SERVICES
Archive and Museum Collections Management
Less than 5% of a typical museum or archive collection is ever on display. We specialize in caring for the other 95%, ensuring that all items are effectively organized, preserved, and accessible.
Archival Needs Assessments
An archival needs assessment evaluates the current state of your organization's archival collections and practices to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This process helps create a strategic plan for enhancing collection management, preservation, and accessibility.
This assessment includes an on-site visit by Backlog founder Emma Prince. We offer a streamlined assessment via Zoom for remote, all-volunteer small institutions and historical societies.
Key Areas of Our Archival Needs Assessments:
Collections Storage and Handling: Review and recommend improvements for the storage and handling of archival materials to ensure their long-term preservation and accessibility.
Acquisition and Deaccessioning: Evaluate policies and procedures for acquiring and removing items from the collection.
Arrangement and Description: Evaluate the organization and description practices of archival materials to enhance accessibility and usability for researchers and the public.
Policies and Procedures: Analyze and suggest improvements for policies related to collection development, access, preservation, and security, ensuring alignment with industry best practices.
Staff & Volunteer Training and Resources: Identify training needs and resources required for effective archival management.
Digital Records and Digitization: Assess methods for storing, preserving, and accessing digital materials to maintain their long-term accessibility and preservation.
Digital Archive Services
Our digital archive services are designed to help organizations transition and optimize their archival and museum processes in the digital age. We provide expert guidance on every aspect of digital archiving, from planning and implementation to preservation and access. Our goal is to ensure that your digital archives are well-organized, secure, and accessible.
Digital Needs Assessments: Evaluation of your current digital archiving needs and development of tailored solutions.
Metadata Implementation: Guidance on applying metadata standards to enhance the organization and retrieval of digital records.
Digitization Workflow Planning: Development of efficient processes for converting physical records into digital formats.
Tool, Database, Catalog, and DAMS Selection: Support in choosing the right tools, databases, catalogs, and Digital Asset Management Systems (DAMS) for your needs
Introduction of Digital Methods to Analog Systems: Incorporating digital practices into existing analog workflows to enhance efficiency and integration.
Digital Preservation and Access Strategies: Designing strategies for the long-term preservation and access of digital records, including the creation of a preservation program roadmap.
Policy & Procedure Development
Backlog can help standardize volunteer work and elevate your team to a professional level by writing comprehensive policies and procedures. Even with professional staff, having an external team develop these documents ensures a fresh perspective, consistency, and alignment with best practices, which can enhance overall effectiveness and efficiency. Examples of policies and procedures we can create include:
Accession and Deaccession Policies
Processing Manuals
Collection Management Policies
Loan Agreements
Access and Use Policies
Collection Development Policies
Records Retention Schedules
Our team specializes in designing comprehensive records retention schedules to manage both current and past records for your organization. This includes developing a detailed records management plan that outlines how active records are handled and eventually transitioned to archival storage. We create tailored digital and physical storage solutions to ensure efficient and secure management throughout the records' lifecycle. This systematic approach helps maintain order, compliance, and accessibility, while effectively preserving important records for long-term use.
Comprehensive Hosting Services for Open-Source Archival Management Software
At Backlog, we take care of everything from set-up and migration to ongoing support and training for your volunteers. Our hosting services include:
Set-up and Migration: We'll work with you to set up your software and migrate your data to our secure hosting environment, ensuring a seamless transition to your new system.
On-going Help and Support: Our team of experts is always on hand to answer your questions and provide technical support, ensuring that your software runs smoothly and efficiently.
Volunteer Training: We'll provide training for your volunteers, helping them to use the software effectively and make the most of its features.
We host a range of open-source archival management software platforms, including: Omeke, ArchivesSpace, Islandora, Archivematica, DSpace, CollectiveAccess and AtoM (Access to Memory).