OSSArcFlow

• Digital Dossiers (All Partners)

As-is Workflows: In the fall of 2017, the project team worked with partners at each institution to mockup a visual representation of their current workflow activities. Representing a “snapshot in time,” these documents show how a diverse group of institutions are using OSS tools in their workflows to curate born-digital content. They also provide an essential starting point for synthesizing and comparing both the gaps and overlaps that currently exist between common OSS tools and environments:

• As-Is Workflows (All Partners)

Recorded In-Person Partner Meeting Sessions (YouTube):

• Opening remarks
• Panel 1
• Panel 2
• Panel 3 (Part One and Part Two)

Guide to Documenting Born-Digital Archival Workflows: In the Guide, we aim to make the daunting task of selecting, implementing, and refining born-digital archiving workflows more achievable by documenting and describing steps that are commonly included in digital curation workflows, providing a process map and detailed guidance to help you produce your own born-digital workflows documentation, and a set of use cases:

• Guide to Documenting Born-Digital Archival Workflows

Video Learning Modules (YouTube):

• Learning Module 1: Common Steps in OSS Born-Digital Archival Workflows
• Learning Module 2: Documenting Workflows
• Learning Module 3: Using Workflows
• OSSArcFlow Resource Release Webinar 

SAA Electronic Records Section’s bloggERS series on OSSArcFlow:

• Laying Out the Horizon of Possibilities: Reflections on Developing the OSSArcFlow Guide to Documenting Born-Digital Archival Workflows
• From Aspirational to Actionable: Working through the OSSArcFlow Guide

published January 2018, design updated May 2020

Ahead of the partner meeting on December 4-5, 2017, project partners created digital dossiers outlining the form, function, and future of digital curation at their home institutions.

• Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library
• District of Columbia Public Library
• Duke University
• Emory University
• Kansas State Historical Society
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Mount Holyoke College
• New York Public Library
• Rice University
• Stanford University
• All Dossiers (Single PDF)

published June 2018

In the fall of 2017, the project team worked with partners at each institution to mockup a visual representation of their current workflow activities.

Representing a “snapshot in time,” these documents show how a diverse group of institutions are using OSS tools in their workflows to curate born-digital content. They also provide an essential starting point for synthesizing and comparing both the gaps and overlaps that currently exist between common OSS tools and environments.

• Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library
• District of Columbia Public Library
• Duke University
• Emory University
• Kansas Historical Society
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Mount Holyoke College
• New York Public Library
• Rice University
• Stanford University
• New York University
• Odum Institute
• All Workflows (Single PDF)

December 4-5, 2017, UNC Chapel Hill

In this convening, partners shared their current workflows, discussed pain points, and prepared for the next phase of the project.

Opening remarks
Christopher “Cal” Lee (co-PI, UNC SILS) describes the purpose of the OssArcFlow project and introduces the partners and the panels.

Panel 1
(Joshua Hogan, Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library; Megan Rohleder, Kansas Historical Society; Michael Olson, Stanford University)

• What are some of the broader organizational conventions and policies that have shaped your current workflow and are actively shaping your digital curation goals?
• What are some of the challenges facing institutions with well-tooled digitization programs as they grow to include born-digital materials into their digital curation workflows?
• What are some of the localized (department or unit) policies and conventions embedded in well-worn workflows that have to be modified or addressed to achieve your digital curation goals?

Panel 2
(Jonathan Crabtree, Odum Institute; Matthew Farrell, Duke University; Nick Krabbenhoft, New York Public Library; Rebecca Russell, Woodson Research Center, Rice University)

• What are the challenges with using models, standards, “best practices” and tools in a common toolbox within your organization?
• Do you use models to create a common language across departments?
• Where do current standards, models and “best practices” guides fall short for digital curation activities?

Panel 3: Part One and Part Two
(Paul Kelly, D.C. Public Library; Don Mennerich, New York University; Kari Smith, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Shaun Trujilo, Mt. Holyoke College)

• What are specific pieces of metadata (like IDs) or artifacts from one system that are used or intersect with other systems in your digital curation workflows?
• How are objects packaged as they move from one system to another?
• Do junctions in your workflow correspond to handoffs between departments?

published June 2020

The purpose of the Guide to Documenting Born-Digital Archival Workflows is to encourage and assist collecting institutions of all shapes, sizes, and types to begin documenting their born-digital workflows. In our experience, both through the OSSArcFlow project and in consultation with many collecting institutions, the vast majority of today’s born-digital archiving activity is not well documented. Most collecting institutions believe that their born-digital archiving workflows are still too ad hoc or nascent to deserve formal documentation, and the lack of formal documentation keeps collecting institutions from being able to see, share, compare, and build upon their collective successes, failures, gaps, challenges, and opportunities.

In the Guide, we aim to make the daunting task of selecting, implementing, and refining born-digital archiving workflows more achievable. To do so, we first document and describe the steps that are commonly included in digital curation workflows, from acquisition to access and preservation. We then provide a process map and detailed guidance to help you produce your own born-digital workflows documentation in both visual and descriptive formats. Finally, we provide a set of use cases for this visual and descriptive documentation, illustrating with case studies and examples how you can use it to help your institution improve its born-digital archiving practices over time:

• Guide to Documenting Born-Digital Archival Workflows

The Guide includes four main sections:

1. Introduction – provides a brief background of the project, the research questions that have driven our inquiry, and how to use this Guide in your own work as an archivist and curator of born-digital collections.
2. Common Steps in OSS Born-Digital Archival Workflows – provides brief descriptions of each of the main steps in born-digital archiving (13 in total) and what tools are commonly used to accomplish each of these steps today.
3. Documenting Born-Digital Workflows – provides detailed guidance to help you use the OSSArcFlow survey, interview questions, and visualization model to document and depict your own workflow. 
4. Using Workflows – provides guidance and examples of how an institution can use its existing workflows to identify growth/maturity goals, to advocate for resources, and to transform roles/relationships as needed to improve its born-digital archiving practices. 

published June 2020

These three learning modules are intended to supplement the Guide to Documenting Born-Digital Archival Workflows and increase its usability.

Each module maps to a section of the Guide and provides high-level guidance on how to create and use born-digital workflow documentation. The modules were created and recorded by Hannah Wang and Colin Post:

• Learning Module 1: Common Steps in OSS Born-Digital Archival Workflows: This learning module discusses 13 common workflow steps in born-digital archiving identified by the OSSArcFlow project. It also covers examples of these steps being used in different workflows, and showcases how some common open-source tools bundle together multiple steps. Learning Module 1 Script
  
  
• Learning Module 2: Documenting Workflows: This learning module describes the process for documenting born-digital archiving workflows, including an overview of the documentation process and detailed information about creating visual workflow diagrams. Learning Module 2 Script
  
  
• Learning Module 3: Using Workflows: This learning module provides guidance and examples of how libraries, archives, museums, and other collecting institutions can use their documented workflows to self-evaluate, compare against workflows from similar institutions, and identify potential areas of growth and goals for maturity over time. Learning Module 3 Script

July 14, 2020

To celebrate the release of the Guide to Documenting Born-Digital Archival Workflows, Educopia hosted a webinar on July 14, 2020.

This webinar brought together OSSArcFlow partners, Educopia staff, and authors of the Guide and training modules to discuss lessons learned from the project and future directions for born-digital archival workflows:

• Webinar Recording