NBA Archon FAQ: Difference between revisions
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'''Q.''' To what extent are Finding Aids to individual collections available in Archon? | '''Q.''' To what extent are Finding Aids to individual collections available in Archon? | ||
'''A.''' Over the last several years Finding Aids have been developed at the NBA in a variety of formats for staff purposes. As part of a pilot digitization project supported by means from the Danish National Lottery, Finding Aids originally in electronic form have been manipulated so as to make them compatible with the format of Archon. As a result, information about some of our most important collections -- such as the [http://archon.nbi.dk/?p=collections/controlcard&id=1 Bohr Scientific Correspondence] (which exist on microfilm), a substantial [http://archon.nbi.dk/?p=collections/controlcard&id=7 supplement] to this collection, the Bohr Private Correspondence and the [http://archon.nbi.dk/?p=collections/controlcard&id=2 George Hevesy Scientific Correspondence] -- is now available in Archon on the document level. Since this information was originally made for internal use and since errors may furthermore have been introduced in the transfer to Archon, a substantial proof-reading effort remains. Nevertheless, it there can be no doubt that already in its present form the information will be of great use to researchers. We will be grateful to learn about whatever errors researchers may find. | '''A.''' Over the last several years Finding Aids have been developed at the NBA in a variety of formats for staff purposes. As part of a pilot digitization project supported by means from the Danish National Lottery, Finding Aids originally in electronic form have been manipulated so as to make them compatible with the format of Archon. As a result, information about some of our most important collections -- such as the [http://archon.nbi.dk/?p=collections/controlcard&id=1 Bohr Scientific Correspondence] (which exist on microfilm), a substantial [http://archon.nbi.dk/?p=collections/controlcard&id=7 supplement] to this collection, the [http://archon.nbi.dk/?p=collections/controlcard&id=12 Bohr Private Correspondence] and the [http://archon.nbi.dk/?p=collections/controlcard&id=2 George Hevesy Scientific Correspondence] -- is now available in Archon on the document level. Since this information was originally made for internal use and since errors may furthermore have been introduced in the transfer to Archon, a substantial proof-reading effort remains. Nevertheless, it there can be no doubt that already in its present form the information will be of great use to researchers. We will be grateful to learn about whatever errors researchers may find. | ||
== Searching == | == Searching == | ||
Revision as of 11:42, 20 March 2010
* * * Please note: This page is under development! * * *
These are frequently asked questions about Archon at the Niels Bohr Archive ("NBA Archon").
This Page
Q. How did the page originate?
A. The page first consisted of answers to questions that users of NBA are perceived as most likely to ask.
Q. How will the page develop?
A. The goal of the page is to answer questions that users are actually asking. Please send your questions to nba@nbi.dk. We will then try to answer them either by answering you directly or, if the question is deemed of sufficient general interest or is asked by several users, to incorporate your question and the answer into this page. Only in this way will the page become a genuine FAQ.
Archon
Q. What is Archon?
A. Archon is a software developed specifically at the University of Illinois to handle and make available information about archival material. Click here for documentation.
Q. Why was Archon chosen?
A. Archon is an open source software recommended to us by trusted colleagues in the international scientific archives community. We are presently working with the originators to streamline the software for the specific needs of the Niels Bohr Archive. Comments on its functionality and suggestions for its improvement are encouraged.
Information contained in NBA Archon
Q. How has information about archival collections already previously available at the NBA website been handled?
A. Information about our archival material was previously available on our website only at the collection level. All this information has been moved to Archon. As a temporary measure the original list of collections has been retained outside Archon, in each case with links to the collection information inside Archon. One of our future projects is to establish this list within Archon itself.
Q. To what extent are Finding Aids to individual collections available in Archon?
A. Over the last several years Finding Aids have been developed at the NBA in a variety of formats for staff purposes. As part of a pilot digitization project supported by means from the Danish National Lottery, Finding Aids originally in electronic form have been manipulated so as to make them compatible with the format of Archon. As a result, information about some of our most important collections -- such as the Bohr Scientific Correspondence (which exist on microfilm), a substantial supplement to this collection, the Bohr Private Correspondence and the George Hevesy Scientific Correspondence -- is now available in Archon on the document level. Since this information was originally made for internal use and since errors may furthermore have been introduced in the transfer to Archon, a substantial proof-reading effort remains. Nevertheless, it there can be no doubt that already in its present form the information will be of great use to researchers. We will be grateful to learn about whatever errors researchers may find.
Searching
The following questions and answers refer to use of Archon's specific search function (on the top left of every page), which allows the user to search for metadata in the database.
Q. What is searched for when I enter a single term?
A. The search engine looks for terms containing or consisting of the combination of letters submitted.
Q. What is searched for when I enter more than one term?
A. The search engine looks for records containing all letter combinations you submit.
Q. How do I search for an exact phrase containing more than one term?
A. Enclose the phrase in quotation marks.
Q. How do I search for a result not containing a specific term or phrase?
A. Use a minus sign before it (e.g. 'Bohr -Niels' finds all Bohrs except Niels Bohr (assuming that the first name is explicitly provided).
Q. Can I otherwise limit my search?
A. You can limit your searches to specific collections, subjects, creators or classifications.
Digitized documents
Q. How are documents digitized?
A. Paper documents have first been scanned as high-quality Tiff-files, which are kept on harddisk in a safe place. These files have been modified to low-resolution pdf files, most often in black-and-white, to render the best possible readability. Only when absolutely necessary have pdf files been rendered in gray-scale or color. It is the pdf files which are available in Archon. Sound and film have likewise been digitized to harddisk in high resolution and are available in Archon in lower quality.
