2018-02-21 Meeting notes

Owned by Christine Kim
Last updated: Feb 21, 2018
6 min read

Date

Attendees

Discussion items

TimeItemNotesAction items
5-10 minReview action items

5 minWorking group timeline
15-20 minProgram details (below)

Program: Lightning Round

Program: Discussions
  • Listserv – people aren't talking so much about cool new stuff they're working on. people DC does know are kinda far away
  • Yale is doing exciting things, have a good blog
  • Pull ideas from the lightning round


Program: Speakers
  • Dave Mayo and Bobbi Fox were answering/asking a lot of questions
  • Christie Peterson
  • Implementing the PUI – Susan or someone on the team
  • Collaborative efforts between developers and users
  • Working group at Harvard – Ben is one of them
  • Congregational archive implemented ASpace – kind of smaller scale
    • Now at the Otis house? Case study on implementing ASpace there
    • Christina Prochilo


Afternoon program
  • Hackathon, API, advanced user training topics, Plugins, Digital objects, Ruby, etc.
  • From advanced topics survey
  • What skills or techniques do you utilize that improves your ArchivesSpace experience?
    • I find the API is extremely helpful for interacting with data in ArchivesSpace. I use it frequently.
    • Using scripts and plug-ins to effectively manage all collections through the API
    • APIs, Ruby and other scripting
    • We're hoping to import accession spreadsheet information, but we're having trouble figuring out how to do it successfully.
    • I bypass the reports module entirely using SQL in order to generate custom statistics and run cross-repository searches.
    • Not too much, really; I feel I have a long way to go in learning how to best take advantage of its features.
    • Specific data entry (internal requirement levels) and descriptive practices in all areas of the system in order to eliminate gray areas and prevent growth of inefficiencies.
    • Web services, LibreCat's Catmandu project, Drupal web services and integration, MVC, resource manipulation with APIs
    • good question...
    • Experience with The AT has been helpful, but AT was much simpler.
    • Batch importing archival object and digital object records from a spreadsheet.
  • What do you wish you had known when you first implemented ArchivesSpace?
    • A better understanding of what data wouldn't transfer and why and how to troubleshoot that.
    • Ruby on Rails. I was somewhat new to it at the time, but the more I learned about RoR, the more AS made sense to me.
    • How to robustly use the API
    • If I had known how much extra time, work, money, and technology it would take to use the digital objects module we probably would have stayed with Archon. Getting our material online quickly and in a way our users can find it with one click was really the goal, and I still haven't found a way to do that with this system. I do feel we have to move forward with this if we want to keep up with the profession, but the system capabilities are so far beyond our needs that they make it difficult to implement, or know if we are implementing it properly. For instance, we don't have external reporting software or a digital asset management system, or onsite tech people who would make it easy to customize PUI. Basically if it can't be customized from the user accounts, we have to pay someone to do it. SO, the point of that is to say that I would really value a quick and dirty "Implementing ASpace on a Dime with a Staff of One for a Small Collection" kind of class.
    • Top Container information, Agent/Subject Authority Files, Rights Statments, Working with the API
    • This is not an answer to this question, but I don't see a general comments box. We are a new archives, so we did not have to import any data into Aspace. You did not offer that as an option in one of your first questions, which is understandable, but I wanted to make that clear.
    • I wish I had known that I would need substantially more knowledge of APIs and Python in order to make ArchivesSpace work like I need it to. I don't know of a way to acquire that knowledge other than using my employee tuition discount to take computer science classes, which I will be doing this fall.
    • The whole plugins / customization deal is still mysterious to me! I know next to nothing about ruby, yml, APIs, or git(hub), and it limits what we can do here compared to what I see other repositories doing.
    • Put in the labor at the front end. The more information you put into AS the more you will get out of the application.
    • A clearer understanding of the long term technical roadmap. What does ArchivesSpace look like in the next year? Five years? Is there a strategy for making the public interface more "modern", i.e. progressive enhancement.
    • Data Cleansing.
    • I could have used help trying to load the fast topical headings into the system
    • How locations and containers would develop.
    • Cleanup data BEFORE importing. ArchviesSpace staff interface is not user friendly for bulk editing data, unlike XML editors; when I do imports of individual EADs now, I try to clean up as much as I can before importing.
  • What functionality do you wish to learn more about? (open answer option continuing from previous question)
    • I really want more experience with the API and/or information on how to customize import of data.
    • Application architecture (I still don't really understand JRuby...)
    • Using SQL workbench for reporting functions, advanced API work
    • Exporting and importing MODS files, simplifying the container module to work with a small collection. Also, I kind of wish there were checkboxes to turn off fields and features we don't use. Being able to do that from within the administrative pages rather than requiring a programmer would be amazing. And maybe there are, but I just need training on how to find/use them.
    • Building Container Profiles through the API, Training for Reference Staff for the PUI, Working with other APIs to ingest data, Customizing the appearance of Subjects/Agents in the PUI
    • Writing external scripts to work with data in ArchivesSpace (using Python or Ruby)
    • I'm a lone arranger, and we have a hosted instance of Aspace with LibraryHost. My tech skills are not high, and I would like to understand importing better. I've tried one of the importers, but we're not having luck with it yet. I would also like to know if I can export records into something like OpenRefine so that I can do data cleanup. Because I have a hosted instance, I don't know if this is possible. I did not get a conclusive answer from Library Host when I asked. I still don't really get what an API would do for me... I'm leery of using plug-ins, because my instance is hosted, and I've been told that updates can mess with the plug-ins, and that just seems like too much hassle in our situation. I was glad when the container plug-in became part of the Aspace code. I use that function now that it's "embedded." I'm very pleased with the improvements to the public interface thus far. A big improvement! For us little archives, it's a real help to have something more user friendly for our patrons.
    • I have found that I really need to know more about how to work with the API and how to write plugins. ArchivesSpace works acceptably from the staff interface, but I could get much more done much more easily with more knowledge of these topics.
    • Still having trouble with the top containers and I want to use the location management feature more. Feel like I"m getting about 25% out of what the application can actually do.
    • I wish there were regularly scheduled classes that we could sign up for as individuals. Unless you have 10+ archivists at your institution it doesn't make sense to host a training. And even if you do have a large number of archivists, only a few need to be high level users. It would be great to just pay a rate to attend a training as an individual.
    • Advanced API queries!
    • Container and location management, reports
    • I wish there was more "laypeople" could do to modify and tweak the interface without being a full programmer/developer.
    • Search and browse
    • Making/enforcing EAD-compliant resource records.
    • Creating digital object records, learning to import from excel spreadsheets, customizing reports
  • API workshop?


Happy hour / mixer
  • Danielle going to chat with a friend for ideas
  • Boston COI is interested in being involved with this


Lunch on your own?
  • Breed Memorial Hall nearby lunch options
  • Map
  • Tamper Cafe is really nice, good food. It can be a little crowded, but 30-40 seats there?
  • Two pizza places
  • Danish Pastry House – sandwiches and pastries
  • More options south of Curtis
  • 1.5 hour lunch?? 
  • Sponsor snacks throughout the day


Registration form
5 minNext meeting
  • every other week
  • next meeting: March 8, 11-12pm ET – okay?

Action items