For the past year, LYRASIS Digital Technology Services has been onboarding and implementing ArchivesSpace to a number of organizations. It now seems fitting as we embark on our first year of offering the service to speak candidly about our dedication and commitment to supporting this open source archival description tool.

ArchivesSpace is an open source web application for managing archives information. The application is designed to support core functions in archives administration such as accessioning; description and arrangement of processed materials including analog, hybrid, and born-digital content; management of authorities (agents and subjects) and rights; and reference service. The application was born out of the need for an archival descriptive tool now that both Archon and Archivists’ Toolkit are no longer supported.

ArchivesSpace supports collection management through collection management records, tracking of events, and a growing number of administrative reports. The application also functions as a metadata authoring tool, enabling the generation of EAD, MARCXML, MODS, Dublin Core, and METS formatted data.

ArchivesSpace, the organizational home, is a program with a current staff of 4.6 FTE, a community of over 200 members, and three administrative groups—a Governance Board (elected), a Technical Advisory Council (appointed), and an Users Advisory Council (appointed)—and published Bylaws. LYRASIS is the organizational home for ArchivesSpace and is the only authorized service provider for the application.

To date, LYRASIS has more than 25 customers live with ArchivesSpace Hosting Services. The onboarding process varies depending on whether or not the organization has migration needs or not but overall, ArchivesSpace can be installed, customized and implemented pretty quickly and the system is easy to learn. LYRASIS provides an extensive user guide, cheat sheets and 3 hours of getting started training, ongoing support, 6+ dedicated staff members, and a commitment to the development and support of ArchivesSpace, both the community and the product.

With our hosting services offering, we also provide access for our customers to the community of ArchivesSpace where one can donate time to enhance and make ArchivesSpace the product that works for best for all invested. Open source products are the products of their communities. Whether you are a programmer, developer, tester, bug reporter, or documentation provider, you can participate at any level and have a voice in the products development. Even something as little as answering a survey about ArchivesSpace gives us and the community great feedback on how to improve and what should be next with enhancements and functionality. LYRASIS, too, gives back to the community. We are committed to its development and success. LYRASIS staff serve on the ArchivesSpace Technical Advisory Council, user documentation committee and work closely with the organizational home to provide access and resources for ArchivesSpace’s development and growth.

We feel confident and excited about the work we and the Community have done in this last year and look forward to the next!

Are you curious about ArchivesSpace? Be sure to stop by ALA booth #2341 to see live demonstrations as well as meet and speak with developer and training staff.