Hi all, I have been talking with Thornton Staples, of Fedora Commons, for the last couple of months about a new "Small Archives" for Fedora. The problem we're addressing is how to gain small archives access to repository and long-term preservation facilitaties, given that most small archives have limited budgets, limited technical staff, and limited resources, overall, with which to figure this out.
At the Jewish Women's Archive we have been working on setting up a repository for over two years (and in fact, I will be talking about that Repository, including "why, for our particular needs, Fedora") in a session on "Technology Strategies" on Thursday morning). My organization now has a "starter" repository in action, and we are gradually loading it up with data and working out policies, procedures, and long-term preservation strategies. It's a fragile process, interrupted frequently. The obvious solution is to be working actively with other small cultural heritage organizations, something that we are just starting to do locally, and need to be doing more broadly. The thing is, I am pretty sure that we small archives are the long tail of cultural memory and cultural heritage. Even if every large cultural heritage institution had the pieces in place for great long-term access and preservation, that would still leave most of our planet's cultural heritage without such protection. The question Thorny and I have been asking is that if we pool resources, can we agree on common content models, and set up one repository? Is the work that JWA has done with MediaShelf enough (maybe in conjunction with the University of Hull's "Hydra" project) such that many small repositories, with minimal help--some through this SIG/Community of Practice, can set up and maintain their own repositories and create a richer cultural heritage ecology? What, in the end, does "setting up a repository" need and require, and how does that fit the reality of a small archive? What models best fit the needs of our organizations? Thorny will be joining me at MW Friday morning for the Birds of a Feather breakfast where we'll be hanging out with other "Small Archives/Fedora" feathered friends. Between that session, and our combined noise and discussion at the conference, I am hoping that we'll feel comfortable formally starting the SIG. Folks interested in or using other repository frameworks are also welcome to join in the discussion. We look forward to seeing everyone in Indianapolis in a few weeks. Ari Davidow Jewish Women's Archive Resources: Museums and the Web, Apr 15-18, Indianapolis, IN - http://www.archimuse.com/mw2009/ Fedora Commons - http://www.fedora-commons.org/ other FC communities of practice - https://fedora-commons.org/confluence/display/FCCWG/Home
