Popstar (Phone-based processing software for archives) is an Apple Shortcuts-based workflow for digitizing and processing documents in library archives.
For many years, the Caltech Library Archives has been accessioning materials from selected retired faculty members. The traditional approach to digitizing physical materials (e.g., correspondences, notebooks, manuscripts written on typewriters, etc.) has involved the use of scanning tables and manual file organization – which are slow and laborious processes. However, computing technologies have improved so much in recent years that we decided to experiment with workflows that make use of modern devices and software tools. Popstar (Phone-based processing software for archives) is one of the outcomes.
Popstar is based on Apple iPhone and macOS software and services. Popstar consists of several Shortcuts, a no-code automation development framework that works on iOS, iPadOS, iWatchOS, and macOS. We used Shortcuts to create workflows that perform scanning and filing of digital images.
This repository contains the Shortcuts that comprise Popstar, along with documentation about how they work and how to use them.
Documentation for Popstar is available online at https://caltechlibrary.github.io/popstar/.
If you find an issue, please submit it in the GitHub issue tracker for this repository.
Your help and participation in enhancing Popstar is welcome! Please visit the guidelines for contributing for some tips on getting started.
Software produced by the Caltech Library is Copyright © 2024 California Institute of Technology. This software is freely distributed under a modified BSD 3-clause license. Please see the LICENSE file for more information.
This work was funded by the California Institute of Technology Library.
The vector artwork used as a starting point for the logo for this repository was created by Mary Quilao for the Noun Project. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. The vector graphics was modified by Mike Hucka to change the color.
