[Archon-L] Archon implementations

[Chris Prom]

Patricia,

I've attempted to answer your questions below.  I know Purdue 
University, Southern Illinois at Carbondale, University of West 
Florida, University of Houston, Southern Baptist Theological 
Seminary, and a few others are using archon and will, I believe, 
be 'going live' with it, but their data is not necessarily 
available publicly at the present time.  I hope some of these 
institutions will respond, I believe most of them have 
representatives on the listserv.

I can tell you that the output is very, very easy to modify, 
especially if you want only to change colors, fonts, etc.  Those 
changes can be handled in a few minutes time, once you've read 
the appropriate sections of the admin manual.  Rearranging the 
output is not all that complicated either, basically, you need to 
have some understanding of HTML.

Chris

On Tue, 10 Apr 2007, Patricia Thompson wrote:

> 
> 1. How customizable are the data fields? We have just learned about the
> DACS standards and would like to use the data elements specified by that
> standard.

All of the DACS elements are included at the collection level. 
They are also available through the 'user defined fields' in the 
content manager, for series, folders, items, etc that are part of 
a collection.


> 2. We have a good amount of data already entered into a Filemaker Pro
> database. Can this be loaded into Archon, or would we have to re-key it
> all?

We have imported data from other systems into Archon.  In order 
to import it, you may need to have a custom SQL script written. 
I can send you a sample of one of these, as well as the source 
file it took as import.  You'd need some tech help to customize 
it.  We have also talked about writing some generic import 
scripts for flat, structured data.

> 3. How do you populate the pull-down lists for subjects, etc.?

You can either enter the data by hand using the 'subject manager' 
or you can import lists directly using the import utilities in 
PHPmyAdmin or another mySQL client.  You'd import this into the 
table tbl_SharedSubjects from a tab delimited file.


> 4. Where would we get some training in how to use Archon?

If you are interested, we can put together a price for a training 
session, or perhaps there is someone close by who can train you. 
However, we made archon as easy to use as possible, so it may not 
be needed if you read the user manualy carefully.

> 5. I understand that Archon will generate an EAD-encoded finding aid.
> What would one do with that if it's not used to create the web output?

You can save the files to share with RLG/Archive Grid or 
local/regional archives projects.

> 6. Are the box lists typed in Word and then saved as a pdf? How are the
> box list words included in the keyword search?

The box lists are not included in the PDF search.  The ability to 
link to these is provide so that 'legacy finding aids' are at 
least minimally accessible in the system.  We have a separate, 
google-based indexing system for them here at UIUC.

> 7. Are the file naming conventions for attached files taken care of
> within Archon?

Not sure what you are asking here.  If you upload a digital file 
in the digital library manager, it will retain whatever file name 
you submit.  On the other hand, if you mean the collection 
records and other pages produced by the system, they are all 
assigned by the system as stable URLs


> 8. Are there any reports that can be run from the database other than the
> basic keyword searches that are available for users?
There are currently no built in reports.  We may add some for our 
own internal use at UIUC (total volume, etc).  However, I 
currently run one off reports and quieries by connecting to the 
source database using ODBC datasource and microsoft access.


> 9. What is the "control card" output used for?
This is an internal format here at Illinois, we print these and 
file them in a Kardex system.

> 10. In looking at the UIUC site, it appears that the digital holdings are
> separate from the rest of the archives. Can they be more integrated? Can
> I add a digitized image of a letter, for example to a collection record
> for a whole collection of letters? Perhaps only one of the letters is
> important. Or perhaps I only want to digitize a few items from a complete
> box. Can I link the digitized image to the collection record?


Yes, they can be linked either to the collection or to a 
series, box, or folder within a collection:  see here:

http://web.library.uiuc.edu/ahx/archon/dlcontent.php?id=108

If you scroll to the bottom of this page, you'll see this digital 
image linked to the exact box/folder it is found.

> 
> 
> I appreciate any help you can give on helping us to decide whether Archon
> is right for us.
> 
> Pat Thompson
> 
> 
> Patricia Thompson
> Assistant University Librarian for Resource Management Services
> Jessie Ball duPont Library
> The University of the South
> Sewanee, TN 37383
> Phone: 931-598-1657
> Email: pthompso at sewanee.edu
> 
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