Managing virtual resources at Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Joanne Evans Deputy Director, Austehc SIMS PhD Candidate

Introducing Austehc Australian Science Archives Project (ASAP) set up in 1985 by the HPS department of the University of Melbourne Characteristics – Non custodial (‘virtual’) from the start – Established by researchers – Self funded 1999 renamed the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre (Austehc)

Introducing Austehc (continued) Early adopter of technology: – electronic typewriter 1987 – first PC 1990 – database development  ADS 1995 – web site and server – Generation Victoria project and ADS becomes the HDMSHDMS 1999 – Bright Sparcs  OHRMOHRM 2000 – Technology in Australia project  WARPWARP

Introducing Austehc (continued) Inheritor of Australian archival description traditions The Australian Series System – see Describing Archives in Context: A guide to Australian Practice Describing Archives in Context: A guide to Australian Practice EntityResource

Genesis of the OHRM Bright Sparcs – Guide to the Archives of Science in Australia Records of Individuals – persons and their records by repository. Guide to the Archives of Science in Australia Records of Individuals – Directory of Archives in Australia – contact details and major holdings of Australian archives. Directory of Archives in Australia – Historical Records of Australian Science –annual bibliography for the History of Australian Science and its predecessors. Historical Records of Australian Science Key features – Use existing resources, but re-purpose for a web environment – Gateway to all types of resources – archival, published, and online

OHRM Database Structure Standards – Entities - ISAAR(CPF)ISAAR(CPF – Archival Resources – ISAD(G) ISAD(G) – Published Resources – Australian Style Manual, Dublin Core. Dublin Core Key features – Relational model – efficiency of data entry; representation of complexity – Standards compliance

OHRM Web Structure

Web pages – e.g. Phillip Garth LawPhillip Garth Law Key features – Highly discoverable – Citable – persistent identifiers, Dublin Core metadata – Combination of static and dynamic pages – Entity perspective, researcher perspective – Entity relationship model applicable beyond archival domain

OHRM Implementations Bright Sparcs and Australian Science at Work Bright SparcsAustralian Science at Work cyberfibres cyberfibres A Guide to Australian Business Records Australian Trade Union Archives Australian Women's Archive Project Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements (ATNS) Lost Lives 2004 – Online Australian Dictionary of Biography, Images of Chinese Heritage in Australia, Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages

Open Resource Scholarly Network ‘a scholarly web space that is self-sustaining, human friendly, and is also deeply connected with academic traditions’ ‘The Open Resource Scholarly Network: New Collaborative Partnerships between Academics, Libraries, Archives and Museums’, VALA 2002, Example – connecting Bright Sparcs and National Archives of Australia’s Record Search via Phillip LawPhillip Law

Functional Requirements Citability – Who, what, where and when – Resource discovery metadata – Persistent identifier – remains the same no matter where the resource is located Coherence – Designs which easily and explicit convey to the user the context, jurisdiction or framework of an information object – Conveys to user where they are and where they can go

Functional Requirements (continued) Compliance – Use of standards to foster data and metadata interchange; discovery and accessibility etc. Communicability – Presentation of content in human and machine readable forms Endurance – Managing resources through time – Preservation strategies

Larger Scale Architectures Is such a network possible? – e.g. Walter Baldwin SpencerWalter Baldwin Spencer Is it scalable? – Scale free complex networks in nature ‘self- organising systems that result from processes based on iterative interaction of objects and the relationships they form’ – Small world effect – six degrees of separation

PhD Research Thesis: Repositioning Archival Functions: the capture and use of recordkeeping metadata Use of OHRM to manage and map the relevant literature Part of the Clever Recordkeeping Metadata Project – demonstrate ‘create once use many times’ through automating metadata capture and re-use.Clever Recordkeeping Metadata Project

Traditional recordkeeping architectures Web Management System Records Management Application Archival Management Application Subject Portals Community Archives Archival Gateways Business Systems Desktop Applications

Metadata Brokering Records Management Application Archival Management Application Subject Portals Community Archives Web Management Systems Archival Gateways and Desktop Applications Metadata Broker Business Information Systems

Clever Recordkeeping Metadata Project For more information see the project website at:- rcrg/research/crm/index.html rcrg/research/crm/index.html