A Github repository for documentation about the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library's Data Management, Analysis, and Content Unit (DMAC).
Special Collections Technical Services (SCTS) Data Management, Analysis, and Content has primary responsibility for special collections descriptive, administrative, and technical metadata for the management, discovery, and access of special collections materials. Unit works with all SCTS units to advance SCTS goals and priorities and other Beinecke and Yale special collections to advance goals and priorities. Serves as bridge to and works closely with Yale University Library Technical Services and Beinecke Library Digital Special Collections and Access to ensure SCTS alignment with and adherence to Beinecke and YUL strategies, priorities and policies. It covers three main areas: Leadership, Metadata, and Born Digital.
Leadership: provides vision, strategy, and policy for SCTS and Yale Special Collections data and data management systems. Is the primary product owner of YUL’s ArchivesSpace. Sponsors relevant user groups and communities of practice. Engages with and contributes to broader communities (outside Yale) building or sustaining data standards and description and management tools for special collections, e.g. ArchivesSpace, BitCurator, National Finding Aid Network (NFAN).
Metadata: has primary responsibility for special collections descriptive, technical and administration data related to collections management, discovery, and access, including data management; data remediation; bulk data creation, editing, and reuse; data quality assurance and auditing; and ensuring data durability and sustainability. Provides training and creates and maintains documentation. Excludes metadata and polices governed by the YUL-TS and the Metadata Steering Committee.
Born digital: has primary responsibility for Beinecke Library born digital collection material. Collaborates with other Beinecke and YUL departments to acquire, capture, stabilize, and ensure staff access to born digital content. Leads and manages the Born Digital Accessioning Support Service, which captures/images born digital collection material, creates Submission and Access Information Packages for ingest into the digital preservation system. Consults with and trains other department staff to capture and access born digital content. Provides patron access to material that is not accessible online or in Preservica. Provides training and creates and maintains documentation.
- Bulk metadata correction/remediation
- Metadata enhancement
- Migration assistance
- Processing support
- System bug/error troubleshooting
- Reporting and data analysis
- Project support
- General consultations
This documentation is generated by Sphinx from scripts, spreadsheets, and various .RST and .MD files within the documentation Github repository.
The spreadsheets are stored in the _files directory. The spreadsheets include list of current Yale ArchivesSpace plugins, a list of current DMAC-related Github repositories, lists of completed, active, recurring, and future projects, and a list of ArchivesSpace data that is subject to data auditing protocols.
The Github repository and plugins spreadsheets are generated via the get_repo_data.py script. The project and data auditing spreadsheets are created manually, and are then converted into a table by the Sphinx documentation generator.
The get_repo_data.py script also pulls in all READMEs from DMAC-related Github repositories, and stores them in the readmes directory of the documentation.
Separate directories exist in which policy, workflow, and tutorial documentation can be added. These documents should be .MD files.
Each directory has a corresponding .RST file in the main directory, which pulls in all of the files which are in the directories and displays them in the generated documentation.
To update the documentation, you can edit the files in the repository, and then push your changes to the dmac_data_docs Github repository. The documentation will automatically re-build.