The ADS, supported by funding from the Archives and Records Association, has begun a new project to improve digital archive deposition and create new tools for disseminating guidance and standards for archiving.
The project aims to review the current ADS guidelines on digital archive deposition and develop new guidance policies for depositors. The project will achieve this aim by evaluating the current ADS online Guidelines for Depositors and updating these guidelines in light of the recent revisions to the Guides to Good Practice and the development of ADS-easy, ADS’s new online archive deposit system which will dramatically change our archival deposition processes.
ADS’s believes that a new set of guidelines will improve and widen education, training and professional development in the archives domain and improve the dissemination of guidance on standards for archive-related procedures and policy.
The revision of the ADS’s Guidelines for Depositors will produce a new user friendly interface, systematically link the guidelines to the updated Guides to Good Practice, and involve the creation of interactive training exercises and video tutorials.
The interactive training materials will instruct depositors on how to correctly prepare their data for deposition and will emphasise the importance of digital archiving and good data management throughout the lifecycle of a project. The newly developed tools will also be used as teaching aids in workshops and lectures provided by the ADS.
This project to improve digital archive deposition will not only create an essential tool for ADS depositors, it will also be an excellent resource on data management for all data depositors and digital archivists working in the sector and beyond.
The new interface will be designed after consultation with users on the most intuitive and instructive way to present the guidelines.
To take part in redesign process complete the survey (now closed) and have your say!
By taking part you can also WIN one of five ADS and Internet Archaeology trowel shaped USB memory sticks or £70 worth of Amazon vouchers.
