Archon and Archivists’ Toolkit to be integrated
It was announced today within the Archon forum that Archon and the Archivists’ Toolkit will be integrated in order to combine the best features of both. I will be watching this project with much interest. I have tried both applications, and I have a definite preference for Archon. I sincerely hope that this strengthens Archon, rather than weakening it.
I can think of strengths that could be gained from this integration. A GUI could be a nice addition. The folder view in Archivists’ Toolkit is nice as well. I also hope that these development efforts will also lead to a new platform that supports union catalogs from the outset.
There are dangers in the combined efforts as well, in my opinion. I hope that the nice, clean PHP code used in Archon doesn’t get mucked up with some sort of integration with Java, which I hate with a passion. I think using a great deal of Java would slow development and reduce the ability of many to do customization. Did I mention that I hate Java? I also hope that development isn’t stymied due to a lack of competition. Competition is always good, even when it’s between open source products. I also hope that Chris Prom’s influence on the project is undiminished. Chris’ two American Archivist articles on the EAD Cookbook and user interactions with finding aids set up a solid research foundation for the entire Archon project. Without his research, the project would not have been as good as what it is.
Still, this project holds promise, and I think the outcome will probably be good for archivists.
Setting the record straight: Michael J. Fox (Minnesota Historical Society) is the creator of the EAD Cookbook. I agree 110% with your comments about the value of Chris’s research, on the other hand. That’s one smart archivist.
Jackie Dooley
August 20, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Jackie,
Thanks for your note. I apologize for the tortured sentence. I know Fox created the EAD Cookbook. I was referring to Chris’ article on the usability of the cookbook. It will be corrected for clarity.
Jason Fowler
August 21, 2009 at 8:34 am
Just to clarify, I do plan to be involved in the combined Archon/AT project. I helped develop the prospectus and will be involved heavily in the project. And, Jackie is right, Michael deserves all the thanks for the EAD Cookbook, I only took a version of what he did and adapted it for NoteTab, which was not much of an original contribution, but useful enough for me at the time.
For anyhow who is interested, I just started a blog at http://www.practical-e-records.blogspot.com/ (I know, the last thing the world needs is yet another archives blog. . . )
Chris Prom
August 21, 2009 at 9:40 am
Jason, Our small academic library needs a basic tool for describing items that we have gathered in various boxes (we’re in the process of setting up Archives here). Is Archivists Toolkit/Archan basic enough for fairly simple use? I’m trying to find reviews of this from librarians who really aren’t archivists. (We have 4 librarians and students; no archivisits).
Many thanks for your time! gayle
Gayle
February 4, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Gayle,
Sorry to just now be responding.
I think either of these tools are pretty easy to set up, especially if you have a little bit of help from your IT staff. Both tools are simple enough to use, but both require some understanding of archival science. As you know, archives and libraries tend to be different animals.
At my place of work, we use Archon. I rely on student workers to enter a good deal of the data about our collections. We keep a copy of DACS in the office, and certain help features in Archon are keyed to DACS.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me or call me.
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