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CALM FOR ARCHIVES |
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Home Page |
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Developed by |
DS is a member of the Axiell Library Group, based in the UK. |
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Developer’s Description |
“Calm is the leading Archives management system in the UK. DS has worked for many years with specialists to develop our Calm products: comprehensive and integrated systems suited to diverse organizational needs. Calm makes it easy to manage data across the heritage sector. All relevant standards are supported seamlessly within one system. Development in partnership with customers ensures that Calm reflects current and changing professional standards. DS is committed to providing mechanisms that allow customers to work with others in similar and cross-sectoral areas.” |
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License |
Commercial. |
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Purchasing Cost |
Depends on number of staff clients and modules purchased. |
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Maintenance Cost |
25% of software license cost. Note this includes free updates and upgrades to all purchased modules. |
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User Support |
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Training |
Yes, customized to user requirements. |
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System Requirements |
Server specification: RAM – 2Gb
Client specification: |
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Technical Architecture |
Client/server application, runs as a Windows Service. Uses a proprietary database. CalmView public access module based on .NET/APSX. |
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Backup/ restore utility |
Backup to fit local customer standards. Restore based on restoring database files from last back-up. |
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Maturity |
Calm products have been available for 12 years, with over 300 installations across the UK and Europe. |
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Hosting Available? |
Yes |
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Demo/ Sandbox Available? |
Yes |
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Sustainability |
“Calm has a very large and active user community, and development is based on a user consensus approach. Calm conforms to current approved international standards, including ISAD(G), ISAAR, EAD and OAI. It is our policy to conform to standards once they are ratified.
There is an optional ESCROW agreement available.” |
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Example Users |
UK: National Archives of Scotland Wellcome Library London School of Economics and Political Science The British Postal Museum and Archive Hampshire Record Office The National Gallery Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Transport for London Other: National Archive of Portugal, Lisbon Shell Family Archives Centre, Netherlands |
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Unique Features |
“Calm is a modular system designed to provide a full range of Collection Management functions, including: • Accessions/LoansIn • Depositor/Owner/Lender • Catalogue • Authority Files • Conservation • Enquiries • Productions/Loans Out/Movement Control • Condition Check • User Management Unique features also include:
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Support for Importing/ Exporting Metadata |
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Exports MARC |
Yes, can be mapped |
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Exports EAD |
Yes |
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Exports Dublin Core |
Yes, can be mapped |
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Exports MODS |
No |
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Exports METS |
No |
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Exports MADS |
No |
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Batch Exports EAD |
Yes |
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Batch Exports MARC |
Yes |
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Batch Export Tab Delimited Files |
Yes |
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Imports EAD |
Yes |
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Imports MARC |
Yes |
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Imports Tab Delimited Files/ CSV |
Yes |
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Imports Digital Image Files |
Yes, further integration in next release with implementation of new digital repository module. |
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Import Accession Data |
Yes |
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Batch Import EAD |
Yes |
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Batch Import MARC |
Yes |
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Batch Import CSV |
Yes |
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Collection Management Features |
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Appraisals |
Yes |
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Accessions |
Yes |
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Create Deeds of Gift |
Yes |
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Prioritize Processing Order |
Yes |
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Track Donors |
Yes |
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Project Management |
No |
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Record Condition/ Conservation |
Yes |
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Manage Locations |
Yes, has a locations database for stock check and collections management. |
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Manage Restricted Materials |
Yes |
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Manage Rights |
Yes |
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Manage Loans & Exhibits |
Yes |
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De-Accessioning |
Yes |
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Reference Support |
Yes, provides support for reference requests. |
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Generate Reports |
Yes |
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Track Repository Statistics |
Yes |
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Resource Description |
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Authority Control |
Yes, has Authority control for Names, Places, Periods, Events, Subjects and Class. |
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Controlled vocabulary |
Yes, provides for both single and poly-hierarchical subject thesaurus options and provision of the UNESCO or UKAT thesaurus if required by customer. |
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Compliance to Archival Standards |
Yes. supports EAD, ISAD (G) and is compliant with ISAAR (CPF) and NCA name authority guidelines. |
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Data Validation |
Yes, Calm has a sophisticated date parser allowing storage and searching across a variety of date ranges e.g. search Spring 1916 will retrieve record with date April 1916 or c1915 or Easter 1916. |
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Templating/ Default Fields |
Yes, has extensive field and template customization options. |
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Support for Digital Media |
Yes, links to electronic data sources including images, audio and video. |
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Internationalization |
Yes. Backend database Unicode aware, and the interface is translatable. |
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Flexibility of Data Model |
Calm has a flexible database structure, fully supporting relational and hierarchical relationships. |
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Item-level Description |
Yes. |
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Supports Hierarchical Cataloging |
Yes, flexible and dynamic tree structure for managing collection hierarchy. Hierarchy levels are not hard-coded which allows individual customers flexibility to define their own collection structures. |
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Dynamically generate EAD finding aids |
Yes. |
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Publish finding aids online |
Yes, using CalmView public access module. |
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Administrative Functions |
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User Permissions |
Yes. |
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Support for Harvesting/ Syndication |
Yes: OAI repository and harvester module available. |
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Customization/ Configuration |
Yes, record relationships can be viewed through a unique graphical tree browser. Fields are repeatable (unless functionally undesirable) and can contain up to 64,000 characters of searchable text per field; record templates can be modified, but also, unusually, individual records of the same type can have fields added or removed. A standard utility called DS Admin allows the system administrator to vary record types, field labels, authority fields, picklists, and many other functions, without jeopardising a common upgrade path. All field properties (width, position, label, font, picklist, mandatory, serial number, bib1/MARC/XML attributes, etc) are user defined using DS Admin. |
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Spell Check |
Yes, provided as standard. |
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Bug Reporting |
Yes, through support channels and resolved through standard service level agreements. |
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Interoperability with Digital Repository Systems |
Yes, with external systems through API, XML broker or exposed URL. Integrated digital repository module available with next release. |
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User Interface |
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Web Publishing |
Yes, CalmView is the new public access module for Calm, and allows any allows any data and/or images stored in a Calm database to be searched locally or remotely (intranet or Internet) through a web browser. It is fully parameterised and allows local configuration to control search options (e.g. keyword, Google style simple search, wildcard), screen displays, visible/hidden fields, search filters, data security, access to images and electronic documents, links to other URLs, hierarchical browsing, bookmarking, image watermarking, plus “showcase/image gallery/what’s new” features. |
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Browse |
Yes. |
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Search |
Calm is a structured full text retrieval system and has search features including any text, field specific, wildcard, proximity, keyword, date parser, Boolean, widen/narrow/exclude, and/or/not, synonym, etc. All fields or combination of fields may be searched unless functionally undesirable. All words are indexed automatically unless set as a stopword. All fields are indexed automatically unless set as unindexed by the administrator. |
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Advanced Search |
Yes: customizable, support for intelligent date searching, synonym, wild card, etc. |
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Customizable |
Yes, CalmView has “out of the box” theming/ skinning. Calm application has flexible DSAdmin module. |
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Built-in Help |
Yes. |
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Link to Images & Other Files |
Yes. |
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Easy Data Entry |
Yes. many of the databases have relational features, so it is possible to move seamlessly across databases using the database tabs and access any associated records. Calm has a dynamic, customisable user interface with context sensitive button strip to help work flow operations. |
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Other Features |
§ “Calm is able to concurrently support field and record definitions from multiple standards. Record templates classified according to local requirements mean that archival records conform to international archival standards including ISAD(G), MAD, ISAAR(CPF) and NCA rules, the UK SPECTRUM standard is used as a guide for collection management of museum records, while standard AACR2 compatible bibliographic structures are used for library materials. § Calm is designed to support the concept of hierarchical collection management, typically used in the field of archives management, but equally relevant in all areas of heritage collection management. Records may be created at any level, including collection and item. The hierarchical structure supports the concept of blank nodes i.e. item level records may be created initially, and collection level records added at a later date. Calm catalogue fields are mapped to unqualified Dublin Core elements within the database definitions, and these can be used as a basis for data import, export and searching. § Calm has a sophisticated date parser allowing storage and searching across a variety of date ranges. It also permits exact matches on dates e.g. date ends with 1910. The date formats were agreed by our users e.g. an AD circa date is 10 years either side, and DS can consider other date formats if requested, provided they can be calculated by the underlying program. § Manages digital assets using ImageView and records metadata relating to digital images in the optional Images database.” |