[Archivesspace_Users_Group] ArchivesSpace Update - October 2017

Mon Oct 16 15:09:30 EDT 2017

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October 2017 Update

This month's update includes a variety of highlights. We have a pre-release version of the Archivists' Toolkit migration tool that migrates directly into ArchivesSpace version 2.1.2, and we need help testing this before it goes live. We're still accepting applications for a new DevOps Specialist to support the ArchivesSpace community. And read on for details on the upcoming PUI implementation strategies webinar on October 26!

Development

The ArchivesSpace team is pleased to release version 2.2.0!

You can download the new release from Github at https://github.com/archivesspace/archivesspace/releases/tag/v2.2.0. Please see the technical documentation<http://archivesspace.github.io/archivesspace/user/upgrading-to-a-new-release-of-archivesspace/> for information on how to upgrade your ArchivesSpace installations.

We are especially pleased because this release includes two new areas of long-desired functionality contributed by community members:

Tufts University subsidized a new assessment module, based very closely on a community-authored specification and hewing closely to the functionality previously available in Archivists' Toolkit. The development was done by Hudson Molonglo. Dan Santamaria and Adrienne Pruitt took the lead on the Tufts side in working closely with HM developers James Bullen, Mark Triggs, and Payten Giles. They also coordinated putting the module out for wider testing, in which people at institutions including the Smithsonian, Smith College, University of Michigan Special Collections, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania participated.

Trevor Thornton of North Carolina State University and Noah Huffman of Duke University partnered to create an EAD3 exporter, based on a community-distributed specification. Trevor did the development and Noah did extensive and iterative testing. We are excited to have this first level of support for EAD3 in ArchivesSpace and see this as a building block for additional EAD3 support in future releases. Thanks also to Mark Custer at Yale for providing testing feedback.

Thank you so much to Dan, Adrienne, Trevor, and Noah for all their work in bringing these projects to completion and making the results available to the entire ArchivesSpace community. If your institution would like to get involved in subsidizing or working on development prioritized by the ArchivesSpace community, please get in touch with me or Laney.

This release also includes some bug fixes and improvements contributed by community members Steve Majewski, Chris Fitzpatrick, Mark Cooper, Payten Giles, and Christian von Kleist, as well as development work by our Tech Lead Laney McGlohon.

I want to note that this release does not include improvements to the relevancy ranking for search results in the new Public User Interface (JIRA issues: https://archivesspace.atlassian.net/browse/ANW-201 and https://archivesspace.atlassian.net/browse/AR-1882). Knowing how important this is for many users, we have prioritized it for a fix and been working on it since the tickets were first filed; unfortunately due to the complexity of the problem, we have not yet been able to address it satisfactorily enough to include a fix in this release. Rather than further delay releasing the new functionality that our community members have worked so hard on, we have chosen to put out this release now and will keep working on the PUI indexer issue. We intend to have another minor release, that hopefully includes those improvements, later in October or early in November.

Thanks as always to all who contributed to this release, by identifying needed improvements, writing specifications, writing code, testing, and providing technical support. We truly appreciate all that so many of you do in coordination with the ArchivesSpace team to make each release of the ArchivesSpace application possible.

Webinar on the new PUI: October 26, 1-2:30 EST

Join us on October 26 as we take a close look at a variety of implementation strategies on the new ArchivesSpace PUI!

Mark Custer (Archivist and Metadata Coordinator, Yale University) and Susan Pyzynski (Associate Librarian of Houghton Library for Technical Services, Harvard University) were deeply entrenched in the public interface as they led the community effort to shape this essential access point for archival collections. Now they have moved onto their next great challenge -- implementing the PUI at their own institutions. Mark and Susan will each share the strategies they have created to roll out the new PUI. Both institutions aim to be using the new PUI by early next year.

Grand Valley State University has been using the ArchivesSpace PUI since 2014 and have already rolled out the new public interface. Annie Benefiel (Archivist for Collection Management, GVSU) and Leigh Rupinski (Archivist for Public Services & Community Engagement, GVSU) will share valuable insight on how the PUI has affected their day-to-day responsibilities as well as public reception and adapting their instruction for students and researchers.

Please join us on October 26 at 1-2:30 EST as Mark, Susan, Annie, and Leigh as they share their experiences. Please feel free to bring any questions you have on the new public interface!

The webinar will be available through: http://lyrasis.adobeconnect.com/rnz7zrtmy04h/ and the recording will be available at a later date.

No registration required. The session is limited to the first 100 participants. Please feel free to host a webinar viewing group.

If you have any questions about this webinar, please contact Kim at christine.kim at lyrasis.org<mailto:christine.kim at lyrasis.org>. We look forward to seeing you at the webinar!

Call for Testers - Archivists' Toolkit to ArchivesSpace Migration

The ArchivesSpace Program Team is looking for people who haven't yet migrated from Archivists' Toolkit to ArchivesSpace to test updates to the Archivists' Toolkit migration tool.

We have developed a pre-release version of the Archivists' Toolkit migration tool that migrates directly into ArchivesSpace version 2.1.2. In addition to the updates we have already made, we are planning to add the assessment information from AT to the migration tool once the assessment module is available in a production release of ArchivesSpace.

If you're interested, please email Laney at laney.mcglohon at lyrasis.org<mailto:laney.mcglohon at lyrasis.org>.

Request for Proposals for Container Management Development

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 Christine (christine.dibella at lyrasis.org<mailto: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.

We're hiring! DevOps Specialist supporting ArchivesSpace

Announced in last month's update, we are still accepting applications for the DevOps Specialist position supporting the ArchivesSpace community and the ArchivesSpace program team.

LYRASIS, the organizational home for ArchivesSpace, recently approved an additional staff position based in Technology Services to support ArchivesSpace technical needs. The position description can be found at https://www.lyrasis.org/job/Pages/LYRASIS-Positions.aspx. While the position will report to the Director of Technology Services, the person in the position will work closely with the ArchivesSpace program team to provide technical support for ArchivesSpace members as well as coding and other technical assistance for the application. Over time the person will have additional responsibilities for supporting LYRASIS hosting clients.

This position is ideal for someone who is familiar with ArchivesSpace or other archival/collection management systems and likes to help people with their technical questions. Previous experience with multiple platforms (Linux, Mac, Windows), MySQL, Java, Ruby, and Apache Solr is required.

We are excited about this additional support within the organizational home for ArchivesSpace technical needs. If you are interested in applying, or know someone who is, applications, including a cover letter and resume, are being accepted via email at human.resources at lyrasis.org<mailto:human.resources at lyrasis.org>. If you have questions about the position, feel free to reach out to Christine (christine.dibella at lyrasis.org<mailto:christine.dibella at lyrasis.org>) or Laney (laney.mcglohon at lyrasis.org<mailto:laney.mcglohon at lyrasis.org>).

Introducing a new blog series: All About Community!

ArchivesSpace is community-supported software. But what does that mean? With a current program staff of only 3.75 FTE, ArchivesSpace owes its dynamic growth primarily to the active user community, currently over 300 members strong.

Without this community, the progress ArchivesSpace has made since its first release in 2013 could not be possible. So how do we all work together?

All About Community is a blog series that highlights the many teams and groups that contribute to the growth and development of ArchivesSpace. This series aims to provide insight on how our diverse community comes together with a shared vision to preserve permanently valuable records and provide access to our researchers.

Every month, we'll take a close look at each team, group, council, etc to highlight their major accomplishments and activities. Follow along: http://archivesspace.org/category/all-about-community/

Have ideas, questions, feedback, or your own stories you'd like to share? Email Kim at christine.kim at lyrasis.org<mailto:christine.kim at lyrasis.org>.

Membership Update

Our new members since September 21 include:

  *   University of Mary Washington
  *   Organ Historical Society Library and Archives
  *   Tyrrell Historical Society
  *   College of Charleston
  *   Northwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church

New educational member:

  *   Cairo University

As of October 12, we have 332 General members, 16 Educational Program members, and 3 Registered Service Providers. If you are interested in your institution becoming a member of ArchivesSpace, please email us at ArchivesSpaceHome at lyrasis.org<mailto:ArchivesSpaceHome at lyrasis.org> for more information.

ArchivesSpace monthly updates provide news about ArchivesSpace community and program activities and are sent to our member listservs, the ArchivesSpace Google Group, and SAA's Collection Management Tools roundtable listserv, as well as being posted on the ArchivesSpace website. Please feel free to share this update with people you know who have an interest in ArchivesSpace but may not be on one of these lists.

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