Archives Catalogue update scheduled for Thursday, January 17

January 14, 2019 Creighton Barrett Leave a Comment

The Archives Catalogue is scheduled to undergo routine maintenance on Thursday, January 17. The maintenance work will involve updates to the Access to Memory (AtoM) software used by the Libraries to run the Archives Catalogue. Improvements include:

Ability to export clipboard items as HTML or CSV
Improvements to search and browse results
More than 8,000 new archival descriptions and 2,000 new digital objects

This work requires us to take the Catalogue offline for part of the day. We will send out an update once the upgrade is complete. If you need research assistance while the Archives Catalogue is offline, please contact archives@dal.ca or call the reference desk in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room at 902-494-3615.

Upgrades to Archives Catalogue and Online Collections

December 13, 2016 Creighton Barrett Leave a Comment

The University Archives is pleased to announce some major upgrades to the Archives Catalogue and Online Collections. The catalogue has several new features to help researchers find and request access to archival material, including:

Clipboard module to “pin” search/browse results for printing or export
Inventory list to sort and view file- and item-level descriptions by title, date, or reference code
“Full-width” view of the hierarchical structure of each finding aid
Improvements to basic and advanced search options

The catalogue also features new content, including:

6,717 archival descriptions
5,554 digital objects
75 geographic headings and all 1,073 geographic headings now organized by continent

New digital content includes 317 photographs taken by Barbara Hinds and Rosemary Gilliat in Iqaluit and other northern communities in the early 1960s (MS-2-130), and over 1,300 photographs from the Dalhousie University Photograph Collection (PC1). The catalogue also includes 2,739 digitized full-text issues of the Dalhousie Gazette that have been available in DalSpace since 2013. Dalhousie faculty, students, and staff can request free digital scans of archival material using the Libraries’ archives document delivery service.

The Archives Catalogue and Online Collections is built using an open-source archival description tool known as Access to Memory (AtoM). The catalogue was launched in January 2015 and has become the primary tool for providing access to unique archival material held by the Dalhousie Libraries.

Meet Alexandra Jokinen, our new Digital Archives Intern

September 19, 2016 Creighton Barrett Leave a Comment

This week, the University Archives begin an exciting Digital Archives Internship funded in part by a grant from the Young Canada Works Building Careers in Heritage Program. Alexandra Jokinen joins the Archives team as Digital Archives Intern and will work with Digital Archivist Creighton Barrett on the development of policies and procedures for some key aspects of the Archives’ growing digital archives program. We are very pleased to welcome Alexandra to the Dalhousie Libraries for this project!

What drew you to the Young Canada Works Digital Archives Internship at Dal?
I have a sincere interest in the preservation of historical and cultural records and I was very intrigued by utilizing digital preservation to advance the work of the Dalhousie University Archives. In today’s ever-changing digital world, long-term preservation is critical in providing access to digital information in the future. As a recent graduate, this internship will allow me to develop valuable and competitive skills in the field that will further my career as an archivist.

What kind of work will you be doing during your Internship?
As the Digital Archives Intern, I will be working over a period of 28 weeks to develop digital preservation policies and procedures that touch on all aspects of archival work — acquisitions, appraisal, arrangement, description, and preservation. Digital preservation policies and procedures are essential to ensure adherence to the scope and mandate of an institution. They outline an organization’s mission to protect its digital assets and define the role a digital preservation strategy plays in carrying out those objectives. It is important work and I am eager to meet the challenges of the position.

Your educational background:
I have spent several years in school preparing myself to work within the domain of libraries and archives. Last fall, I graduated with a master’s degree from Ryerson University in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management. Prior to that, I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Art History, Criticism and Conservation at the University of Guelph.

What excites you about moving to Halifax?
The seafood (!!!) and living in close proximity to the ocean. I have toured Canada and lived in various cities throughout the country, but I have never had the opportunity to explore the east coast. I am excited to experience the culture, meet new people and learn new things. Also, I hear Halifax is home to some talented musicians, so I am definitely looking forward to discovering the music scene.

Fun and interesting facts about you:
Halifax will be the ninth city I have lived in. I have a passion for travelling and spent a semester of my undergraduate degree studying art and architecture in Paris. I love film, photography and listening to music. I am also a big foodie and craft beer enthusiast.

New students and projects in the University Archives

September 12, 2016 Creighton Barrett Leave a Comment

The University Archives is very pleased to welcome Rebecca Shaw and Nicole Dalrymple as our 2016/2017 Archives Student Interns. Rebecca and Nicole will be providing public service in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room and will be working on projects such as archival description, physical storage management, digitization, and other collections-related activities.

The Archives’ 2016 Summer Intern, Domenic Rosati, will shift into a new role as Archives Assistant for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1928 Processing Project. That project started in May with Meaghan Reddy, who recently took a permanent position with the Archives of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish.

The Archives’ 2016 Young Canada Works Summer Student, Alice Albarda, will start a new position as Archives Assistant for the Barbara Hinds Processing Project, funded in part through a grant from the Nova Scotia Provincial Archival Development Program.

Next week, the Archives will begin a six-month Internship funded in part through a grant from the Young Canada Works Building Careers in Heritage Program. Stay tuned for more details!

Dal Libraries organizes five-day digital preservation management workshop

July 7, 2016 Creighton Barrett Leave a Comment

The Dalhousie Libraries is pleased to announce that it is organizing a 5-day Digital Preservation Management (DPM) Workshop this September in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Date: Sunday, September 25, 2016 (5:00 p.m.) – Friday, September 30, 2016 (12:00 p.m.)

Location: Aikens Room, Nova Scotia Archives

Tuition: $1,250.00 CAD

Halifax workshop website: http://libraries.dal.ca/about/events/dpmworkshop.html

Pre-registration form: http://goo.gl/forms/uH9bQTYLUXHk2Wwh2

The workshop will be led by internationally recognized digital preservation experts: Nancy McGovern (Director of Digital Preservation at MIT Libraries) and Kari Smith (Senior Digital Archivist at MIT Institute Archives), along with guest instructors and presenters in-person and virtually. This iteration of the workshop will also feature a keynote presentation by Evelyn McLellan, President of Artefactual Systems.

The Digital Preservation Management Workshops, a series presented since 2003, incorporate community standards and exemplars of good practice to provide practical guidance for developing effective digital preservation programs. The goals of the workshop are to foster critical thinking in a technological realm and provide the means for exercising practical and responsible stewardship of digital assets in an age of technological uncertainty.

The workshop includes interactive presentations, group discussions, exercises, individual assignments, and a keynote presentation by an international expert in digital preservation. Workshop attendees explore the range of components needed to develop an effective digital preservation program. Workshop materials include action plans for organizations to complete when participants return to their institutions. Action plans result in organization-specific plans that incorporate technical, financial, organizational, and policy aspects encompassing the full life cycle of digital objects. The workshop focuses on strategies for organizations to implement now, while research and development goes forward in creating longer-term solutions that can be incorporated into the program framework.

Workshop curriculum is continually updated to reflect the latest community standards and practice. The workshop begins with the premise that you are managing digital material and therefore does not specifically cover digitization except in ensuring the quality of digitized and born digital content to be preserved.

For more information about the DPM workshop please see: http://www.dpworkshop.org

Pre-registration is available here: http://goo.gl/forms/uH9bQTYLUXHk2Wwh2

Pre-registration closes whenever the workshop reaches capacity. Please register soon to reserve your spot!

Digital Humanities brown bag talk: “Digitizing and exhibiting the archives of artist-run centres in Halifax, Nova Scotia”

November 18, 2015 Creighton Barrett Leave a Comment

Creighton Barrett, Digital Archivist in the University Archives, will give a digital humanities brown bag talk this Friday.

Title: Digitizing and exhibiting the archives of artist-run centres in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Date and Time: Friday, 20 November, 12:00 p.m.

Location: McCain Building, Room 2130

Creighton will discuss some of the theoretical and practical challenges associated with preparing archival material for an upcoming exhibition at the Dalhousie Art Gallery.

Exhibition Title: “Why are we saving All these artist publications + Other Galleries stuffs? The Emergence of Artist-Run Culture in Halifax.

Excerpt of roll call for Eye Level Gallery meeting, ca. 1979, Eyelevel Gallery fonds, MS‐3‐35, Box 18, Folder 12, Item 2, Dalhousie University Archives.

Tentative Dates: 15 January to 17 April 2016

Curated By: Creighton Barrett, Digital Archivist, Dalhousie University Archives and Peter Dykhuis, Director/Curator, Dalhousie Art Gallery

“Archives and Privacy within a Culture of Access”: Talk by Archivist Michael Moir

November 6, 2015 Creighton Barrett Leave a Comment

On Tuesday November 17, 2015, respected archivist Michael Moir will present a talk “Archives and Privacy within a Culture of Access”:

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Location: Dalhousie University Archives and Special Collections Reading Room, 5th floor Killam Library.

Archivists, librarians, and curators face increasing pressure to preserve and share the documentary legacy of a generation of Baby Boomers facing retirement, domestic downsizing, and the end of their days. Archives become the means to commemorate their contributions to society, including events that can be quite recent. Such material often contains personal information about third parties who have no awareness that it has entered the public sphere. Those tasked with managing such collections must find a delicate balance between the need for access to pursue knowledge (an activity that lies at the heart of the reasons we preserve archival records), and the ethical concern for the privacy of third parties.

The situation has become more complicated by European court rulings involving Google and the right to be forgotten, and the legal battle over access to interview recordings from the “Belfast Project” that were deposited at Boston College.

This presentation will discuss how a project funded by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries reviewed news media, blogs, scholarly journals and government websites to track changing attitudes toward privacy and recorded information, and how these perspectives can influence practical aspects of stewarding archival holdings in terms of acquisition, description, reference, and outreach through digital initiatives.

Michael Moir is the University Archivist and Head of the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections of York University Libraries. He was the Director of Corporate Records Systems and City Archivist for the newly amalgamated City of Toronto from 1998 to 2004, and has served as an adjunct instructor and guest lecturer at the University of Toronto’s iSchool. His research interests vary from the management of unique research collections, to Canadian shipbuilding during the Great War.

This talk has been organized by the Council of Nova Scotia Archives. All are welcome!

University Archives Launches Free “Pilot” Archives Document Delivery Service

October 19, 2015 Creighton Barrett 2 Comments

The University Archives is very pleased to announce a new free digitization service to increase digital access to archival material held by the Dal Libraries: the Archives Document Delivery Service.

For the next six months, the Libraries will test a new service where Dalhousie students, faculty, and staff can request free digital copies of archival material found in the Archives Catalogue and Online Collections. Consortia members and external researchers should continue to refer to the reproduction services and fee schedule document on the Archives website.

How Does the Service Work?

Dalhousie students, faculty, and staff can request digital copies of analog archival materials found in the Archives Catalogue and Online Collections. Digitization requests can be submitted online using a new “Archives Request” form available when you log into the Document Delivery Request Form:

Users should consult the Archives Catalogue and Online Collections to find files and items of interest.

When a request is received, Archives staff will work with Document Delivery staff to:

Determine if the request can be fulfilled
Prepare the file(s) for digitization
Digitize the file according to the University Archives digitization standards
Create a high-quality, fully-searchable (with some exceptions for illegible and/or handwritten text) PDF or high-resolution JPEG image
Send users a link to download the file(s)

The service is very similar to the electronic delivery of journal articles requested through Document Delivery. But it is limited to archival material held by the Dalhousie Libraries. Please note that the actual archival materials will not circulate. The service will provide digital copies.

Where Can I Find Help Using the Archives Document Delivery Service?

Staff in the University Archives can provide assistance searching the Archives Catalogue and completing the Archives Request form.

You can visit the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room on the 5th Floor of the Killam Memorial Library between 11:00 and 5:00, Monday-Friday.

You can also call the Reading Room at 902-494-3615 or email us at duasc@dal.ca.

We have detailed instructions on searching and browsing the Archives Catalogue. The Guide to Archival Research has more information.

What Kind of Archival Material Can I Request?

Eligible materials:

All private manuscript collections, including photographs
Publicly available university records
Certain university records may be made available to administrative staff

Ineligible materials:

Materials that exceed the definition of “short excerpt” in the Dalhousie Fair Dealing Guidelines
Materials with access and/or use restrictions imposed by the donor of the material
Unprocessed private manuscript collections that have not been appraised
Audiovisual materials
Fragile material that cannot be digitized using existing equipment in the Libraries
Bound manuscripts or other formats that cannot be digitized using existing equipment in the Libraries
Files with more than 100 pages

My Request was Cancelled. What Happened?

There are a number of reasons why Libraries staff might have to cancel your digitization request:

The file has access and/or use restrictions.
The request exceeds the definition of “short excerpt” in the Dalhousie Fair Dealing Guidelines.
The materials are too fragile to be scanned with existing equipment in the Libraries
The file contains a mix of material (e.g., textual records and photographs) that cannot easily be compiled into a PDF
The file contains audiovisual material and/or electronic records that cannot be scanned with existing equipment in the Libraries.
Some or all textual materials are bound in a way that prevents suitable preservation scans from being created with existing equipment in the Libraries.

In some cases, Libraries staff may contact you to discuss the possibility of scanning a portion of the material or to clarify the nature of your request.

How Long Does it Take to Receive a Request?

The Archives Document Delivery Service will use the existing document delivery time guidelines to measure the Libraries’ ability to fulfill free archives digitization requests in a timely manner. Members of the Dalhousie community may be accustomed to receiving scanned journal articles within a day or two even though delivery can take 2-3 weeks. The digitization process we will be testing is more complicated and time consuming and we anticipate an average request fulfillment time of 1-2 weeks.

If you have a deadline for your material please either use the “Not Useful After” calendar available on the web request form or add a note in the Notes field. You can also email the staff at docdel@dal.ca and they can check where the item is coming from and give you an estimated time of arrival.

Urgent surcharge and same day service are not available.

Can I Provide Feedback on this Service?

Yes, please! This is a pilot initiative to assess the Libraries’ capacity to digitize archival material as a free service for Dalhousie students, faculty, and staff. Digitizing archival material can be time-consuming and complex, so we anticipate a few bumps as we launch this pilot initative. Please provide feedback by emailing duasc@dal.ca.

Archives for Creighton Barrett