repository

34. Fedora
● NOT the Linux operating system....
● aka: Fedora Repository / Fedora Commons
● Developed by Cornell University and the University of
Virginia Library, currently supported by DuraSpace
● FOSS, server-side.
● Flexible architecture, allowing you to customize it (add
on components) to meet local needs. Requires more
work.
● Ingest, management, and basic delivery -- not a full-
fledged system for managing digital assets.
http://www.fedora-commons.org/
https://wiki.duraspace.
org/display/FF/Fedora+Repository+Home

35. Islandora
http://mirc.sc.edu/islandora/object/usc%3A1840

36. Islandora
http://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/search/?type=edismax

37. Islandora
● Fedora (asset management), Drupal (website
functionality) and Solr (search). Additional "Solution
Packs" of software to manage particular data types
(books, PDFs, large images, etc.).
● Developed by Prince Edward Island University.
● FOSS, server-side. Has to be assembled by
programmers / systems folks. Requires a LOT of work
and maintenance at this point. Not a "download and
double-click" software.
http://islandora.ca/
https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/ISLANDORA713/Islandora

38. CONTENTdm
http://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/cdm/search/collection/MapsTest

39. CONTENTdm
http://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/MapsTest/id/17/rec/37

40. CONTENTdm (and a lot of work...)
http://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/maps/?overlay=atlpm0031e

41. CONTENTdm
● Closed source, OCLC, and paid (expensive!).
● A full system for managing digital collections. Can be
hosted by OCLC or run on your own servers (hosted
version limits customization).
● Has difficulty with larger collections.
● Server-side software, web interface and project client
software. Lots of moving pieces to get to work together
with limited documentation and slow technical support
response time.
http://www.contentdm.org/

42. Greenstone
http://chopin.lib.uchicago.edu/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=d-000-00---0chopin--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4---Document---0-
1l--1-en-Zz-1---50-home---001-001-1-0utfZz-8-0&a=d&cl=CL1.1&d=CHOP114.22

43. Greenstone
http://www.aliveintruth.org/

44. Greenstone
● Developed by New Zealand Digital Library Project at the
University of Waikato, with support from UNESCO.
● FOSS, server-side.
● Multi-lingual and multi-national.
● Development community is small but work continues
slowly on versions 2 & 3.
http://www.greenstone.org/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/greenstone/

45. Dspace
https://smartech.gatech.edu/

46. Dspace
http://vtext.valdosta.edu:8080/xmlui/

47. Dspace
● Developed by the MIT Libraries and Hewlett-Pckard
Labs
● FOSS, server-side. Hosted option available
(DSpaceDirect)
● Manakin add-on for improved user interface
● Not easy to set up or customize, but effective
http://www.dspace.org/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/dspace/

48. Others
● Tripod2 (Duke University, in-house)
● Keystone (Index Data)
● EPrints (University of Southampton)
● and many more...

49. Display and Access
aka, "All this old stuff can tell a story..."

50. Omeka
http://braddockheritage.org/

51. Omeka
http://library.gsu.edu/exhibits

52. Omeka
● Web publishing of narratives around digital collections.
● Center for History and New Media (CHNM) at George
Mason University
● FOSS, server-side. Hosted versions also available.
● Designed to be relatively easy to use for non-technical
folks.
● Has plugins available for additional functionality (OAI-
PMH, CSV import, Dublin Core, etc.)
http://omeka.org/

53. OHMS: Oral History Metadata Synchronizer
http://nunncenter.org/OHMS-Viewer/viewer.php?cachefile=2010OH057_WW368_Gayheart-v01.xml

54. OHMS: Oral History Metadata Synchronizer
● OHMS was originally designed and created by the Louie
B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky
Libraries in 2008.
● In 2011, the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History
received a grant from IMLS to make the system open
source and free to use with interoperability and
sustainability as the primary goals.
● Sync is done server-side in XML files, playback is done
server-side using the OHMS player
● The grant runs out soon, but the software will remain
FOSS.
http://www.oralhistoryonline.org/
https://github.com/uklibraries/ohms-viewer

55. Others
● Collective Access
● Virtual Exhibit (for Past Perfect)
● Internet Archive
● Picasa/Flickr
● Blogs/Websites
● and many more...

56. GLOSSARY OF ARCHIVAL
TECHY GOODNESS
aka, "Alphabet Soup"

57. Formats & Protocols & Standards! (oh my!)
● MIME: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (aka File Types)
● XML: eXtensible Markup Language
● DTD: Document Type Definition (aka Schema)
● EAD: Encoded Archival Description
● OAI-PMH: The Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting
● OAI-ORE: The Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Object Reuse and
Exchange
● RSS: Really Simple Syndication
● DC: Dublin Core (also DCMI)
● RDF: Resource Description Framework
● SQL: Structured Query Language
● SPARQL: SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language
● MODS: Metadata Object Description Schema
● METS: Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard
● PREMIS: Preservation Metadata: Implementation Strategies
● AIP: Archival Info Package; SIP: Submission Info. Package; DIP:
Distribution Info Package
● BIBFRAME: Bibliographic Framework Initiative

58. IF YOU LEARN NO
OTHER TECHNOLOGY
AS AN ARCHIVIST,
LEARN XML
Do a web search for: W3C Learn XML

59. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.gottlieb.09601/default.html

60. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.gottlieb.09601/default.html

61. So let’s see an example of XML
http://www.loc.gov/standards/premis/louis-2-0.xml

62. PREMIS in METS/MODS (written in
XML)
http://www.loc.gov/standards/premis/louis-2-0.xml

63. Digital Preservation
aka, "What do you mean scanning isn’t
preservation?!?"

64. The Basics
● Digitization is the act of capturing an analog
signal in digital form.
○ This can help reduce wear on originals while
providing broader access.
● Digital preservation is the active
management of digital content over time to
ensure ongoing access. http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/about/
● Educate yourself about the standards for the
items you are digitizing: file formats, bit
depth, resolution, dimensions, storage,
backup

65. Digital Preservation Hardware (for
analog objects)
● A dedicated computer(s) with an emphasis on
processing power, RAM, and graphics card
● Still (photos and text)
○ Flatbed, Open Book, Large Format, Slides,
Cameras, 3D
● Video
○ VHS, Betamax, U-matic, DVCam and Mini-DVCam,
Hi8
● Audio
○ reel-to reel tape, turntable, cassette, Digital Audio

66. Digital Preservation Hardware (for
born-digital objects)
● Media readers (drives, connections)
○ Floppy Discs (3.5” & 5.25”)
○ Zip
○ Jaz
○ CD / DVD / BluRay / Laserdisc
○ Cartridges
○ Microcards
● Write-blockers / Forensic Bridges
○ Tableau
○ Weibe Tech
See: Webinar: “Intro to Digital Preservation #3 — “Management of Incoming Born-Digital Special Collections”

67. Digital Preservation Software
● Software suites to digitize and read
● FITS & JHOVE: used to identify file formats
and extract metadata
● IdentityFinder: searches for Personally
Identifiable Information (PII)
● Bagit: file transfers
● BitCurator & Archivematica: accessioning
through access
See: Intro to Digital Preservation websinar series

68. Linked Open Data
aka, "Set your data free!"

69. Linked Open Data (2010-09)

70. Linked Open Data

71. But why should I care?
http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_berners_lee_the_year_open_data_went_worldwide

72. But what does this have to do with
archives?
http://linkedjazz.org/

73. https://www.google.com/search?q=georgia+state+university

74. Geez Cliff, this sounds pretty complicated. Do I
have to be a computer programmer to do this stuff?
NO!

75. Semantic Web for beginners
● WikiData.org: browse to get a feel for the subject-
predicate-object relationships.
● dbpedia.org: browse to get a feel for the use of LOD
metadata standards.
● Microformats: a way of adding human- and machine-
readable metadata into existing HTML webpages.
○ COinS: ContextObjects in Spans. Allows users to
embed machine-readable bibliographic metadata in
HTML webpages.
● RDFa Lite: Resource Description Framework in
attributes - another way of adding human- and machine-
readable metadata into existing HTML pages.

76. Why does this stuff matter?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80749232@N00/2563365462/

77. Resources:
● Spiro, Lisa (2009). Archival Management Software: A
Report for the Council on Library and Information
Resources. http://www.clir.
org/pubs/reports/spiro/spiro_Jan13.pdf and http:
//archivalsoftware.pbworks.com
● Bean, Carol (2010). Comparing Digital Library Systems
(BeanWorks). http://beanworks.clbean.
com/2010/04/comparing-digital-library-systems/
● Association of Southeastern Research Libraries.
Archived Webinars / Materials. http://aserl.org/archive
● Digital Preservation - Tools Showcase. http://www.
digitalpreservation.gov/tools/
● W3C Schools. http://www.w3schools.com/

78. Not that it has to be said, but...
Disclaimer!
All images and excerpts included are being
used under the auspices of Fair Use for the
purposes of nonprofit education, criticism, and
comment as outlined in 17 U.S.C. § 107.

79. Questions?
Cliff Landis
Web Services Librarian
Georgia State University
47th Annual Georgia Archives Institute
June 9 – 20, 2014