The British Library implemented a 6 step program to integrate and provide discovery of its archive and manuscript collections online using information standards. The steps included: 1) procuring a catalog system based on archival description standards, 2) migrating legacy records to the new system and standardizing data, 3) developing persistent identifiers, 4) clarifying rights and licensing, 5) sharing metadata openly and in multiple standards-based formats, and 6) getting involved in standards development to promote archives standards. This process enabled providing greater online access and discovery of the Library's collections through its new integrated catalog and resource system.

1. The Power of Standards: their
role in the integration and
discovery of the British Library’s
archive and manuscript
collections
OpenCulture 2014: Bill
Stockting, British Library

2. www.bl.uk
Introduction
• Briefly describe collections
• The situation in 2007
• The 6 Step Programme detailing
information standards used
• Conclude by noting how
standards used are enabling us
to provide greater online access
to the collections

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Archive and Manuscript Collections
Papyri to the papers of living
authors:
• Manuscripts: Asian, Literary,
Music and Western including
archives of creatives
• Records of East India Company
and its successors, and related
private papers
• Digital collections, e.g.
Endangered Archive
Programme
• Now also Visual Arts collections

4. www.bl.uk
2007: The problem
Mission:
To deliver a powerful,
flexible integrated
cataloguing and resource
discovery system that will
unite and broaden access
to the British Library’s
archives and manuscript
collection and will provide
standards compliant data
for external co-operative
projects
100’s of separate catalogues
• Big and small
• Managed by many people
across the Library
• Some online, some only
available in reading rooms,
some only for curatorial
access
• Many different formats:
databases, excel, WORD
and HTML
• Various description
standards and none

5. www.bl.uk
Step 1: Procure a Standards Based
Catalogue System
An in-house development – Integrated
Archives and Manuscripts System or
IAMS:
• Data model based on the ICA
Standards for Archival Description
especially:
– ISAD(G) – archival aggregations
– ISAAR(CPF) – creating and subject
entities
• In-house content standards based on
national and international practice but
also external vocabulary standards to
ensure data is interoperable, eg:
– Languages: ISO 639-2 etc
– Scripts: ISO 15924

6. www.bl.uk
Step 2. Migrate Legacy Data
• Since 2009, over 2 million
legacy records migrated to
the system
• In principle did as little
manual work as possible
• Took opportunity though to
programmatically amend
data:
– To provide structure
demanded by our
descriptive standards
– To normalise key
elements: languages,
scripts, dates etc

7. www.bl.uk
Step 3. Develop Persistent Identification
• Mass digitisation now
happening, egs:
– Gulf History Portal
– Europeana WW1
• IAMS integrated into the
Library’s digital infrastructure
• Complex but key glue for
this is Persistent
Identification for catalogue
records as well as content
using ARK standard

8. www.bl.uk
Step 4. Clarify Rights and Licensing
• Rights and licensing part of
content publication process
but also that for metadata
• Ascertained that we have
the rights to the metadata
• Library makes BNB available
as Linked Open Data as
CC0 so IAMS data declared
as such too

9. www.bl.uk
Step 5. Share Metadata Promiscuously
• Finally we are in a position to
share our metadata with
anyone that wants it…
• Standards here for allowing
access:
– Web services – RESTful API
– OAI-PMH Repository
• XML data in many formats:
– EAD, EAC-CPF
– TEI, VRA Core
– MARCXML, Dublin Core
– MODS wrapped in METS
– RDF...

10. www.bl.uk
Step 6. Get Involved in Standards
Development
• Library now involved in
standards development,
promotion and use for
archives:
• UK:
– Descriptive Standards
Roundtable
– UK Archives Discovery
Network
• International:
– Society of American
Archivists’ - EAD
– ICA’s EGAD – Conceptual
Model for Archives

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Any Questions?