Open-Source Cataloging and Archiving: Omeka, Collective Access, and Beyond

Planning, creating and managing digital archives, catalogs, and collections is a growing concern as organizations seek to manage files and records, metadata-gather, and enable complex searches of their cultural production, ephemera, archives and/or born-digital assets. This two-part workshop teaches popular open-source digital archiving and collections management packages. Learn to select, install and perform basic configuration on Omeka, used primarily in academic and digital humanities projects; and CollectiveAccess, used primarily in GLAM [Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums] projects. The first half of the workshop will teach you what to expect and consider in a planning a cataloging software project; orient you to use cases and a general review of how digital cataloging softwares are implemented, and includes an overview of features, metadata schemas, and problems to look out for. The second half dives deeper into a hands-on comparison of two specific programs, and participants will have an opportunity to build [and break!] from either their own servers or a temporary web interface and command-line access Openflows provides. We want to help you build what’s most useful to you! FYI we can’t provide server support in the workshop.

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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR Hadassah Damien is a technologist, catalog software developer, and digital communications specialist at Openflows. As a community organizer who also implements technology to help activists succeed, and a multimedia artist who also builds digital archives, her work intersects functionality with agility, practicality, and the democratic politics of open-source cultures. She has collaborated on digital collection sites for John Jay library, The Interference Archive, and more. She holds an MA in American Studies, and a Certificate in Interactive Technology and Pedagogy from the CUNY Graduate Center. Openflows Community Technology Lab is a NYC-based worker cooperative committed to bringing collaborative and cutting edge open source software [FLOSS] solutions to non-profit organizations, NGOs, libraries, progressive community organizations, and more. Since 2003 we have specialized in planning, configuration, and customization of FLOSS for large and small organizations worldwide. SCHEDULE Part A -- 6:30-8:00: Theory, digital catalog/archive project overview Break -- 8:00-8:30 Part B -- 8:30-10:30: Hands-on learning, technical interfacing, back-end TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS The first half of the workshop is geared to participants of all technical backgrounds. The second half is geared to those comfortable with some web-building. If you are okay using WordPress, you'll be okay at this section. Please bring a computer or be comfortable using a station at Eyebeam, as we will be learning by making. If you bring your own machine, ensure you have: -- a command-line tool if you plan to try a CLI install OR an FTP client [try Cyberduck if you don’t have one] if you don’t want to use the command line -- an HTML editor [try TextWrangler if you don't have one], -- and a few images to load into the systems to test it out. You may also proceed in the class by loading the software onto your own server. In this case, you’ll need to come with the following additional preparations: -- your login and password to the server -- two databases created, and the usernames and passwords for those REFERENCE URLs Software List: http://www.femmetech.org/2014/10/digital-archiving-software-1/ CollectiveAccess: http://www.collectiveaccess.org Omeka: http://omeka.org/

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