York St John University launches its digital archive

The project, currently named YSJ Digirep, has been supported by funding from the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). It has used for its pilot phase the products of the C4C (Collaborating for Creativity) Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning established at the university in 2005. C4C showcases the work of students, staff and external partners resulting from creative collaborations.The university will also use the archive to host its forthcoming EnquireOnline online publication, being produced as part of the Higher Education Funding Council-funded Research Informed Teaching/Enquiry Based Learning project currently underway. The publication will provide a platform for both YSJ staff and students to share ideas and activities informed and enriched by their research and enquiry. The archive will also be used as a research publications database, with the aim of making all the university’s research material available to the general public where possible.
Other uses for the archive are as a repository for digitising other collections held at the university, such as the Rees-Williams Victorian Children’s Book Collection and the Theatre Royal Archive, for which funding is being sought. The archive runs on PTFS ArchivalWare software which is a web-based, full-text search and retrieval system for digital libraries used to store, access, and manage digital archive collections. Source formats include digital documents, books, news clippings, photographs, video and audio collections and other electronically published material. For further information on the archive and the project, please contact
Helen Westmancoat, Deputy University Librarian, h.westmancoat@yorksj.ac.uk) or
Lauren Shipley, Digital Archive Development Coordinator l.shipley@yorksj.ac.uk)