[Archivesspace_Users_Group] RFP for added container management functionality in ArchivesSpace

[Maureen Callahan]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to chime in to echo Alicia's excitement about most of these
changes and express my own concern about AR-1874.

It's hard to imagine, from a collections control perspective, the advantage
of having free-floating top containers not associated with intellectual
information. Even if you have a true "mystery box" in your repository that
has indecipherable scrawled sharpie on it (we've all been there, I AM
there, I feel you), I think that it would be more valuable to associate
this with an accession or resource record that explains that this is a true
mystery and where you can record the steps that you've already taken to
decipher it. Otherwise, you can't tell whether it's a lost/mystery box or
if it was just somehow unlinked from the resource/accession record it
belongs to.

Something I find valuable about ArchivesSpace is that as a system, it
forces a minimum of best archival practices -- for instance, a resource
record reinforces the DACS single-level minimum element set, top containers
won't let you repeat barcodes, etc. I think that those of us who have
participated in collection survey / remediation / backlog projects would
definitely appreciate a system that forces at least some association
between the stuff and where it came from.

Thanks!
Maureen

On Thu, Oct 5, 2017 at 4:15 PM, Detelich, Alicia <alicia.detelich at yale.edu>
wrote:

> Hi Christine,
>
>
>
> Thank you for sending this. It seems like an exciting project, and many of
> the listed features are much-needed. I wonder, though, about the
> advisability of adding the “ability to create top containers independent of
> specific material records” - https://archivesspace.
> atlassian.net/browse/AR-1874. You can already do this via the API - in
> fact, you have to create unlinked top containers before you can link them
> to material description records. This is less than ideal, as it adds extra
> steps to the process - after creating the top containers, you then have to
> pull those top container URIs and link them to the material descriptions
> using a different endpoint.
>
>
>
> If the goal is to create top containers in bulk (and then link them to
> descriptions) via the staff interface, wouldn’t it make more sense, as the
> JIRA ticket above notes, to add that ability within a material description
> record or RDE (https://archivesspace.atlassian.net/browse/AR-1873),
> rather than to enable the potential proliferation of unlinked containers?
> It seems like this could lead to all kinds of confusion and messy data in
> ArchivesSpace, especially if there are multiple unlinked containers with
> the same container profile, indicator, etc. I think it might be better to
> solve the underlying issue rather than write a workaround into the
> application.
>
>
>
> Alicia
>
>
>
> ---
>
> Alicia Detelich
>
> Archivist
>
> Manuscripts and Archives
>
> Yale University Libraries
>
> alicia.detelich at yale.edu
>
>
>
> *From:* archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org [mailto:
> archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org] *On Behalf Of *Christine
> Di Bella
> *Sent:* Thursday, October 5, 2017 2:40 PM
> *To:* Archivesspace Users Group <archivesspace_users_group@
> lyralists.lyrasis.org>; Archivesspace Member Reps <
> archivesspace_member_reps at lyralists.lyrasis.org>; archivesspace_tac_uac@
> lyralists.lyrasis.org
> *Cc:* ArchivesSpace Board of Trustees mail list <
> archivesspace_bot_members at lyralists.lyrasis.org>
> *Subject:* [Archivesspace_Users_Group] RFP for added container management
> functionality in ArchivesSpace
>
>
>
> Hello ArchivesSpace members,
>
>
>
> ArchivesSpace is seeking proposals from individuals or firms interested in
> providing development for a limited scope project to add functionality to
> the container management area of the application. We are prioritizing this
> work for engagement of an outside contractor based on expressed interest
> from a number of members, including one that may have funding to pay for
> it. Please feel free to forward this RFP on to people you think may be
> interested and qualified to do this work.
>
>
>
> We are asking that people please email proposals to me (
> christine.dibella at lyrasis.org) by October 27, 2017. Proposals should
> include a proposed action plan, pricing, timeline, names and contact
> information for at least two client references, and examples of relevant
> work in ArchivesSpace or other applications. If people have questions about
> the RFP, feel free to send them my way as well. Laney can answer technical
> questions about the application and how delivery of code would work.
>
>
>
> Issuing RFPs for specific projects is another strategy we are using to
> diversify our pool of available developers and continue to making
> substantial forward progress on the application. If you have any questions,
> or if you have suggestions for projects that may be particularly
> appropriate for this type of treatment, please just let us know.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Christine
>
>
>
> Christine Di Bella
>
> ArchivesSpace Program Manager
>
> christine.dibella at lyrasis.org
>
> 800.999.8558 x2905 <(800)%20999-8558>
>
> 678-235-2905 <(678)%20235-2905>
>
> cdibella13 (Skype)
>
>
>
> [image: ASpaceOrgHomeMedium]
>
>
>
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>
>


-- 
Maureen Callahan
Sophia Smith Collection Archivist
Smith College Special Collections
Northampton, Massachusetts 01063
T. 413 585 2981 C. 215.863.1860
mcallahan at smith.edu

Pronouns: she/her/hers

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<https://www.smith.edu/libraries/about/new-neilson>.
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