http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk

Catherine Hardman Deputy Director (Collections)

Digital Archives: Light at the end of the

tunnel?

FAME: Trouble in StoreYork, 1st July 2011

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• Survey of archaeological collecting areas 2002/3 (SMA)• Some large gaps in archaeological provision in

different parts of England• Even larger gaps in provision of digital

archiving facilities• Since that time provision has not improved

Digital Archiving for the Historic Environment in England

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• Not much solid evidence about current provision• Looking at ‘Securing a future for Maritime

Archaeological Archives’ 2009/10 the situation hasn’t improved• http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/

archives/view/maritime_archive_2009/

Digital Archiving for the Historic Environment in England

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• Continuing work with AHRC grant holders• Projects getting used to including ADS fees• Working with English HeritageoALSFoDigital Storage Grants

Recent trends in digital archiving with the ADS

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• Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund

Working with English Heritage - ALSF

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• English Heritage grant to cover the deposit of data sets create during EH funded projects.

Working with English Heritage – Storage Grants

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So what is stopping other types of deposit?…..

Money… and… a level playing field

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So where’s the light at the end of the tunnel?

•Wessex Image Archive

•Work with Southampton Arts and Heritage

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• Wessex wish to move away from the use of traditional film/print photography and commit to digital images only as a method of recording. • The museums had been reluctant to make this

move as they didn’t feel confident about their ability to archive the digital images.• Use of OASIS as an ‘image delivery system’.

Wessex Image Archive Pilot

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Wessex Image Archive Pilot A new OASIS button!

How do they do it?

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Wessex Image Archive PilotMuseum Involvement

The museum also sees the record and the images within the system

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Wessex Image Archive PilotMuseum view of OASIS

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Wessex Image Archive PilotMuseum view of OASIS

•Clicking to see theimages within OASIS

•Same downloadoptions as HERs

•Plans to create MODES XML

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Wessex Image Archive Pilotfront end of the archive

The front end reflects the whole collection, with recognition of the museum services involved

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Wessex Image Archive PilotArchive content

Summary culledfrom the OASIS form

Site details culled from OASIS form

Image metadata uploadedwith the images

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Wessex Image Archive PilotArchive content

Images available to download and report linked to the Grey Literature Library

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• Inclusion of use of the ADS as a digital archive required in terms of deposit with Southampton Museum• Costed by number of files per site• Preference for associated OASIS record • Files delivered in the ‘traditional way’ (CD) rather than

an online upload

Southampton Arts and Heritage Archive

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Southampton Arts and Heritage Archive

Three sites currently, three more on the books

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Southampton Arts and Heritage Archive The site archives

Again the site information is culled from the OASIS record

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Southampton Arts and Heritage Archive The site archives

A wider range of file types and data, but still with links to the report in the Grey Literature Library

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• What works in the image trial:• The reuse of OASIS as archive metadata • Streamlining of ingest keeps costs down• Enthusiasm from the museum sector• Potential development of OASIS MODES XML• Dissemination of image archive online• For Wessex the first step in moving towards solely digital

images

Light at the end of the tunnel?

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• What didn’t work so well in the image trial:• Review of data input to OASIS• Image metadata requirement may be different for

online use • Size of ZIP files and uploading issues

Light at the end of the tunnel?

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• What works in the Southampton trial:• Well formed archives• Well formed metadata from OASIS• Good range of data types within the site archives• Bringing together site archives for one region has

good reuse and research potential• Good online resource for Southampton to link to

Light at the end of the tunnel?

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• What didn’t work so well in the Southampton trial:• The use of OASIS isn’t a Southampton HER

requirement (the HER is separate from the museum service) • Yet to do: give Southampton Museums access to

OASIS

Light at the end of the tunnel?

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• Still in trail period and subject to an annual review

• For the images via OASIS: £40+VAT per site, batches of 5 sites, limit on number of images

• For museum site archives: prices in bands starting at £250 + VAT for 1 -100 and increasing in stages

The big question…How much does this all cost?

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• Potential to work well if:• The cost is sufficiently low to resolve an archiving

or working practice headache for individual units and/or…• The curators stipulate digital archive requirements

within briefs, creating a level playing field and…• Price levels are kept as reasonable as possible in

comparison to cost of works, while still covering the real cost of digital archiving.

Light at the end of the tunnel? (or is that an oncoming train?)

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• Work with both the museums and HER community to specify digital archive deposit.• Look for more cost efficiencies in archiving to

keep costs low• Models for semi-automated ingest• Ingest of well formed archives• High volume small scale archives

Light at the end of the tunnel?Next steps

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Colleagues at Wessex Archaeology , the historic environment services of WiltshireCounty Council, Hampshire County Council, Hampshire Museum Service, WiltshireHeritage Museum and Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum and Roland Smith (nowCotswold Archaeology). Also Gill Woolrich at Southampton Arts and Heritage andDuncan Brown (now English Heritage).

http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/wessex_images/http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/southampton/

For more information or to discuss possible future partnerships please contact me:

catherine.hardman@york.ac.uk

Thanks to…