With resource constraints less work has been undertaken in building the collection or identifying and filling collection gaps; Need to balance acquisition of new material with selective deselection where appropriate when space issues become critical; and Potential to work with other institutions to fill gaps collaboratively. Key opportunities and priorities Outcome area Opportunities Priority The Collection is growing Advocate for changes to the deposit legislation to include AIATSIS as a legislated repository for all published materials by or about Indigenous Australians High Identify collection gaps and prepare a collection development strategy as outlined in the CDP Medium Continue to promote AIATSIS as the repository for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander material High
Key strategies and actions SAFE ACCESSIBLE GROWING AND VALUED 1. Ensure people see our Collection and help them understand it 2. Provide leadership on appropriate management of the Collection 3. Ensure long-term survival of our Collection 4. Enhance access to our Collection 5. Continue to develop the Collection 6. Ensure our Collection is highly valued 1.1 Finalise and implement the Collection Management Plan to the full spectrum of collection development, management, preservation and access for both digital and analogue collections 4.2 Collections Business Plan 2.1 Develop a stakeholder engagement plan and maintain collaborative relationships with researchers and with cultural organisations, and relevant peak bodies Links to 4.5 Collections Business Plan 3.1 Investigate the purchase and implementation of a Digital/Media Asset Management system (DAMS/MAMS) for the Collection 4.4 Collections Business Plan 4.1 Develop and implement an integrated online strategy to 2.1 Collections Business Plan 5.1 Implement the 2013 Collection Development Policy and review in 2016 6.1 Promote the value of the AIATSIS Collection internally and externally as a safe and trusted world class “Repository of Choice” for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander material 1.2 Ensure efficient processes and accurate record, documentation and description of items and value add through annotations, metadata, analytics, and finding aids, caption lists, audition sheets etc. 2.2 Share knowledge and ideas through seminars, symposia and conferences Links to 1.1 Collections Business Plan 3.2 Implement the Collections roadmap 4.2 Facilitate community access and access for remote and in clients and staff 5.2 Develop the AIATSIS Collection to meet the identified needs of key stakeholders in accordance with the CDP 6.2 Promote our role as the national research and collecting institution on matters of importance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 1.1 Collections Business Plan 1.3 Showcase our Collection 2.3 Ensure standards adhered to and developed where relevant 4.3 Collections Business Plan 3.3 Ensure the Collection is maintained, preserved and conserved in a safe physical and digital environment 4.3 Ensure that all material is discoverable 6.3 Develop significance statements and provide training to relevant staff 2.4 Ensure the Collection complies with intellectual property/copyright and ownership requirements and that the Collection is 3.4 Use innovative technology and techniques that work 5.5 Collections Business Plan 4.4 Investigate crowd sourcing opportunities and develop project plans
Complete the RDA (Resource Description and Access) implementation project for new cataloguing Collection Managers Collection Staff 2014 RDA implementation project Continue to contribute to Libraries Australia and therefore Trove and RMIT Informit database Systems and Online Service Manager Systems and Online Service Manager Ongoing 4.2 Collections Business Plan Seek to provide appropriate collection management staffing levels to ensure that the whole collection is described, catalogued and findable Director Executive Ongoing 1.3 Showcase our Collection Develop a series of vignettes to highlight significant items in our Collection and AIATSIS' program activities for media Director Preservation and Digitisation Team and Online Services Team Ongoing 2.1 Collections Business Plan Continue to engage in online and social platforms (Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and Twitter) and investigate other social media platforms Consider reuse of Facebook collections content on Pinterest Director Online Services Team 2.1 Collections Business Plan Tie online exhibitions and collections with other AIATSIS activities Director Outreach Officer and Collections staff Ongoing 4.2 Collections Business Plan Undertake research and value-adding Director Unit Managers Ongoing Plan and work with Communications to ensure that stories are told that highlight the Collection and the people who use them Director Collections staff Ongoing
Develop an art and artefact management plan Director Collection Manager Develop a business proposal for an oral history project Collection Manager (Audio) Archive Officer (Audio), Senior Audio Technician, Senior Archive Officer Collections Infrastructure) 2014 1.1 Collections Business Plan Scope and implement a project to identify difficult collections and those which belong to other collecting agencies and target depositors and agencies to clarify provenance, collection management and access issues Collection Managers Collections staff Copyright Act 1968 (Cth); AIATSIS Collections Access and Use Policy Scope and implement a project to prepare the language thesaurus for integration with Austlang Mura® and Online Services Manager Linguist Collection Development Manager and Collection Management staff Scope and implement a project to map the Audio Collection Collection Manager (Audio) Audio Archive Officer 3. Ensure long-term survival of our Collection Action Number Action Tasks Resp. Others engaged Time Frame Links with relevant strategy and policy 2016
curation through appropriate policies and procedures Develop a policy and strategy about the addition of datasets to the Collection and their long-term maintenance, management and access Manager Collections Infrastructure Collection Managers Collection Development Manager Collections staff End 2014 3.4 Use innovative technology and techniques that work Ensure current systems are supported and developed Manager Collections Infrastructure Systems Infrastructure staff Ongoing 5.5 in Collections Business Plan Maintain analogue audiovisual equipment to ensure that the Collection can continue to be played and preserved digitally Manager Collections Infrastructure Collections Infrastructure staff Ongoing 4.2 Collections Business Plan Maintain equipment and infrastructure for and pictorial material to identified standards Manager Collections Infrastructure Collections Infrastructure staff Ongoing Identify and purchase technological solutions for and video which will allow digital preservation to meet the 2022 deadline Manager Collections and Infrastructure Collections Infrastructure staff Ongoing Research cost effective alternative for an archival scanner Manager, Digitisation and Preservation and Manager Collections Infrastructure Collections and Infrastructure staff and Preservation and Digitisation staff 2014 Identify solutions to address high definition video acquisitions Manager Preservation and Digitisation and Manager Collections Infrastructure Preservation and Digitisation and Collections Infrastructure staff Ongoing
Use technology to diagnose/identify which collection records need improvement Collection Managers and Manager Collections Infrastructure Collection staff and Collections Infrastructure staff Ongoing RDA and ensure all staff have RDA competency as appropriate Collection Managers Mura® and Online Services Manager 5.5 Systems and Infrastructure Strategic Plan Investigate mobile platforms and apps (and opportunities) and also ebooks and other platforms for access to digital collections Collections Infrastructure Unit Unit Managers 2014 2.1 Collections Strategy; 2.1 Collections Infrastructure Support and Development Unit Strategic Plan Redevelop Mura® OPAC interface to better meet client needs and expectations Collections Infrastructure Unit Unit Managers 2.1 Collections Infrastructure Support and Development Unit Strategic Plan 3.5 Ensure Collections are housed appropriately in a safe, sustainable physical and digital environment Assess and monitor physical and technological storage capabilities Manager Collections Infrastructure Unit Managers Analyse future space needs projections based on identified priorities, ensuring the consideration of databases and the possibilities of storage for others on a fee basis Manager Collections Infrastructure Unit Managers Collections staff Develop a storage management strategy, policy and plan Manager Collections Infrastructure Unit Managers Optimise and rationalise existing Unit Managers Collections staff Ongoing Ensure appropriate policies and procedures in place for storage including decision making processes for what may need to be de-selected to accommodate more significant items Director Unit Managers 2015 2015 2015
Investigate alternative storage options including onsite and offsite storage and institutions, and AIATSIS presence/s outside of Canberra Manager Collections Infrastructure Unit Managers Upgrade storage to industry standards Manager Collections Infrastructure Unit Managers onward Ensure appropriate technical requirements in place for storage Manager Collections Infrastructure Unit Managers Ongoing 3.6 Pursue Trusted Repository Status Establish repository name and mission statement Manager Collections Infrastructure Unit Managers 2014 Audit and Certification of Trustworthy Digital Repositories (ISO 16363:2012); Trustworthy Repositories Audit & Certification: Criteria & Checklist (TRAC); The Open Archival Information Systems Reference Model (ISO 14721:2012); Digital Preservation Policy; Trusted Digital Repository Project. Obtain Council approval for certification Director Manager Collections Infrastructure 2014 Commence certification process Manager Collections Infrastructure Collections staff 2014 Ensure all current processes conform with certification requirements Manager Collections Infrastructure Collections staff 3.7 Develop and Implement a Collections Infrastructure Support and Development Strategic Plan Develop Collections Infrastructure Support and Development Strategic Plan Manager, Collections Infrastructure Collections Infrastructure staff 2013 Collections Infrastructure Support and Development Strategic Plan Implement and monitor Infrastructure Support and Development Strategic Plan Manager, Collections Infrastructure Collections Infrastructure staff 3.8 Develop, implement and monitor the digitisation policy, strategy and programs Implement updated Digital Preservation Policy Director Preservation and Digitisation staff 2014 AIATSIS Digital Preservation Policy 2013 Undertake benchmarking and assess our digitisation program in relation to other cultural institutions Manager Preservation and Digitisation Preservation and Digitisation staff and 2014 4.5 Collections Business Plan 2015
Collections staff Develop and monitor Digital Preservation strategy Single location for metadata Develop a priority list of collections for digitisation that identifies collections of importance Ensure appropriate inputs into digitisation by relevant Collections staff Manager Preservation and Digitisation Preservation and Digitisation staff, Collections Infrastructure staff and Collections staff 2014 AIATSIS Digital Preservation Policy 2013 Ensure that preservation/digitisation is incorporated as core business and is funded to allow us to meet the 2025 deadline for magnetic media preservation (as determined by UNESCO) Develop capacity to embed digitisation as part of workflows Director and Manager Preservation and Digitisation Unit managers Preservation and Digitisation staff and Collections staff Ongoing AIATSIS Digital Preservation Policy 2013 Continue digitisation programs of priority materials, especially at risk materials, and undertake necessary conservation, archiving work and finding aids Unit Managers Preservation and Digitisation staff and Collections staff Ongoing AIATSIS Digital Preservation Policy 2013 2.1 Collections Business Plan Increase the creation of digital collection objects to avoid the risk of historic audio and video assets being lost as obsolete analogue playback systems become unavailable or as tapes / media deteriorate Manager Preservation and Digitisation Unit Managers 2014 AIATSIS Digital Preservation Policy 2013; Systems and infrastructure Strategic Plan – Major or Joint initiatives / projects Redevelop digitisation facilities and infrastructure in light of benchmarking and strategy Manager Preservation and Digitisation Preservation and Digitisation staff and Collections staff 2014 4.5 Collections Business Plan Investigate outsourcing of some straightforward digitisation of print and other media and outsource the digitisation of selected non fragile Manager Preservation and Digitisation Preservation and Digitisation staff and 2014 AIATSIS Digital Preservation Policy 2013
media to reduce load on equipment and engineering Collections staff 4. Enhance access to our Collection Action Number Action Resp. Others engaged Time Frame with relevant strategy and policy 4.1 Develop and implement an integrated online strategy Work with the Collections web team to redesign Collections area of the website Collections Unit Managers and Manager Preservation and Digitisation Web Team Ongoing Links with 2.1 of Collections Business Plan Continue to redevelop our web pages and increase functionality and including online tour of the Collection and “Explore the Collection” webpage Director Web Team 2014 and ongoing 2.1 Collections Business Plan Scope, implement and monitor an Online Community Access project to develop both policy and strategy in relation to development of online content Manager Access and Client Services, Manager Collections Infrastructure and Unit Managers Web Team 2014 Develop improved web-based access to components of the Collection, by profiling digital assets and structuring the system to manage complex viewing and access rights Director Unit Managers and Web Team Develop an integrated online content strategy responsive to differing access needs Online Bibliographies, subject guides for clients Director and Collections Unit Managers Online Services Team 2014 Links to 2.1 Collections Business Plan
Islander communities in a timely manner Develop processes and procedures to provide photographic prints to client in a secure manner with copyright warnings Collection Manager (Image) Unit Managers 2014 Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), Maintain funding for community access programs and ROMTIC Director Manager Access and Client Services Ongoing Investigate adding ABI records to People Australia Mura® and Online Services Manager Unit Managers 2014 Develop methods to share digital content with Indigenous communities Director Collection Managers Ongoing 4.3 Ensure that all material is discoverable and initiate the backlog project Director Collection Managers 2014 Scope and initiate the data clean-up project Director Collection Managers 2014 Continue rolling program of stocktakes of the Collection Collection Managers Collection Management staff 2014 Ensure access conditions are included on Mura® and relevant records Collection Managers Collection Management staff Ongoing Disseminate information about the Collection and discovery processes Director Unit Managers Ongoing 4.4 Investigate sourcing opportunities and develop project plans Plan for the ICT infrastructure to allow storage and management of the born and created digital collections, for innovative delivery of online content and for engagement with communities in crowd-sourcing activities Manager Collections Infrastructure, Manager Online Services, Manager Preservation and Digitisation Collections Infrastructure, Preservation and Digitisation, Online Services and Collections staff 2014
Terms and Acronyms Term Description ACT Australian Capital Territory AIATSIS Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies AIATSIS ABI Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Biographical Index ALIA Australian Library and Information Association ASA Australian Society of Archivists, ASRA Australasian Sound Recordings Association ATSIDA Torres Strait Islander Data Archive ATSILIRN Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Library, Information and Resource Network AWM Australian War Memorial CAAMA Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association AVA Visual Archive CDP Collection Development Policy CICI Copyright in Cultural Institutions CMP Collection Management Plan Collection All content held in the AIATSIS Collection. This includes digital and non-digital objects. CSI Continual Service Improvement DCOSS Digital Content Object Storage System - a combination disk and tape based repository storing those collection objects created by digitisation and any objects that are still considered work in progress DAMS Digital Asset Management System DISACT Disaster ACT IASA International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives ICOM International Council of Museums ILS Integrated Library System LADD Libraries Australia Document Delivery LAN, WAN Local Area Network, Wide Area Network MAMS Media Asset Management System Mura® The Integrated Library System for Collections NAA National Archives of Australia NeCTAR National eResearch Collaborative and Resources NFSA National Film and Sound Archive NLA National Library of Australia NMA National Museum of Australia OAIS Open Archival Information System. A best practice framework describing the processes and functions of an Archive. PARADISEC Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures PREMIS Preservation Metadata Implementation Strategies RDA Resource Description and Access SAN Storage Area Network TRAC Trustworthy Repositories Audit and Certification. A best practice certification prescribing the operation of an Archive.