Introduction to the Archivists' Toolkit
The Archivists’ Toolkit™, or the AT, is the first open source archival data management system to provide broad, integrated support for the management of archives. It is intended for a wide range of archival repositories. The main goals of the AT are to support archival processing and production of access instruments, promote data standardization, promote efficiency, and lower training costs.
Currently, the application supports accessioning and describing archival materials; establishing names and subjects associated with archival materials, including the names of donors; managing locations for the materials; and exporting EAD finding aids, MARCXML records, and METS, MODS and Dublin Core records. Future functionality will be built to support repository user/resource use information, appraisal for archival materials, expressing and managing rights information, and interoperability with user authentication systems.
The AT project is a collaboration of the University of California San Diego Libraries, the New York University Libraries and the Five Colleges, Inc. Libraries, and is generously funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Archivists' Toolkit Version 1.5
The Archivists’ Toolkit team is pleased to announce the availability of version 1.5.0 of the AT application.
New Features (click here for more info):
- Improved searching
- Support for multiple users of resource records (merge and transfer function)
- Customizable Rapid Data Entry screen
- Improved drag & drop (rearrangement) tool
- Improved import / export of EADs
- Support for Java 1.6
And more:
- New stylesheets for HTML and EAD to PDF
- Improved import/export logs
- Intermittent 'Save' feature
- Improved Name import process
- Improved feedback throughout application
For users who have implemented a local instance, they can either create a new database instance to run with version 1.5.0 or upgrade their current instance. To do either, they will need to use the Maintenance Program, which is located in the main folder where the AT application is installed on the user’s computer.
Requesting support
Please send all inquiries, reports, and requests for support concerning the application to the Archivists’ Toolkit User Group (ATUG-l can be subscribed to at http://mailman.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/atug-l) and / or to info@archiviststoolkit.org. Please do not contact project staff directly via their email addresses or telephone numbers. Sending messages to ATUG-l or to info@archiviststoolkit.org will ensure that your question or report is responded to in a more timely manner.
Archivists' Tookit chosen to receive SAA’s 2008 C.F.W. Coker Award
The Archivists’ Toolkit team is the 2008 recipient of the C.F.W. Coker Award from the Society of American Archivists. The award recognizes finding aids, finding aid systems, innovative development in archival description, or descriptive tools that enable archivists to produce more effective finding aids. Read the full press release here.
AT User Group Meeting Held at SAA
The Archivists’ Toolkit team hosted the inaugural AT User Meeting during the Society of American Archivists annual meeting in San Francisco on Wednesday, August 27, 2008. The program included updates from the project staff, two presentations from AT users on how they implemented the AT in their respective institutions, and a discussion on sustainability, which resulted in the proposal to establish an SAA AT roundtable. Presentations by Aimee Morgan and Lisa Darms are available under the 'by AT community' section in the 'Support' section. If you are interested in joining the SAA AT roundtable, please contact Genie Guerard at gguerard@library.ucla.edu. Click here for meeting agenda
