An Acm Project Awarded by the ETH Board “Open Research Data” Program

Digital Tools

Archivematica

An open-source digital preservation system, based on international standards such as ISO 14721:2012 (Open Archival Information System, OAIS), which ensures long-term access to digital archival collections.
It ingests and validates the SIPs (Submission Information Packages) submitted by producers, then generates AIPs (Archival Information Packages) by applying conversion, normalization, and enrichment processes. DIPs (Dissemination Information Packages) can then be derived from the AIPs for access via the AtoM platform.

AtoM (Access to Memory)

An open-source application compliant with international archival standards, enabling the dissemination of archival descriptions and digital objects. Publishes DIPs (Dissemination Information Packages: accessible-format digital files) directly available in AtoM. Allows the integration of notices for both open and restricted files, ensuring their existence is documented in the inventory.

Dataset

The project aims to process and make accessible 1 TB of digital archives (~300,000 digital files), including born-digital documents stored on original media as well as master copies of digitized materials.

Collaboration

Archives de la construction moderne, ENAC IT4R

Project Duration

September 2024 – August 2025

More Details

FAIR Access to Digital Archives
With the growing volume of digital content—whether born-digital or digitized from paper archives—the Archives de la construction moderne aims to strengthen their preservation capabilities and ensure data access aligned with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable):

• Findable: each record is assigned a stable identifier and a persistent link
• Accessible: descriptions are available online without access barriers
• Interoperable: metadata complies with archival standards (ISAD(G), ICA-AtoM) and can be exported or cross-referenced
• Reusable: data is under an open license, accompanied by context and processing history

Open-source Digital Tools
The installation and use of Archivematica at Acm will allow processing of data and metadata from new digital archives, as well as a significant corpus of digitized materials, integrating them into the Morphé (AtoM) platform so they are freely accessible to the public.

Data for Research
These new archives, which contain previously unpublished content, will open up new research avenues. Proper archival management of digital objects requires highly specific actions to ensure access preservation and document authenticity. The bitstreams of all files will be preserved for future reuse. Files with sustainable alternative formats will be migrated, and metadata will be extracted to retain the technical and contextual data of the records. Dissemination copies will also be generated in appropriate formats.

These processes fully comply with recognized digital preservation standards. This approach supports dissemination and ensures long-term accessibility to the archives.

Current Phase:

Creation of the Archival Platform and Preparation of Datasets

The first phase of the project involves setting up the digital archiving platform, including the creation of a trusted digital repository and the installation of the Archivematica software, which will serve as the digital preservation system. At the same time, the data to be ingested and disseminated must be carefully analyzed, normalized, and organized to ensure their integrity, accessibility, and compliance with archival standards. This stage prepares datasets for long-term preservation and effective dissemination.

Former Team Members (2024)

Yonathan Seibt, Archivist

[Yonathan Seibt, Études de la prise en charge des archives numériques d’architecture aux Archives de la construction moderne (Acm), Genève : Haute école de gestion de Genève, 2023.]

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