ARCHON 2.1
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Home Page
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http://www.archon.org/
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Developed by
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Library and University of Illinois Archives,
Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
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Developer’s Description
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"Archon is predicated on the notion that a unified, web-based application is a lynchpin in expanding access to archival descriptive information, digital objects, and electronic records. In this sense, Archon can be thought of as a Content Management System (CMS) that allows archives and manuscript repositories to describe and provide access to the totality of their holdings. Like most content management systems, Archon requires only a set of very common, free technologies (a webserver running PHP 5.0 or higher and a database server, such as MySQL.)”
“It automatically publishes archival descriptive information and digital archival objects to a user-friendly website. With Archon, there is no need to encode a finding aid, input a catalog record, or program a stylesheet. Archon's powerful scripts will automatically make everything in the system searchable and browseable on your repository's website!
Archon will simplify your workflow and save you time. Once you've input or edited information using some simple web forms, Archon automatically uploads the files, publishes the website, and generates EAD and MARC records.”
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License
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Illinois Open Source License
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Purchasing Cost
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Free
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Maintenance Cost
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Free
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User Support
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- Listserv
- User forums
- Web site
- Responsive developers
- User manual
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Training
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Proposal for Archon workshop submitted to SAA
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System Requirements
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User:
A recent web browser on any platform
Admin:
- blank MySQL or Microsoft SQL Server database
a webserver (of any type) running PHP 5.0 or higher.
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Technical Architecture
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Web-based platform built using PHP 5.0 and SQL database as back end
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Backup/ restore utility
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“export the entire database for backup purposes, and restore data from a backup files or using a user- defined SQL script.”
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Maturity
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Hosting Available?
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No
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Demo/ Sandbox Available?
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Yes: http://www.archon.org/sandbox.php
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Sustainability
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Currently supported by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A winner of the 2008 Mellon Award for Technology Collaboration.
Will develop sustainability plan.
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Example Users
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"A substantial user community has emerged; the software has been downloaded 900 times, installed or upgraded over 600 times, and at least 30 ‘production’ applications currently running or planned."
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Unique strengths
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- Makes it easy for archives to publish finding aids online
- Optimized for Google so content is easy to discover
- Ease of data entry
- Digital library module supports linking digital files to finding aids
- Low development overhead/cost
- Facilitates access to and reuse of archival information and digital objects
- Encourages efficient descriptive practices
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Support for Importing/ Exporting Metadata
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Exports MARC
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Yes
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Exports EAD
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Yes
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Exports Dublin Core
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No?
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Exports MODS
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No
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Exports METS
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No
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Exports MADS
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No
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Batch Exports EAD
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Batch Exports MARC
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No?
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Batch Export Tab Delimited Files
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No?
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Imports EAD
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Yes
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Imports MARC
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Yes, including batch import
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Imports Tab Delimited Files/ CSV
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Yes: CSV
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Imports Digital Image Files
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Yes?
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Import Accession Data
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Batch import data from MARC, EAD (XML) or CSV format.
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Batch Import EAD
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Yes
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Batch Import MARC
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Yes
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Batch Import CSV
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Yes
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Collection Management Features
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Appraisals
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No?
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Accessions
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Yes:
- “Enter basic information for recently received materials.”
- “Link accessions to one or more existing collections or record groups.”
- “Transfer basic accession records into collections records for further editing.”
- “List unprocessed materials in an 'accessions manager'.”
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Create Deeds of Gift
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No?
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Prioritize Processing Order
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Yes
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Track Donors
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No?
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Project Management
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No?
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Record Condition
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An AV Preservation Assessment module is expected in June 2009.
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Manage Locations
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Yes: “Track room, range, section, and shelf locations for each collection.”
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Manage Restricted Materials
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Yes
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Manage Rights
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Not really, although there is a rights field
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Manage Loans & Exhibits
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No
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De-Accessioning
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No
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Reference Support
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Not really, but Archon allows archives to “Manage information related to researcher accounts and appointments established by researchers.”
“Users can register accounts, place collections, series, folders and items into a virtual cart, email the list to the archives, and establish appointment times. The menus in this area allow the Archon administrator to view and edit information related to researcher accounts, carts, and logins.”
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Generate Reports
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No?
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Track Repository Statistics
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No?
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Resource Description
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Authority Control
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Yes:
- “Develop creator authorities and controlled subject lists, and link them to collections and digital objects.”
- “Create and edit creator and subject authority records, which may be linked to classifications, collections, or digital objects. Changes made to authority records will automatically propagate to associated collections or digital objects.”
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Controlled vocabulary
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Yes
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Compliance to Archival Standards
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EAD, MARC, DACS
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Data Validation
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?
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Templating/ Default Fields
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Yes: “Templates control the particular data elements that appear on a particular page. They are not intended to control display properties such as layout, colors and fonts.”
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Support for Digital Media
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Yes: “Upload digital objects/electronic records or link archival descriptions to external URLs.”
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Internationalization
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Yes: currently offers Spanish and English interfaces; French and Italian being considered
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Flexibility of Data Model
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- “Define "Repository Level" information such as address, contact information, and overall arrangement scheme.”
- “Define record groups or other classifications.”
- Archon’s data model can accommodate any organizational hierarchy
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Item-level Description
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Yes: “Describe the series, subseries, files, items, etc. within each collection.”
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Reorganize Hierarchies
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Yes: you can transfer levels to another point in hierarchy
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Dynamically generate EAD finding aids
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Yes
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Publish finding aids online
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Yes
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Administrative Functions
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User Permissions
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Yes:
- “Add edit, or delete user accounts, allowing or denying people access to the staff interface.”
- Different levels of permission depending on user type
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Support for Harvesting/ Syndication
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No
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Customization/ Configuration
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Yes:
- “Create new output templates to show the data in any way you choose (2 such templates are included with the current Archon Distribution packet).”
- “My Preferences: Change password, select administrative interface language, and set display order for the user’s staff ‘homepage.’”
- “Phrase Manger: set and change staff interface labels, error messages, and help texts.”
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Spell Check
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No
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Bug Reporting
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?
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Interoperability with Digital Repository Systems
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Not yet, but plans to Increase interoperability with other systems using OAI and SWORD technologies
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User Interface
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Web Publishing
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“Archon automatically publishes a website containing collection-level descriptions, full finding aids, and linked digital objects. Regardless of which browser you use to create and edit records, Archon’s end-user output can be viewed with any web browser.”
End users can:
“* View, download and use digital objects/electronic records.
* Easily navigate from digital objects to archival descriptions and vice versa.
* Jump easily between collections and digital objects sharing the same subject, creator, or archival record group.”
Archon plans “to investigate the addition of a 'user annotation' feature so that archival end users can submit comments
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Browse
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Yes: End users can “browse materials by collection title, digital object title, controlled subject heading, creator authority record, or archival record group.”
- “provides hyperlinks to other collections and digital objects that are related by provenance, subject, or creator.”
- “Unlike the traditional archival finding aid, which spreads “collection-level” descriptive information over several pages, Archon provides links to all essential information “above the fold” in the web-browser, so that users do not need to scroll to find essential information.”
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Search
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Yes:
- “Search queries can be entered against either collection-level records or the full content of finding aids (including box and folder lists).”
- “Simultaneously search descriptions of archival materials, electronic records, and digital objects.”
- “View, print, and search finding aids for individual collections.”
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Advanced Search
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Yes: phrase-based searching, can exclude terms.
Search filter so that you don’t have to scroll to find information.
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Customizable
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- Yes: Non technical staff can modify Archon’s themes and customize the interface if they know a little HTML and PHP
- Archon plans to "undertake usability studies and develop new administrative and end-user themes."
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Built-in Help
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Yes: “Use an integrated help system by clicking the help buttons”
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Link to Images & Other Files
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Yes: “"The digital library [module] is used to link to external digital objects and to directly upload digital objects and electronic records into the system. Linked or uploaded objects can be associated with individual collections or any subordinate parts of a collection (e.g. series, items, files) which have been entered. Hyperlinks between the digital object and the associated collection automatically appear in the public website."
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Easy Data Entry
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Yes: “edit descriptive information directly from an enhanced public interface by clicking the edit icon: Archon pencil image.”
- When a user begins typing a controlled-subject term, Archon filters a list of potential terms, allowing the user to select the appropriate one.
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