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Expedition Tracker

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Becca Morgan edited this page Nov 16, 2016 · 71 revisions

Build an ArchivesSpace Integrated Tool to Track/Manage Expedition Data and Related Field Books and Ancillary Materials

Background

Field expeditions are a major part of the Museum’s scientific mission, with researchers, students, and curators participating in dozens of expeditions annually. From studying primates in Vietnam to surveying crocodiles in Cuba, fieldwork adds to the Museum's preeminent collections and informs its exhibitions and educational efforts.

All the AMNH expeditions that took place in 2015 All the AMNH expeditions that took place in 2015

The qualitative, observational data recorded by scientists during field expeditions are compiled into fieldnotes, or field books. Fieldnotes primary source specimens, or collections of specimens, that straddle research disciplines. They span the history of the museum in every science department and are still being created today. Fieldnotes are compiled in a wide variety of formats, sometimes as books or papers, but increasingly as born digital objects. They may exist individually or as collections. It is also possible to encounter a set of fieldnotes that has been disassociated materially and rehoused within several different archival collections.

These records have intrinsic archival value, but they are often deposited by the creator after an expedition without capturing any information about them or registering their existence. Since fieldnote data is always needed and never obsolete, the scientists who create it often keep it close at hand, initially. Over time, and as departments evolve, fieldnotes may find their way into department field book repositories, or they may be transferred to the library as individual objects or as part of an archival collection. Fieldnotes that remain in the science departments are outside the Library's purview. We may not know of their existence unless they have been transferred physically to the Library. Additionally, since the Library has not traditionally tracked fieldnotes, these resources may be integrated into current archival collections, but not defined as such.

We need a way to track fieldnotes in the museum as they are created/identified, including if they have been cataloged, scanned, or made available online. This tool would track/manage the life-cycle of fieldnote data, which would allow staff the means to provide access and control over museum resources.

The goal is to create a tool that would allow museum and scientific staff to easily track these fieldnote items, no matter the format/volume or where they're held or how they're shared over time, including their extent, their location, their ownership, or if they have been physically transferred to or accessioned by the Library. We want to answer questions, such as:

  • What is this?
  • What expedition did this come from?
  • When and where was this created?
  • Who created this? Is this person an AMNH staff person?
  • Where is this located? Is it in a department? The library? Is this off-site?
  • Who last took this and is responsible for this now?
  • Is this in the Library catalog? Any catalog?
  • Is this born-digital? Has this been digitized?

This tool would allow for tracking actions on objects our traditional databases/tools were not meant to do. Ideally, it will be user-friendly and comfortable for non-archivists/librarians to use, yet integrate into more complex systems for data management by collection managers and library staff.

Fields Needed: *Please use DACS data standard

  • Expedition/What
  • should do an autocomplete from xEAC if already existing
  • if possible should offer "did you mean this ___" suggestions based on xEAC data
  • *** Dates/When**
  • [1923 or 1923-1933]
  • *** Creator/Who**
  • should do an autocomplete from xEAC if already existing
  • if possible should offer "did you mean this ___" suggestions based on xEAC data
  • *** Local/Where**
  • use Getty, Thesaurus of Geographic Names
  • *** Notes/Why**
  • free text would like to suggest recording funder, expedition goals
  • *** Name of Item**
  • title of object or collection
  • *Description of Media
  • may need to provide a pick list
  • *Current Location of Item
  • Provenance
  • *Digitized? If so where?

Solutions

Consider creating solutions in the languages / platforms that ArchivesSpace is built in to be able to cleanly contribute back to their open source project.

  • Integrate the AMNH xEAC into ArchivesSpace. Look at the Agents and Locations REST objects in ArchivesSpace and determine how the AMNH xEAC can be incorporated into it.

  • Create a check-in interface for current and new field books. Using the provided use case diagram, and examining the fields available in ArchivesSpace, help us create an easy to use "check-in" app that the creators of field notes can use to register their materials with us.

Resources

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