New user - evaluating software for archive

[goo...@jeremy-evans.co.uk]

I am looking to install AtoM onto my Mac as a single-user database to record the archives for our local drama group ( we have archives dating back to the 1920s).
Before I start I would be grateful if users could let me know the ease of doing the following functions (Of if they think a different package would be better for me to use):

Custom indexes and linking to events.
Essentially for the drama group each production is an "event" - i need to link this to the archival material we hold - photos, programmes, newspaper reports etc. also for each production I want to index the names of the people who were either actors, or the producer etc (so I can search by name & produce a list of the plays they were involved in) but also a list fo the photos they are in.
I would need an index of the play names/author) and one for the drama group members names with their role (i.e. actor/producer/stage manager etc) for that event.

child/parent records. some photos we have multiple copies- either single prints or mounted with others on large sheets or in an album with may others so I want to link the record to the multiple physical holdings we have.

Many thanks.

[Dan Gillean]

Hi there,

First, a couple of links to help you figure out if AtoM is what you're looking for or not:

• AtoM 2.1 documentation: https://accesstomemory.org/docs/2.1/
• AtoM 2.1 demo site: http://demo.accesstomemory.org/
• Instructions for Vagrant (for easier local installation and testing): https://accesstomemory.org/docs/2.1/admin-manual/installation/vagrant/#installation-vagrant

The first thing I should note is that AtoM is intended for use with a server, not installation on a local laptop or something like that. We provide the Vagrant box for developers and those wishing to test out features not enabled on the demo site (e.g. uploads of any kind), but we *strongly* recommend against using it in production.

Regarding events:

AtoM does use events in its data model, to create and manage relationships between actors and information objects - e.g. authority records about people, families, and organizations and the records they create (archival descriptions). This image, though it doesn't show all entities in AtoM, does give you a sense of how events link actors and descriptions:

An overview of AtoM's core entities can be found here:

• https://accesstomemory.org/docs/2.1/user-manual/overview/entity-types/
  

However, it's important to note that in AtoM, events themselves are not given browsable pages or complex metadata entry forms. AtoM is based on existing archival description standards (first, those from the International Council on Archives, and covering some national standards such as the Canadian RAD standard, the U.S. DACS standard, and some related metadata standards such as Dublin Core and MODS), and at the moment, I don't know of any archival or cultural heritage-related standard that provides a template for documenting events in their own right. More information on AtoM's supported standards can be found here:

• https://accesstomemory.org/docs/2.1/user-manual/overview/descriptive-standards/

So in essence, you could describe the materials and link them to authority records (for individuals such as actors, photographers, or for entities such as a production company, etc), but you won't have a means of creating a separate record for the events themselves, or an index for them. 

I suggest you spend some time playing around in our demo site, and seeing if it still seems like something that can fit your needs.

AtoM does support hierarchical description, and digital object import, so in this regard, I think that you could use existing AtoM functionality to meet your needs. Some relevant documentation links:

• Archival descriptions: https://accesstomemory.org/docs/2.1/user-manual/add-edit-content/archival-descriptions/#archival-descriptions
• Authority records: https://accesstomemory.org/docs/2.1/user-manual/add-edit-content/authority-records/#authority-records
  
• Digital object import: https://accesstomemory.org/docs/2.1/user-manual/import-export/upload-digital-object/#upload-digital-object

I hope that helps get you started!

Regards,

Dan Gillean, MAS, MLIS
AtoM Product Manager / Systems Analyst,
Artefactual Systems, Inc.
604-527-2056

@accesstomemory

4933j3840330

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