[Archivesspace_Users_Group] digital objects

Wed Nov 15 11:13:49 EST 2017

I mentioned this to Lydia in response to her message earlier in the week, but I am sharing here too in case anyone has similar experiences or potential solutions. I will also add to the brainstorming page.

For background, we were Archon users, so our digital images were stored within the system. Users could browse thumbnails for a particular collection, or all digital content (example- http://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/archon/index.php?p=digitallibrary/thumbnails&collectionid=1) I'm pasting screenshots below of how this worked. It took no more than a few minutes to add a digital object, link to the proper place in the finding aid and upload the file. I know there were technical reasons why ArchivesSpace didn't adopt this model, but as a very small organization, I am struggling with a tool that consumes time rather than saving it.

Now, I have to add the resource records and digital object instances which seem to duplicate much of the same information. Then I have to upload the files in a completely different system, where I also have to describe them, and get the link to add to the DO in ASpace. So what used to be a five minute process is taking me what seems like forever. We are not in a position to host or manage a DAMS, or to spend additional money, so we are using the state's free digital repository (CT Digital Archives or CTDA- our page is here http://collections.ctdigitalarchive.org/islandora/object/400002%3ALHS). The form for adding materials there requires certain information be filled in before you can get to a screen that allows for uploading a MODS record. Logically, if I added it there first I could just copy that MODS record and import it into ArchivesSpace. However, while I see an "Export" button, there is no import button. I have exported MODS records from ArchivesSpace and successfully opened them in CTDA, but it doesn't update all of the fields. I understand why this information may be necessary in all of these places because a user could start their process at any one of them, but it basically means that none of the material we made available digitally in Archon is going to be available in ArchivesSpace any time soon. This is a major reason our public Website still points to Archon, even though all of our descriptive work is being done in ArchivesSpace.

Many thanks for any ideas!

Linda

Linda M. Hocking, CA

Curator of Library & Archives

Litchfield Historical Society

P.O. Box 385

Litchfield, CT 06759

860-567-4501

http://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org

archivist at litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org

eboardman.tumblr.com
[cid:image001.jpg at 01D35E02.CE694F70][cid:image002.jpg at 01D35E02.CE694F70][cid:image003.jpg at 01D35E02.CE694F70]

-----Original Message-----
From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org [mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org] On Behalf Of Tang, Lydia
Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 2:13 PM
To: Archivesspace Users Group
Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] digital objects

Hi all,

Although SIEWG didn’t particularly focus on recommendations for digital objects (in terms of the staff interface), I would be very interested in your ideas.  Many of the volunteers (including myself) haven’t yet dug into that area at our institutions, so if people have ideas on how creating/editing/importing digital objects into ArchivesSpace could be improved, maybe it would be a good idea to use the SIEWG brainstorm page<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZQwFowMnUx8AIiewqbqO08CO9TSGIe22AnYCUza9LEo/edit?usp=sharing> to start hashing out ideas?  Screen shots and wireframes are highly encouraged.  This page just contains ideas that aren’t fully fleshed out yet as recommendations.

Brainstorming: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZQwFowMnUx8AIiewqbqO08CO9TSGIe22AnYCUza9LEo/edit?usp=sharing

SIEWG recommendations Table of Contents (with links to access the rest of our documentation).

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cCyUsZ0wR1D3irffoJIAbdlXaU8egPuLG-ld6fERdPo/edit?usp=sharing

If you have feedback for our recommendations as well, we would love to hear from you.

Thanks, all!  And thank you to everyone who chimed in earlier about my other questions!

Lydia

From: <archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org>> on behalf of "Rees, John (NIH/NLM) [E]" <reesj at mail.nlm.nih.gov<mailto:reesj at mail.nlm.nih.gov>>

Reply-To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>

Date: Monday, November 13, 2017 at 9:39 AM

To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>

Subject: *****SPAM*****Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] batch delete dates saga continues

Along this line I’ve been struggling with finding an authoritative data dictionary for all of ASpace’s model classes and all the possible endpoint parameters. The API documentation provides much of this but not seemingly all, esp. mixins.

For example: I would like an application developer to modify the Digital Object CSV importer to add specific Note fields that do not exist in the DO import template or data map at http://archivesspace.org/using-archivesspace/migration-tools-and-data-mapping/. I can’t reasonably expect a developer to “learn by doing”, read code or test documents, or watch YouTube videos -- nor will their managers allow them to do any of that.

Having such an authoritative data dictionary would help to build external stakeholder confidence in ASpace as a documented, robust, authoritative data management application.

Or perhaps I’m missing some boat entirely?

John

John P. Rees

Archivist and Digital Resources Manager

History of Medicine Division

National Library of Medicine

301-827-4510

From: Galligan, Patrick [mailto:PGalligan at rockarch.org]

Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:14 AM

To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>

Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] batch delete dates saga continues

Hey all,

I think a great place to get started learning about Python, APIs, and ArchivesSpace would be some of the API tutorials that members of the ArchivesSpace community have taught.

Lora Woodford from JHU taught a workshop about 4 months ago and made the materials available on Github: https://github.com/jhu-archives-and-manuscripts/ASpace_API_Workshop.

Personally, I’ve found that I learn best by doing. So I learned what I did about the AS JSON responses by downloading Postman (https://www.getpostman.com/) and performing a few API calls against our development database. Also, back in 2014, Maureen Callahan and a few other archivists ran a blog about dealing with legacy data. They have some posts about AS API work. I personally liked this post as a beginner: https://icantiemyownshoes.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/a-very-brief-guide-to-deleting-records-with-the-archivesspace-api-from-a-total-tyro/.

This is a great resource for learning python: https://automatetheboringstuff.com/.

I’m sure there are a ton of other resources out there, but those are the few off the top of my head. I’m willing to jump in and give some more recommendations as needed.

-Patrick Galligan

From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3cmailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org>> [mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org] On Behalf Of Margaret Kidd

Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 5:31 PM

To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3cmailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>>

Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] batch delete dates saga continues

I second that last part of Lydia's remarks about where to begin learning more about XML, JSON, python, ruby, etc. and applying it to ArchivesSpace. I want to learn, but it is overwhelming to know where to begin and my time to devote to it is rather limited. Every time I start trying to teach myself I have other work priorities that take up all my time and soon forget whatever progress I have made.

Thanks,

Margaret

________________________________

Margaret T. Kidd

Project Archivist, Special Collections & Archives

VCU Libraries | Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences

509 N. 12th Street / Box 980582, Richmond, VA 23298-0582

(804) 828-3152

[m_twitter.png]<https://twitter.com/VCUTMLibrary>[m_fb.png]<https://www.facebook.com/VCUTMLib>

[http://identity.vcu.edu/images/photos/vcu_brand_mark_email_sig.jpg]<http://www.vcu.edu/>     [http://pages.shanti.virginia.edu/Virginia_Heritage/files/2013/01/vhpban.jpg] <http://vaheritage.org>

On Fri, Nov 10, 2017 at 12:02 PM, Tang, Lydia <ltang5 at lib.msu.edu<mailto:ltang5 at lib.msu.edu<mailto:ltang5 at lib.msu.edu%3cmailto:ltang5 at lib.msu.edu>>> wrote:

Mark,

Thank you for identifying my problem!  Just for the sake of technological dummies like me, what should I do?  Everything there (besides removing the <unitid> tags is exactly as it spat out of ArchivesSpace, so I wonder if the export allowed the invalid characters?  I also wonder if the importing process could be improved within the ArchivesSpace code to search for “aspace_" and not batch add it as well as recognize (or not export out in the first place) the "Linear Feet" / linear_feet controlled vocabulary?  Ideally, after establishing with the database that linear_feet should publish as Linear Feet, I wish it would continue to recognize that rule when new stuff is imported in.

I was also meaning poll people on “how do I even get started” with learning more about working the ArchivesSpace guts?  I can understand EAD but obviously don’t know the wizardry possible with XML, there’s JSON, python, etc, and I would be interested in starting courses with Code Academy to learn, but I don’t even know where to begin.  Advice appreciated!

Lydia

From: <archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3cmailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>> on behalf of "Custer, Mark" <mark.custer at yale.edu<mailto:mark.custer at yale.edu<mailto:mark.custer at yale.edu%3cmailto:mark.custer at yale.edu>>>

Reply-To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3cmailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>>

Date: Friday, November 10, 2017 at 11:50 AM

To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3cmailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>>

Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] batch delete dates saga continues

Lydia,

In the EAD files that you attached, both have invalid XML characters in them (Unicode: 0x14).  Those are easy to remove before re-importing in an XML editor like oXygen, but I'm curious how they got into ASpace in the first place?   In any event, it's possible that that's what's blocking your imports this time around, and if that's the issue, if you just fix on those issues, then the ASpace importer won't tell you about the next issue until it runs again.

In any event, I'd also suggest making  the following changes to your XML file before re-importing, so perhaps the snag is a good thing for now 😊 :

·         ASpace adds "aspace_" to all of the @id values in the EAD file upon export.  If you don't remove those before reimporting, then on the next export you'll get "aspace_aspace_".  Removing them will invalidate the EAD file, but ASpace doesn't care whether the file is valid or not upon re-importing it.

·         ASpace expects to have the database values for the controlled value terms in the exports, not the translation values.  So, if you don't change things like "Linear Feet" to linear_feet and "Mixed Materials" to mixed_materials, then you'll wind up with new database values in ASpace after the import.  Those of course can be merged after the fact, but that's another step, and it would be unfortunate to have to do that on every occasion.

There's a lot more to say on the practice of re-importing EAD into ASpace, but I haven't still come up with a great strategy for that, so basically we try to avoid it 😊

Mark

-----Original Message-----

From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3cmailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org>> [mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org><mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3cmailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3e>] On Behalf Of Tang, Lydia

Sent: Friday, 10 November, 2017 10:47 AM

To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3cmailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>>

Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] batch delete dates saga continues

Wizardry!  Thank you, Olivia!  I would have NEVER figured that out.  It seemed to take out the <unitdate> tags perfectly but I ended up getting snagged on importing because of, um, a seemingly benign line which was marked as not well-formed.  Oof, so close, but snagged up!

Lydia

From: <archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3cmailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>> on behalf of Olivia S Solis <livsolis at utexas.edu<mailto:livsolis at utexas.edu<mailto:livsolis at utexas.edu%3cmailto:livsolis at utexas.edu>>>

Reply-To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3cmailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>>

Date: Friday, November 10, 2017 at 10:36 AM

To: Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org%3cmailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>>>

Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] batch delete dates saga continues

<unitda[^>]+>[^<]+<\/unitdate>

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