High-Level Requirements for AT / Archon Integration Distributed

We are pleased to announce the availability of the first draft of high-level requirements for the integration of the Archivists’ Toolkit (AT) and Archon applications. These high-level requirements reflect all the functionality already current or pending for both the AT and Archon applications. They do not reflect functionality beyond the current development plans for each application, as such functionality would exceed the resources available and time frame for the first phase of the integration project.

By making this workbook available, we are soliciting your assistance in refining this set of high-level requirements. We ask that you review the AT / Archon requirements workbook and let us know if any requirements are 1) missing and / or 2) unnecessary. For example, what tasks are not represented as being supported in the accessions functional area, or what reports, imports, or exports are lacking.

The AT / Archon requirements workbook is attached below. An Excel spreadsheet, the workbook is comprised of seven tabs:

1) Archives functions—details 15 functional areas representing a broad set of archives and repository collection management functions. Each functional area begins with a general statement of the purpose of the area and is then amplified with additional functional statements in the feature column and data elements in the Data Elements columns. The indication of features details and elements should provide a strong indication of what tasks are to be supported and, in some cases, how they will be supported.

2) Imports—listing all imports to be supported, including complete db migrations

3) Exports—listing all exports to be supported

4) Reports—listing all reports to be provided

5) Stylesheet—listing stylesheets to be provided

6) Application functions—indicating characteristics, mechanisms, and devices to be present

7) Web access—indicating how information is to be delivered to the web

There is no prescribed format for commenting on these requirements and suggesting additions or deletions. Simply send us an email containing your comments and suggestions.

Please send your responses by Friday, November 20 to all of these addresses: bdwestbrook@ucsd.edu, prom@illinois.edu, and schwrtzs@uiuc.edu. You may also want to send your responses to the AT or Archon forums or more general lists so that others become aware of your ideas.

We will start reviewing all responses after November 20 and will use them to modify the high-level requirements. The modified list of requirements will then be shared back to the general archives community and will serve as the basis for prioritization work to be done during the first two weeks of December.