The document summarizes the current state of archive gateways in the UK that provide access to archival descriptions and collections. It describes several existing networks like Archives Hub, AIM25, and A2A that aggregate finding aids from different repositories. Archives Hub aims to be a single point of access for archives in educational institutions. It has grown significantly since starting as a pilot in 1999 and now includes descriptions from over 150 repositories, though some collections only have brief level descriptions while others include item-level details. Future plans include transitioning to a more distributed model where repositories can host their own data and moving to new protocols to expose the data.

1. Opening up the archives: from basement to browser Amanda Hill

2. Overview Current situation with archive gateways in UK Archives Hub technology, methodology, ethos usage, engaging with audiences development plans, for Hub and beyond

3. Archives Online 1998 report by the National Council on Archives Vision of a single point of access to full catalogues of all archives in the UK http://www.ncaonline.org.uk/materials/archivesonline.pdf National Register of Archives available online in 1995, via web in 1998

4. Progress since 1998 A time of rapid change A number of ‘strands’ of the UK National Archive Network have been developed, usually in response to the availability of funding Many individual repositories are also making their own catalogues available online

5. Existing archive networks A2A: full catalogues of English archives, often down to the level of individual items AIM25: collection-level descriptions of archives in HE and learned institutions in the London area ANW: collection-level descriptions of archives in Wales Archives Hub: collection-level and some full catalogues of archives in educational establishments JANUS: full catalogues of collections in Cambridge SCAN: collection-level descriptions of archives in Scotland

6. Collection-level vs. full catalogues 250 1,750 Janus 81,950 71,000 Total 20,000 Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) 6,000 Archives Network for Wales (ANW) 19,500 250 Archives Hub 6,200 AIM25 30,000 69,000 A2A Collection-level Full catalogues Resource

7. Archives Hub Aim: to provide a single point of access to information about archives held in the UK’s tertiary education sector Audience: academics and students (JISC-funded), but free to access for all One of a range of national services provided by MIMAS at the University of Manchester Development work done by a team at the University of Liverpool

8. History Began in 1999 as a one-year pilot project 15 HE archive repositories took part, contributing 3,000 (mainly) collection-level descriptions Became a JISC service in 2001 Now around 150 repositories, mainly in HE, but some beyond (e.g. Medical institutions)

9. Funding Service and development are funded by the JISC, in 3-yearly phases Content: universities and colleges have applied for £800,000 in response to JISC funding calls to create collection-level descriptions Additional content (including lower levels of description) is often created as part of day-to-day work of contributing archives Much content has been provided without JISC funding

10. What's in the Hub? Nearly 20,000 archival descriptions, covering a huge range of subjects Some catalogues down to item level: 150,000 archival 'units of description' in the system Much of the information in the Hub had not been available online before

11. Methodology Responsibility for creating descriptions has always been with the institutions Raw materials of the service are text files structured according to the international archival XML standard EAD. Online template

12. Data quality Data Editor Data creation guidelines 'For Archivists' Contributors' training Indexing standards Subject finder

13. Usage levels

14. Users

15. Searching styles

16. Search terms, August 2006 Tolkein papers london transport bangor cathedral ethnomethodology grave-robbing bee beetle middleeastcrises Teddy Boys Harry Potter ninja How many people were killed during Ida Amin's power

17. Getting feedback from users Virtual service: harder to reach users Online surveys Incentives needed Responses often skewed Impact analysis

18. Impact Expected uses: Assisting researchers in finding collections Allowing users to make connections between different collections: browsing subject terms Saving wasted journeys Other uses As a tool for librarians and archivists answering queries from users Use in training sessions for students As a promotional tool for archives in general As a source of information for information professionals http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/tavistock2003.pdf and forthcoming report of JISC Review of Resource Discovery Services

19. Beyond finding aids… September 2001: Collection of the Month July 2003: 'Guided Tour' January 2004: 'For Archivists' section February 2006: Archives Hub Blog

20. Architecture Originally, all data was held centrally, on a server in Manchester In July 2005, the service moved to a distributed model, where institutions can choose to host their own data, using a free version of the Hub's own software

21. Spokes Aim is to make it as easy as possible for contributors to put their EAD files on to the Archives Hub, and to keep them up-to-date Software provides a web search form for repository's own descriptions, plus SRU (Search and Retrieve by URL) and Z39.50 access

22. Test Spoke at MIMAS

24. How it all works…

25. Indexing Harvesting Searching Retrieval Combined indexes Archives Hub website Data (EAD files) Indexes Indexes Indexes of MC Data Leeds University Library Edinburgh University Library Key Local website Virtual databases Local website Distributed Archives Hub Data (EAD files) Data held at Manchester Computing (MC)

26. Losing control… Potential issues with data quality, reliability and security of remote servers Memorandum of understanding sets out expectations on both sides

27. Future developments Archives Hub records have always been available through the web interface and the Z39.50 search and retrieval protocol New Cheshire3 version of the central Archives Hub will allow: further protocols to be supported, including SRW/U and OAI-PMH records to be exposed in different formats, including MARC XML and Dublin Core

28. Archives UK (aUK) Successor to Linking Arms Plan to use The National Archives' 'Global Search' technology to search data from all other archive networks Details yet to be sorted out, but Archives Hub will be involved

29. More information On creating EAD with the tools on the Archives Hub and with XML software : http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/arch/dc.shtml Spokes software: http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/arch/spokes.shtml SRW/SRU protocols: http://www.loc.gov/standards/sru/ My e-mail address: [email_address]