ArQ – A Modern Archival Information System

Contact

Frank Schwichtenberg

Head e-Humanities

Phone

+49 7247 808 262

frank.schwichtenberg [at] fiz-karlsruhe.de

Project data

In this project, FIZ Karlsruhe and the State Archives of Baden-Württemberg (LABW) are developing a new and modern Archival Information System (AFIS)—that is, specialized software for archives—that supports the following professional tasks:

Acquisition of new records into the archive
Cataloging
Storeroom management
Reproduction management
Making records available for use
Conservation/restoration management, including damage assessment
Consulting for public authorities

The AFIS system currently in use at the LABW consists of a heterogeneous collection of legacy components; it is technologically outdated and no longer meets the requirements of a modern, forward-looking research infrastructure or the increased demands for information security. A new development is intended to modernize the core applications for cataloging, managing, and presenting archival materials online, resulting in a system that significantly surpasses all systems currently available on the market. The goal is to incorporate current, and in some cases still experimental, technologies across all areas (Linked Open Data, machine learning, knowledge graphs, and (partially) automated cataloging support). The new AFIS, named ArQ, is designed to meet the growing academic demand for discoverable, accessible, and reusable research data in accordance with the FAIR principles, and to provide innovative features such as a “(secure) virtual reading room” for digitized and digital archival materials, as well as the integration of user-generated content and a geographic information system.

ArQ is based on the results from the EEZU project, into which features developed for ArQ will also be incorporated.

The goal is not only for the LABW to use the software, but also to make it available as open source and as a hosted service (in the sense of Software as a Service, SaaS) to other archives in Baden-Württemberg and Germany, in order to improve the availability of archival information as well as the quality and depth of its cataloging, thereby better supporting research both nationally and internationally.

The project is being implemented as part of a public-public partnership (ÖÖP) with funding from the LABW and FIZ Karlsruhe’s own resources.