http://www.archivists.org/
It is difficult to talk about any significant archival resource without at some point discussing the Society of American Archivists (SAA). The SAA is the seminal organization for archivists in the United States. Its journal -The American Archivist- is a key source of professional information for anyone working in the field. In 2008 SAA awarded the Archivists Toolkit with the C.F.W. Coker Award. As written on the website: “The award recognizes finding aids, finding aid systems, innovative development in archival description, or descriptive tools that enable archivists to produce more effective finding aids.”
The SAA also provides a forum for those in the profession to help each other learn and understand this important tool. There is a recently formed (February 2009) roundtable dedicated to the Archivists Toolkit. Another place to find information is in a roundtable focused on “Lonearrangers” or independent working archivists. At the moment the comments of the discussion board is limited, however this is not meant as a criticism of the SAA nor of the members who participate on its website. If anything the discussion board points to the fact that Archivists Toolkit is but one of several programs both open source and on the market that is being used by smaller members of the profession. The comments on the discussion board indicate that some like it, some don’t, but the same can be said for Past Perfect or any of the other programs. A review of the SAA website reveals-at least to this aspiring archivist- that Archivists Toolkit is but one of many choices that archivists must face when making decisions for their organization. But that if one has questions, there are resources out there in the form of help from fellow professionals.
(n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2009, from Society of American Archivists : http://www.archivists.org/
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Post No. 1 ARCHIVISTS TOOLKIT-THE WEBSITE
If we are going to look at Archivist’s Toolkit then we should probably start with its home website http://archiviststoolkit.org/.
The Archivist’s Toolkit is a collaborative project involving the New York University Libraries, the University of California San Diego Libraries, and the Five Colleges, Inc. Libraries. The project is funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The group is constantly improving the product and there have been at least five new versions of the program since its inception in 2006. The most recent version (2.0) was released in September of this year. According to their website Archivists Toolkit will be merging with Archon, another open source archival management program (created by the University of Illinois) sometime in the near future.
Everything you want to know about Archivists Toolkit can be found on their website. There is a section titled “frequently asked questions” which includes some details such as system requirements and other questions that might relate to installation problems. There is also a discussion forum where users can post questions about the program. The website also includes a list of current users. The list is “self identifying” meaning that the users themselves place themselves on the list. The list is organized by state and in some cases contains contact information. The website also contains a fifteen chapter user manual however it should be noted that the most recent manual was released in conjunction with version 1.5 and there does not appear to be a manual for version 2.0 as of yet.
Perhaps the best thing about this website is the “sandbox” option allowing the potential new user to download the most current version in an experimental mode with example collections. The sandbox allows potentially new users to experiment with the program and explore it to see if it is really something they want to use.
(n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2009, from Archivists's Toolkit: http://www.archiviststoolkit.org/
The Archivist’s Toolkit is a collaborative project involving the New York University Libraries, the University of California San Diego Libraries, and the Five Colleges, Inc. Libraries. The project is funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The group is constantly improving the product and there have been at least five new versions of the program since its inception in 2006. The most recent version (2.0) was released in September of this year. According to their website Archivists Toolkit will be merging with Archon, another open source archival management program (created by the University of Illinois) sometime in the near future.
Everything you want to know about Archivists Toolkit can be found on their website. There is a section titled “frequently asked questions” which includes some details such as system requirements and other questions that might relate to installation problems. There is also a discussion forum where users can post questions about the program. The website also includes a list of current users. The list is “self identifying” meaning that the users themselves place themselves on the list. The list is organized by state and in some cases contains contact information. The website also contains a fifteen chapter user manual however it should be noted that the most recent manual was released in conjunction with version 1.5 and there does not appear to be a manual for version 2.0 as of yet.
Perhaps the best thing about this website is the “sandbox” option allowing the potential new user to download the most current version in an experimental mode with example collections. The sandbox allows potentially new users to experiment with the program and explore it to see if it is really something they want to use.
(n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2009, from Archivists's Toolkit: http://www.archiviststoolkit.org/
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Just what is this blog is all about?
This blog has been created as an assignment to fulfill part of the requirements for LIS 644 Digital Tools, Trends, and Debates a class taken as a part of the masters program in Library and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin. For this assignment I will examine Archivists Toolkit an open source database program providing tools for description and management of archival material including the production of finding aids, accessioning, collection guides, and various access tools. The program is flexible and can be set up as a stand-alone desk top or a multi-repository networked application.
Though the course of the fall 2009 semester I will review eight resources relating to Archivists Toolkit. The reviews will be posted here intermittently over the months of October, November, and December.
Though the course of the fall 2009 semester I will review eight resources relating to Archivists Toolkit. The reviews will be posted here intermittently over the months of October, November, and December.
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