YAMS Update: as of July 2023 the Yale Archival Management Systems Committee has been discontinued. Special Collections Metadata Services, Beinecke Technical Services, is now the product owner of ArchivesSpace. Repositories may continue to contact the general YAMS email list to report issues or request new features.
The Yale Archival Management Systems Committee (YAMS) manages the Yale instance of ArchivesSpace, the archival management and access tool used by Yale University Library special collections. YAMS also provides training on the use of ArchivesSpace for Yale Library staff. The committee’s work to improve the staff and public interfaces of Yale’s ArchivesSpace instance is ongoing and we welcome feedback and suggestions.
The current system of record for YUL special collection units is ArchivesSpace.
In collaboration with our hosting partners at Lyrasis, the Yale University Library operates two instances of ArchivesSpace.
Our production instance of ArchivesSpace can be accessed here.
Our test instance of ArchivesSpace can be accessed here.
The ArchivesSpace at Yale: User Manual is available as a Google document.
Archives at Yale, launched in 2018, is the primary searchable database of archival materials held by repositories at Yale University. It was developed by Yale staff and uses the ArchivesSpace Public User Interface as its platform.
Have a question about ArchivesSpace or Archives at Yale?
Want to suggest a new feature? Need to report a bug? Request a training?
2022-2023
2021-2022
An Ecosystem of Archival Functions
ArchivesSpace is an open source, integrated software platform that supports a wide spectrum of functions, tasks, and workflows within an archival repository. These include (but aren't limited to) container and location management; recording accession data; recording and managing descriptive data; creation and management of name and subject authorities; digital object management; tracking and management of archival processing tasks; and output of encoded finding aids and catalog records. By enabling all of these functions within a single system, ArchivesSpace greatly increases efficiency in archival practice, and allows us to make materials accessible to researchers in a more timely fashion. Because it is open source, ArchivesSpace is customizable and extensible, which has enabled us to develop plug-ins to support our local needs and practices, as well as to integrate with other software platforms such as Aeon and Preservica.
Resource Description
Archivists can use ArchivesSpace to describe the collections in their care. ArchivesSpace resource description records are based on DACS and can serialize as EAD. Description in ArchivesSpace does not require xml mark-up, and archivists can use the Excel-like rapid data entry mode to input data. Furthermore, ArchivesSpace allows archivists to create resource description by importing EAD-encoded finding aids. And, because of the API, bulk clean-up through scripts is easier than ever.
Accessioning
Archivists can use ArchivesSpace to record accessions of newly acquired material. ArchivesSpace accession records support the clear identification and description of materials themselves as well as related contextual information best captured at the point of receipt including source, restrictions, and processing instructions. They also integrate with resources and agents described within ArchivesSpace, clarifying those relationships and enabling us to repurpose data. Yale's ArchivesSpace instance has been extended with custom plugins to support our specific requirements, notably a campus-wide accession numbering schema and the ability to record complicated payment information.
The System of Record at Yale -- Collapsing Data Stores
While digital information systems can help streamline our practices and make our resources better-available to users through the internet, a proliferation of systems can result in confusion and management difficulties. ArchivesSpace is the system of record for resource description, accessioning (in most units), collection control (in many units), and the description of people, families and corporate bodies. In the coming months and years, our aim is to consolidate more data stores at Yale to ArchivesSpace.
Public Interface
In the coming months, representatives from Yale and other institutions will collaborate to develop a public-facing interface for ArchivesSpace that will replace the current Yale Finding Aids Database. The ArchivesSpace public interface will significantly simplify our procedures for editing and publishing finding aids, and will provide a much more powerful search and discovery tool for our users.
Shared Responsibility for Software Development
ArchivesSpace is open-source software that is developed under a community membership model. As members of this community, Yale has a say in the future development of the application. We benefit from improvements made by others and we share a path to solutions when bugs are discovered locally. This model reduces Yale's financial risk and technical overhead.