This course WILL count towards the in-person requirement for the DAS program.
It is scheduled to run October 28 and 29, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. central time on both days.
The digital curation “ecosystem” is made up of any number of tools and systems that perform small, discrete tasks, cover particular file format groups or functional areas of models like the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model, and that claim to be more or less comprehensive. This ecosystem is in a constant state of flux, and digital archivists are responsible for stewarding more and more—and more complex—digital content. Despite our wish for a “silver bullet,” all of these tools necessarily specialize in one function or another, and none of them do it all. Managing such a high number of what are effectively silos of information and resources, especially the handoffs of data and metadata between them to support archival workflows, can be overwhelming.
The good news, at least when it comes to technology, is that many systems these days are designed to connect with one another, and systems integration can “knit” disparate systems together to support a wide variety of archival needs, creating efficient workflows from accession to ingest to access.
In this course, you can expect an overview of the what, why, and how of systems integration and its role in “knitting” disparate systems together to support a wide variety of workflows in the archival enterprise. If you’re starting from scratch, it will help you design your integrated technical ecosystem and choose tools and systems to comprise it that “play nicely” with others. This will include deeper dives into technologies like common metadata standards and application programming interfaces (APIs), as well as data interoperability protocols and other methodologies that get systems to “talk” to one another, as well as numerous real-world examples of systems integration “in the wild” to inspire you. If you’re starting from an existing workflow that makes use of siloed systems, this course will help you make better use of the affordances of technology to get those systems to work together, better.
The last module will be devoted to exploring issues at the intersection of archives and technology.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
· Define systems integration and understand it’s utility
· Recognize common architectural and data flow patterns in systems integrations
· Evaluate tools and systems for “integratability”
· Have a basic understanding of technologies like common metadata standards and application programming interfaces (APIs), data interoperability protocols, etc., and their use in systems integrations scenarios
· Charter a new systems integration project
· Improve the handoffs of data and metadata between tools and systems in an existing workflow
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.
DAS Tier: Transformational
DAS Core Competency:
3. Formulate strategies and tactics for appraising, acquiring, describing, managing, organizing, preserving, and delivering digital archives.
4. Incorporate technologies throughout the archival lifecycle.
6. Employ standards and best practices in the management of digital archives.
7. Design a defined set of services for designated community.
If you intend to pursue the DAS Certificate, you will need to pass the examination for this course.
Fees: Early / Regular
SAA Members: $269 /$319
Employees of SAA Member Institutions: $329 / $379
Nonmembers: $379/ $439
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.