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Documentation Portal

Welcome to the Collection Management (CM) Documentation Portal!

This portal houses documentation related to the implementation, support, comparison, analyses and integration of archival collection management tools.

The CM Documentation Portal documents local guidelines, manuals, and instructions for tools used by archivists and librarians to manage archival collections, including proprietary programs, open source software, and home-grown systems. This includes tools that can be used for digital asset management but are being employed for collection management aspects by an institution.

Select on the tools below to access the available documentation:

We accept documentation in all formats, including but not limited to: PDFs, Microsoft Word documents, LibGuides, websites, blogs, etc. To contribute to the CM Documentation Portal, please submit the information below and a link to or attachment of your documentation to Jane Gorjevsky, the CM Section Chair, at jg2138@columbia.edu. Please also reach out if you would like to update previously-submitted documentation or links.

  • Institution
  • Repository
  • Collection Management Tool
  • Title of Documentation
  • Summary Description of Documentation

Example responses are provided below:

  Example Example
Institution University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mount Saint Mary's University
Repository Special Collections  
Collection Management Tool ArchivesSpace CuadraSTAR SKCA
Title of Documentation ArchivesSpace User Guide Procedure Manual for Cuadra Start Knowledge Center for Archives
Summary Description of Documentation These guidelines include details about entering data for resources, accessions, top containers events, etc. in ArchivesSpace... This manual, written in 2015 for Mount Saint Mary's University, is a detailed guide to Cuadra STAR Knowledge Center...

Don't forget to provide a link to or attachement of your documentation!

Pierc42277 says:
Practicum Project ~ Need Archivist Advice
Hi All!
My name is Daphne Pierce and I am a student at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois and I am doing my Practicum at the McLean County Museum of History.
My project is to convert an "archive card catalog digitally onto a unified platform for archival description and access."
However, the archive card catalog holds two types of records:
1. Box Collections - accessible online through finding aids, the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections and WorldCat.
2. Vertical Files - which are not accessible online (approximately 3700 files).
Each of the above includes title of the folder/collection, author (if applicable) and subject tracings.
I am interested in knowing what platforms would best suit this type of conversion project. I can send samples of the cards in the card catalog and, as you might imagine, funding is limited. Also, we have a professional on staff who does IT work, but that is not her primary function.
Currently, the museum uses PastPerfect for objects, but not for archives.
Any advice that you would be able to give would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Daphne Pierce 
Submitted by Pierc42277 on July 7, 2016 - 10:56am.

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