Bridging The ALM Divide: An Integrated Archive-Library-Museum Approach for Hybrid Cultural Institutions

Bridging the ALM Divide An Integrated Archive-Library-Museum Approach for Hybrid Institutions Francesco Spagnolo, Head of Research Perian Sully, Collections Information and Web Programs Manager Lara Michels, Head Archivist and Librarian The Magnes, Berkeley, CA Presented at the Museum Computer Network CAL-SIG San Jose Museum of Art, August 22, 2008

Magnes: A Collecting History

Founded in 1962

Wide range of collecting areas, including –

Global Jewish Diaspora

Jews in the American West

Jewish communities in “exotic” places (China, North Africa, India)

Ceremonial objects and Jewish material culture

Modern and contemporary arts

Music

Rare books and manuscripts

Works of Jewish illustrators and ephemera

Historical documents

Three major collecting departments -

Western Jewish History Center archives: ~5,000 items in 500 collections

Blumenthal Rare Book and Manuscript Library - ~10,000 items

Permanent Museum Collection - ~15,000 items

Challenges of Hybrid Institutions Access Catering to Many Research Across Standards Culture Multicultural Aspects Bridging Textual, Documental and Material Cultures Language Multilingualism and the Levels of Access Script, Transliteration, Translation Whose Vision? One Vision! Cultural Models & Database Structure

Learning from One Another, Learning Together (The Philosophy of ALM Integration) Extending Museum Models Extending Archive Models Extending Library Models

Extending Museum Models

Authorship, Creatorship and “Parties”

Authors and co-authors

Creators and co-creators

Donors

Accession Numbering

Tracking Movement

Locations

Containers

Extending Archive Models Varying Notions of “Collection”

Facilities

Donations

Collecting Areas

Intellectual Organization of Materials

Extending Library Models

Why MARC Still Matters

Circulation and Research

Integrating ALM

Time – Dates and Periods

Subjects – Local and Global

Synonyms and Preferred Terms

ALM, or Meta-Collections

Managing Institutional Change

Professional Standards

Global Perspectives

Technological Structure: Key Features of IDEA@ALM

Databanks

Templates

Managing Standards: EAD, MARC, ISAD

Mastering Multilingual capabilities

Global Searches and Queries

Flexibility

MS-SQL database

XML-based web service and API

Multilingual with full Unicode support

Compliant with Dublin-Core, Z39.50, ISAD, EAD, MARC, ISAAR

Yad Vashem, IDEA’s largest client, presents 4 million records online and manages 65 million documents.

Technological Structure: Databanks A databank is a virtual database into which records may be sorted and stored. Magnes IDEA@ALM Database Archive Databank Library Databank Museum Databank Exhibitions Databank Administrative Databank

Technological Structure: Templates The templates are organizational structures in which specified fields are displayed. Archive Databank Library Databank Museum Databank Administrative Databank Collection Series Sub-Series Document Photo Book Manuscript Object Parties Image Location Valuation Condition

Technological Structure: Templates

Technological Structure: Managing Standards