ArchivesSpace is “an open source archives information management application for managing and providing web access to archives, manuscripts and digital objects”.
In August 2022 we switched from hosting our own ASpace server on EC2 to a third-party-hosted instance at LibraryHost. Hosting and support costs are paid out of Project 1520 - Born Digital. Our annual plan renews in September. Our original contract was for a Light Plan, however our instance is hosted on a standalone server due to physical memory issues in August 2022 which required an emergency move from the Light Plan (shared) server to Standard (dedicated) server. The Light Plan pricing is locked in through the end of the ‘22-’23 annual contract.
Support: support@libraryhost.com
PUI: https://archives.sciencehistory.org
SUI: https://archives.sciencehistory.org/admin
API: https://sciencehistory-api.libraryhost.com/
IP: 50.116.19.60
Background
We store digital descriptions of our archival collections in the following places:
Location | Type of technology | Number of collections described | Source | Example | Who can see it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Word documents | Roughly 270, dates 1997 – present. | This is the initial description we create upon accessioning a collection. |
| Institute staff |
ArchivesSpace public user interface (PUI) | MySQL-backed website | 504 as of 2/28/2023 | Public | ||
ArchivesSpace staff user interface (SUI) | Same as above | 544 as of 2/28/2023 (includes unpublished and in progress) | Entered manually based on the P drive Word files. | Only logged in ArchivesSpace users | |
Public EAD bucket | EAD (xml format) | 504 as of 2/28/2023 | Generated weekly from ArchivesSpace database | Public | |
https://guides.othmerlibrary.sciencehistory.org/friendly.php?s=CHFArchives | LibGuide | Most collections, categorized by subject. | Created and maintained by Ashley Augustyniak | Technically public, but does not appear to be linked from anywhere. | |
WorldCat | Librarians manually update OCLC master records based on the metadata in ArchivesSpace. This is provided in the form of a MARCXML file by Kent and sent to Caroline. | Public |
Workflow
For newly processed collections, finding aids can be first written up as Word documents ultimately stored at
Shared/P/Othmer Library/Archives/Collections Inventories/Archival Finding Aids and Box Lists. Finding aids/resource records may also be entered directly into ArchivesSpace or created using the bulk ingest spreadsheet for box and folder inventories or digital objects.For legacy finding aids (finding aids created before ArchivesSpace was in use at SHI), the Word document is revised and the revised finding aid data is entered into ArchivesSpace as a resource record. A list of legacy finding aids may be found at P:\Othmer Library\Archives\Legacy Finding Aid Docs
Processing archivist enters the data into ArchivesSpace. If this data is from a legacy finding aid, the Word document finding aid is revised in the process.
Once the collections are described in ArchivesSpace as resource records:
Our EAD export app in Heroku (see EAD export app ) retrieves public EAD files from ArchivesSpace’s API and posts them to the Science History Institute EAD bucket where they are harvested by PACSCL and CHSTM (see below).
If the processing archivist entered data directly into ArchivesSpace (there is no Word doc version), then a PDF is exported from the SUI and saved to the finding aid folder on the P:\ drive.
Note: the PDF or the Word doc has to be manually updated every time the resource record in ArchivesSpace changes.
The processing archivist exports a MARC XML version of the resource record and sends it to a cataloging librarian (usually Caroline), who creates a record in OCLC and the OPAC. The OPAC also points to a PUI URL at https://archives.sciencehistory.org/ .
Alternately, the cataloging librarian could use an ASpace account to export the MARC XML themselves.
Previously, there was a PDF version of the finding aid attached to the OPAC record. This practice has been discontinued with the launch of the ASpace PUI in Summer 2022.
Certain works in the Digital Collections also point to the PUI. Example: https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/81jkowj.
Finally, the exported EAD files in the Science History Institute EAD bucket are ingested by University of Penn Libraries Special Collections and the Center for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (CHSTM).
Penn, in turn, processes these EAD files on a nightly basis and adds them to the Philadelphia Area Archives search portal, a service funded by PACSCL.
Likewise, CHSTM ingests these EADs and makes them searchable at its search portal.
Backups
A nightly backup is uploaded by LibraryHost to s3://chf-hydra-backup/Aspace/aspace-backup.sql.
LibraryHost has a login to access our s3 bucket. Credentials are maintained by SHI library application developers and IT staff.
Export
The ArchivesSpace EADs are harvested by:
Institution | Liaison | Contact |
Center for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (CHSTM) | Richard Shrake | |
University of Penn Libraries Special Collections | Holly Mengel |
Both institutions harvest the EADs at http://ead.sciencehistory.org/.
Documentation
https://archivesspace.atlassian.net/wiki/home contains comprehensive documentation.
If you have a sciencehistory.orgaddress, you can get access to it by filling out a form.