This course WILL count towards the in-person requirement for the DAS program.
The digital curation “ecosystem” is large and complex. Made up of tools that perform small, discrete tasks, those that cover particular format groups or functional areas of models (such as OAIS), and even those that claim to be more or less comprehensive, this ecosystem is in a constant state of flux. Although there is great potential in common data formats, open standards, and APIs to facilitate systems integrations that support end-to-end digital archiving workflows, the myriad tools—and possible combinations of those tools—can make it difficult to know where to begin!
In this course, you’ll explore options for suites of tools that can work together to steward digital archives and electronic manuscripts through the digital curation life cycle.
More importantly, our goal is to empower you to critically evaluate these options, successfully implement them at your institution, efficiently manage “handoffs” of data and metadata from one system to another, and plan for the future. Because more and more systems are designed to connect, we’ll also cover the basics of system integration with real-world examples of both proprietary and open-source software integrations. Hands-on components will include group discussions, use case and functional requirements development, and tool demos.
Instructor bio:
Max Eckard is the lead archivist for Digital Initiatives at the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library, where he provides strategic vision for the development and integration of the Bentley’s technical ecosystem, which includes Aeon, ArchivesSpace, Archivematica, Archive-It, and DSpace. Eckard supports the processing of complex collections, the creation and reuse of metadata, and the introduction of more efficient workflows through technical innovation. He has served as a member of the ArchivesSpace-Archivematica-DSpace Workflow Integration project team, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (2014–2016), and as a member, progressing to chair of the ArchivesSpace Technical Advisory Committee (2015–2019). He has frequently published and presented on the topic of systems integration, is the author of Making Your Tools Work for You: Building and Maintaining an Integrated Technical Ecosystem for Archives and Digital Libraries, and has developed and teaches the Society of American Archivists’ course “Tool Integration: From Pre-SIP to DIP.” He earned his masters of library science with concentrations in academic and digital librarianship from the North Carolina Central University School of Library and Information Sciences.
Upon completion of this course, you’ll have the core information to:
- Define and prioritize use cases and functional requirements to establish the digital preservation needs of your institution that can be solved by software.
- Perform an environmental scan and evaluate options for suites of tools that can work together to approach a full solution for the software component of digital preservation.
- Design a pre-ingest to access workflow appropriate for your institution and its resources that supports traditional archival functions as well as OAIS.
- Explain the issues surrounding system implementation and integration: solution models, common pitfalls, dealing with legacy systems and data, data and metadata flow and reuse, methods and tiers of integration, etc.
Who should attend? Archivists, records managers, special collections curators ,and other practitioners or managers responsible for stewarding digital archives and electronic manuscripts through the digital curation life cycle
What should you already know? Participants should have a working knowledge of OAIS as well as an understanding of archival practice and workflow.
The Basics of Managing Digital Records webcast or Digital Curation: Fundamentals for Success in-person course is recommended but not required.
If you intend to pursue the DAS Certificate, you will need to pass the examination for this course.
Fees: Early / Regular
SAA Members: $199 /$249
Employees of SAA Member Institutions: $239 / $299
Nonmembers: $279/ $349