Jane Stevenson and Lisa JeskinsArchives Hub

2012

By the end of today’s session you will have learnt about:

• The Archives Hub service• Using the EAD Editor to create and edit content• Embedding images and adding links to digital

content

An aggregator for UK archives

A JISC-funded service based at Mimas, The University of

Manchester

In service since 2000

Over 25,000 collection descriptions

100,000’s of lower-level entries

Over 200 repositories contribute

Management and service team at Manchester

Development team at Liverpool

Cheshire software

Higher/Further Education Specialist repositories Charities Learned institutions Local authorities Museum archives We encourage institutions to contact us

John Rylands Library, Manchester

Originally funded for collection-level but always multi-level

Software/searches effective with both

Collection descriptions can be updated at any time

Researchers ask for detail, but also ask for descriptions to be

available at any level rather than not

Flickr cc licence: soylentgreen23’s photostream

EAD: XML for archives

ISAD(G) compliant

ISO standard for language

Thesauri for index terms

We provide guidelines for best practice

It is XML, which is an international standard

It is the most sustainable and future-proof option we have

It is a simple and effective way of structuring content and providing meaning

Machines can manipulate the content in all sorts of ways

Enable different kind of access to the data

We support the principles of open data

◦SRU

◦OAI-PMH

◦Z39.50

Effective cross-searching requires:

◦Interoperability

which requires

◦Common standards

All Hub descriptions have their own identifiers – a unique

reference

An identifier is effectively a web address (http URI)

Enables bookmarking of content

Facilitates linking

Enables exposure to Google

Hub Hub Data Data FlowFlow

Google (SEO) Blog Twitter Links from NRA Links to/from Copac Marketing strategy Networking, conferences and events More work on measuring impact

UKAD: UK Archives Discovery Network

Genesis: subject portal using our API

AIM25: collaboration to improve interoperability

TNA: links from the NRA

Copac: have links from the Hub to Copac records

CALM/Adlib

Continuing to increase awareness and use

Building images and links to content

Utilising technology to best advantage

Remaining relevant and sustainable

Understanding Impact

Understanding our users

Flickr cc licence: hoodwink’s photostream

Increasing content and contributors

Enhancing our user interface

Automated data ingest

Making the data ‘work harder’

Innovation through use of technology and understanding of

user needs

Export descriptions from other sytems to the Archives Hub◦CALM◦AdLib◦Archivists Toolkit◦ICA AtoM◦Excel

You do not need to re-create descriptions

Benefit from being part of the Hub – cross-searching, SEO, innovative projects

Your descriptions are backed-up as EAD

Project Headway: export routines for different data formats◦scripts to convert data◦requires mapping and an iterative

process of development◦testing out the process with a few

contributors before rolling-out

Get in touch Still in testing phaseNeed ‘guinea pigs’, especially if

willing to work with us to help us hone our scripts

Run file -> reports -> archiveshub EAD 2002 Make the required edits in the Hub EAD Editor

Contact Adlib to ask for an XSLT for your institution

Export description as xml, and apply the XSLT

Make required edits in the Hub EAD Editor

Have a template for ExcelEnsures your descriptions will

convert to EADMay not be feasible to convert other

Excel content – too diverse

See the website http://archiveshub.ac.uk/exporting/Contact us:

archiveshub@mimas.ac.uk