We would like to invite any repositories that are not yet on the Archives Hub to consider contributing descriptions, and current contributors to think about uploading more content. We also have the option for you to upload descriptions of 'Online Resources'
- see below.
It is a difficult time just now, as repository doors are closed and most of us are working from home. So, this could be a good time to think about something like this, which you might be able to do from home.
The Archives Hub (
https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk) is an aggregation of descriptions, including images and links to all kinds of physical and digital content. It represents over 350 institutions and rising.
It gives researchers the opportunity to quickly find the greatest range of archival resources across the UK. You may like to read more about our value and impact:
https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/value/
https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/impact/
One of our key principles is to create re-usable, interoperable data, so we have set up data processing routines for different sources of data. This standardisation of data means that we can provide all descriptions to the Archives Portal Europe (
http://www.archivesportaleurope.net/)
In order to contribute to the Archives Hub
*You can export from a number of Archival Management Systems:
We have been working hard to set the service up to take exports from archival management systems, which is a big challenge given the variations in systems and in how people catalogue. We can never be sure what will be involved in getting the descriptions of
any one repository into the Hub, because it depends upon the data structure, use of fields, consistency and quality. But we are now taking descriptions from many institutions that use Calm, and from several institutions that use AdLib. We have harvested from
AtoM and Epexio, and we are looking at ArchiveIndex and a number of other systems. Sometimes it can take a few weeks or even months to analyse and work through the data from a contributor, but increasingly we can upload the data almost immediately. Once
we are happy with the processing, we give you access to our admin interface so that you can upload, as well as un-publish and re-publish.
Exporting your descriptions to the Archives Hub:
https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/archivesystemexport/ (there are links to pages for various systems).
*You can use our EAD Editor which is free and available via a browser:
Our cataloguing tool, the EAD Editor, is a form-based interface (not requiring any knowledge of EAD). It creates good quality, interoperable data. It includes many features to support controlled vocabularies and use of standards, and has a VIAF lookup for
including global unique IDs for people and organisations. Once you submit a description to the Archives Hub it will be live within an hour. You just need an archon code, and then we can set you up and provide you with a login for the Editor. You can create
descriptions at your convenience - collection level or multi-level, summary or detailed - and submit them whenever you are ready.
The EAD Editor and Guide:
https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/eadeditor/
Online tutorials for the Editor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpD6EYHon8zAsAbn1jvgJEbTzMpGLUhse
*You can contribute Online Resources:
Online Resources include any resource that is available on the Web and that represents archives:
https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/?tab=themes. It might be an online exhibition, a subject-based portal or an interpretation or narrative on on archive. Think of it as any resources
that people looking for archival sources might find useful (other than our traditional catalogues). You can use our EAD Editor to submit Online Resources, but if this is impractical for you, please email us and we should be able to create the description
for you. As a minimum we need a URL (which we can use as the reference), administrator, title and description, preferably with subject terms, to aid discoverability.