From archivist to digital archivist - Hull History Centre

From archivist to digital archivist
Simon Wilson, Digital Archivist (AIMS Project)

Previous experience (in Jan 2010)
Used ICT with archives, but no previous experience
with born-digital archives
Digitisation experience, Mersey Gateway
NOF project – creating digital content
and metadata etc
University had a digital repository (Fedora)
in-place, but the Archives had no policies
or procedures for born-digital collections
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The AIMS Project
An inter-Institutional Model for Stewardship funded by The
Andrew W. Mellon foundation
Each partner employed a digital archivist for two years to
process born-digital collections held by the partners
Started with traditional archival theory/principles; identify
commonality - not looking to create a single solution
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What is already in your store?
Born-digital media within paper collections – media has been
accessioned (but not the contents..)
Traditional survey skills:
- identify media & content issues, level of cataloguing etc
- quantity & range of media formats - inform plans/policies
Screenshot of survey spreadsheet using MS Excel
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Dealing with depositors
Existing skills, but relationship
is more critical than ever before
New questions to ask
- hardware, software, passwords,
social media, e-mail accounts etc
Web-form to collect information
from depositor; worked better as
a framework for discussions
Screenshot of web –based survey developed by the AIMS Project From Archivist to Digital Archivist | 2nd Sep 2011 | 5

Depositors awareness and perceptions
Some were very willing to work with us, allowed us to browse
their server and identify material of interest (to us)
Some were keen but then got cold feet; reluctant to help us
identify current records likely to be
of archival interest
Emphasis on our role in managing
information (regardless of format)
Must explain why timeframe for
action is so radically different
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Accessioning
Manifest of the material transferred
(similar to initial box list on deposit)
Use DROID to identify file types
– but it doesn’t recognise everything!
Transfer files from old/current media
to network storage (easier to refresh)
Update existing policies/procedures (not distinct policies)
- integrate specific aspects relating to born-digital archives
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New forensic tools for accessioning
Forensic workstation - re-purpose an old PC
with floppy disk, CD drive and USB ports
Engaged colleagues in ICT in our work –
took the old PC and added internal zip drive
New PC for hard drives & laptops – larger
volume of files to capture/transfer
Write-blocker allows safe capture of files
from media/hard drives; use with FTK
Imager software
Tableau write-blocker
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Arrangement and Description
How do we arrange and describe born-digital archives?
New challenges to be faced:
– volume of material; is it practical to
describe each file?
– material comes in an order; do we need
to change this?
– can you make an appraisal decision on
a file you can’t view?
– integrate material into single finding aid
Toad in the Hull, design for a toad that was never built (Larkin with Toads archive)
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Arrangement and Description
AIMS digital archivists identified gap relating to A&D of borndigital
archives in Fedora; functionality shaped and refined by
our experiences
Developers at Stanford –
proof of concept Hypatia tool
Use drag’n’drop to create the
intellectual arrangement into
Fedora sets (objects not moved)
Assign rights & permissions to
a file, series or entire collection
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Axiell
Working with colleagues at LSE,
Parliamentary Archives, Wellcome
Library etc
How CALM can exchange data
(via an API) with a digital
repository – first version of this
was included on 9.1 CD
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User experience
Paper archives offer a sense of discovery
Notebooks - plot outlines, notes
of meetings with producers,
snippets of dialogue etc with
different work all intermingled
With born-digital material the same information is
likely to be dispersed across separate files
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User expectations
Expectation of access and delivery online
- confirming a user’s identity?
- material collected much closer to creation - but issues
relating to access to sensitive material remain unchanged
New tools:
new opportunities
for access/analysis
- visualisation
- word clouds
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archives workflow...
Quarantine
Check for
mould &
infestation etc
Archives
Work room
Initial review
/ appraisal
Donor survey
talk to depositor
Re-box the material into
archive folders / boxes etc
REPOSITORY
Produce surrogate
copies for user
access (m/film)
Cataloguing Room
first serious look at material,
appraisal, arrangement &
description; identify any
legal/access restrictions etc
CALM
catalogue
original item produced
in search room
WEB PLATFORM – catalogue available online

AIMS, CALM & Fedora workflow...
Digital Assets
Forensic
workstation
Virus check,
manifest etc
Network
storage
Initial review
/ appraisal
Donor survey
secure web-form
on a SQL Lite database
KEY
Digital Asset
Metadata
Rubymatica
virus check, checksum, create manifest
(with copy of original manifest and
Donor Survey for ref) creates SIP
web
services
FEDORA
(Technical metadata)
(Access & Security)
transformation layer –
migrate file on to access
format etc
Hypatia (Arrangement
& Description Tool)
inc browse/view/delete files;
set intellectual arrangement
and align digital objects with
this; set user permissions;
create descriptive record etc
web
services
EAD for paper/hybrid collection
CALM
(Descriptive metadata)
catalogue
Digital Objects
access copy
Solr index
EAD Finding aid inc
links to digital objects
Solr index
WEB PLATFORM (merged Solr indexes & Blacklight)

Scale of the task
• Made considerable progress - document process, workflows
and written Idiots Guides
• We don’t have a complete solution in-place yet, already have
40,000 born-digital files (33.5 GB) from just 4 collections
• Expect to have 1m+ born-digital files
in 5 years & backlog measured in TB
• E-mail/databases to contend with
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Conclusion
• Nature (and format) of archives has changed dramatically,
but most of our professional skills are still relevant
• Some new tools, new software, new terminology and more
acronyms to learn (esp OAIS)
• Can’t “keep everything” and hope Google create an
algorithm to enable access
• Confidence to make the transition from paper to digital;
hands-on learning - play with sample files/media etc
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Contact details
Simon Wilson
Digital Archivist (AIMS Project)
Hull History Centre
Tel 01482 317506
Email s.wilson@hull.ac.uk
www.hullhistorycentre.org.uk
AIMS Project blog – http://born-digital-archives.blogspot.com
Portrait of Claude-Henri Watalet blogging, after Jean-Baptiste Greuze
http://www.flickr.com/photos/notionscapital/2497196140/in/photostream/
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