Library and archive services

Tender description

The archive collections do not currently have a workflow management system: document acquisition, description, catalogue display and ultimately image and digital object visualisation is achieved as a series of disjointed processes. There is no single point of entry for accessing information, making finding information about the collections difficult. The existing underpinning infrastructure is more than 10 years old and is at end of life. Moving to an integrated archives collections management system with robust supplier support will provide a sustainable solution. Significantly enhanced functionality will deliver a transformative step change in the user experience. The University of Southampton (UoS) is seeking bids for: Lot 1: Archives Collections and Conservation Document Management System, Lot 2: Digital Image Viewer. The University Library Special Collections has approximately 7 million manuscript items, making it the seventh largest holdings of archives and manuscripts in a UK HE institution. Southampton is one of the main repositories for Jewish archives in Western Europe. The papers of the first Duke of Wellington and the Broadlands Archive constitute two of the University Library’s foremost collections of manuscripts and are a major element in our written heritage. The Wellington Papers provide an unparalleled resource into events of the Napoleonic wars. Papers of Earl Mountbatten of Burma and his wife, Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, contain the foundation archive for the states of India and Pakistan. The material for Lord Palmerston, Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister, are crucial for understanding Britain’s place in the world in the mid-19th century. Southampton is now set to become a centre of archival collections on maritime archaeology. Interest across the range of archive collections continues to grow, due both to their scope and national and international importance. The archive collections do not currently have a workflow management system: document acquisition, description, catalogue display and ultimately image and digital object visualisation is achieved as a series of disjointed processes. There is no single point of entry for accessing information, making finding information about the collections difficult. The existing underpinning infrastructure is more than 10 years old and is at end of life. Moving to an integrated archives collections management system with robust supplier support will provide a sustainable solution. Significantly enhanced functionality will deliver a transformative step change in the user experience. There is currently no automated Conservation Document Management System, so most documentation relating to conservation and exhibition work is paper based. The archives collections and conservation document management system should be externally hosted. The right system will support the University in: • delivering an integrated catalogue for the archive and related Special Collections, including digital assets, transforming access to the collections; • providing an archives collections management system that can support the rich and detailed and long item level catalogue descriptions of internationally significant collections (Wellington, Palmerston, Mountbatten) that are currently in the legacy Oracle databases; • providing an archives collections management system that incorporates archival management functions, enabling best practice stewardship of significant institutional assets, offering more efficient and robust workflows in collection management; • providing a system that is compatible with a conservation document management system that will enable best practice in the management of the conservation and exhibition management functions of significant institutional assets; • providing a conservation document management system that is web-based design for easy accessibility on any operating system; • delivering an excellent customer experience through enhanced discoverability and management of collections; • provide a sustainable and scalable service that is able to meet changing demands with regard to curatorial responsibilities and accessibility. Full details of the requirements can be found in the File 4 Specification. Introduction to Department/faculty The University Library Special Collections has approximately 7 million manuscript items, making it the seven largest holdings of archives and manuscripts in a UK HE institution. Southampton is one of the main repositories for Jewish archives in Western Europe. The papers of the first Duke of Wellington and the Broadlands Archive constitute two of the University Library’s foremost collections of manuscripts and are a major element in our written heritage. The Wellington Papers provide an unparalleled resource into events of the Napoleonic wars. Papers of Earl Mountbatten of Burma and his wife, Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, contain the foundation archive for the states of India and Pakistan. The material for Lord Palmerston, Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister, are crucial for understanding Britain’s place in the world in the mid-19th century. Southampton is now set to become a centre of archival collections on maritime archaeology. Interest across the range of archive collections continues to grow, due both to their scope and national and international importance The current digital image viewer holds some digitised material from the special collections, but is not integrated to or interoperable with the archives catalogues. The University of Southampton (UoS) is seeking bids for: Lot 2: Digital Image Viewer The right systems will support the University in: • providing a compatible digital image viewer that will showcase the collections and enable the management of digital collections; • delivering an excellent customer experience through enhanced discoverability and management of collections; • provide a sustainable and scaleable service that is able to meet changing demands with regard to curatorial responsibilities and accessibility. Full requirements can be found in the File 4 Specification.