FAQs
We’ve put together answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about ArchivesSpace.
Please contact us at ArchivesSpaceHome@lyrasis.org if you have questions not answered here or elsewhere on the website.
General Questions
What is open-source software?
According to the Open Source Definition advanced by the Open Source Initiative, the term “Open Source” designates software licensed to be freely available and re-distributable in its original version or in derivative versions. Its source code must be freely available, as well as its compiled form. While the Open Source Software (OSS) movement indicates a method of distribution, and often methods for contribution and attribution, it does not suggest particular business models for sustaining an OSS project. Unsurprisingly, many OSS projects have implemented different strategies for sustaining themselves. These strategies include dual licensing, membership/user fees, consulting contracts, and fees for services and derivative products, such as documentation, user manuals, and training. The IMLS-funded It Takes a Village: Open Source Software Models of Collaboration & Sustainability project based at LYRASIS outlines different open source sustainability models.
What is community-supported software?
Community-supported software refers to a development philosophy associated with many open-source software projects. The hallmark characteristic of this development philosophy is that all members of an OSS project’s community are embraced as potential contributors to the development, testing, and maintenance of the software. Community-supported software empowers users, under the assumption that increased user participation in the development and maintenance of software will make the software more responsive to user needs, reduce bugs in the software, and increase overall quality and security of the software. Other characteristics of community-supported software include early and frequent releases of the software, a modular framework to support parallel development efforts, and an appropriate decision-making process that strongly involves the user community (either at the individual level or by representation)—all of which are predicated on the presence of a committed user community.
Membership
Why does ArchivesSpace charge for membership? Isn't ArchivesSpace open-source software?
ArchivesSpace is open-source software that requires ongoing maintenance and development. In its original conception and to underpin the sustainability of the ArchivesSpace application and community, an essential aspect of ArchivesSpace required by the funders and by any good practice, the ArchivesSpace project partners were required to find a feasible financial support model. Based on a report commissioned from Ithaka (now Ithaka S+R) and surveys of the archival community by Lisa Spiro and the ArchivesSpace planning grant team, the ArchivesSpace project team developed a membership model that provides funding for and governance of the software. The organizational home model was identified as a mechanism to provide staffing and fiscal accountability for the ongoing ArchivesSpace program. The individual organizational membership fees – based on a tiered JSTOR model for academic organizations and an adapted Artstor model for non-academic organizations – are designed to provide sole financial support for the staffing and organizational infrastructure required to sustain the operational activities of the ArchivesSpace program.
What happens with the money that comes in from membership fees?
The money received from ArchivesSpace membership fees supports the ArchivesSpace endeavor, which includes staff and operational expenses associated with sustaining the ArchivesSpace application and supporting the community overall. This funding supports the small program team staff (a dedicated Program Manager, Technical Lead, Community Engagement Lead, Developers, and Program Assistant, as well as various supporting functions); project operational expenses, such as testing and development servers; events for ArchivesSpace users; travel expenses for staff members to be present at a variety of conferences and other professional activities; hardware and software expenses; the development of training; day-to-day operational expenses; and indirect costs paid to Lyrasis, the organizational home. While foundation funding supported the original development of ArchivesSpace, actual ongoing operations and support must be self-funded.
Does membership require signing a “member agreement”? If so, what does that include?
There is an ArchivesSpace membership agreement. The principal points of the agreement articulate what a member can expect of ArchivesSpace membership, as well as the responsibilities of ArchivesSpace members (mainly participation in ArchivesSpace activities as appropriate and fiduciary responsibility to pay annual membership fees). It also articulates the current structure for governance and points to the program’s bylaws.
Can ArchivesSpace provide potential members with advocacy talking points to help them pitch ArchivesSpace membership to their budget managers, administration, and institution?
Our community has crystallized many of the talking points used throughout the years to help people better understand the value of membership into a helpful Making a Case for Membership web page and handout. Many of the responses to the questions in this FAQ will also be helpful in putting together a pitch for ArchivesSpace membership.
Though we cannot make your case directly for you, the ArchivesSpace team is always happy to answer questions and provide guidance about talking to administrators and other decision makers about the benefits of membership.
Membership Models & Fees
What is the membership model, how was it conceived and how often will it be reviewed?
The membership model is based on individual institution membership for both funding and governance participation. The individual institution model encourages organizations using the application to join the ArchivesSpace community and participate in the ongoing collaborative development and support of the application that is necessary for the application’s persistence and thus critical to the using community. Participation occurs in the form of governance groups, member-based discussion lists, collaborative code contribution, meetings at relevant conferences, and events sponsored by ArchivesSpace. As added benefits, members have access to technical and user support, a comprehensive and detailed user manual, and video tutorials for the application. Members are also eligible to attend in person and virtual member-only events and participate in our peer-to-peer Member Match program.
The ArchivesSpace membership model determines membership categories based on several factors. Because ArchivesSpace is an application that supports both staff and public access to archival collections, the membership model considers the overall organizational budget, rather than a department budget or number of FTE of archives staff as one factor in determining membership categories. Additionally, the existing JSTOR/ Artstor models, being leveraged, take many factors into consideration well beyond organizational budget.
The ArchivesSpace Team considered a broad range of sustainability models and carefully reviewed all the recommendations of our consultant studies. We examined the leading models used by cultural heritage organizations and in higher education, and we evaluated them against the archival community needs and fabric, which unlike many other communities, varies greatly in size and type. We also conducted surveys to test the reception and appropriateness of various models with the archival community, and we sought advice on a comprehensive range of options along with their pros and cons. This effort and analysis took place over an 18-month period and left few stones unturned.
The published model was chosen for two main reasons: (1) the pricing is intended to be flexible so that any archives can contribute to the ArchivesSpace sustainability effort, regardless of type or size; and (2) a membership model is the most equitable way to obtain the revenues necessary to ensure the continued development and maintenance of the software over time.
The membership model and pricing has remained consistent since its implementation in 2013. In the future, details related to the membership model and structure could be changed by the ArchivesSpace Governance Board, keeping in mind that any changes must continue to fully fund the staff and activities supporting the ongoing use of, access to, and development of the ArchivesSpace application.
What are the fees?
The current annual fee levels for ArchivesSpace membership are listed on our membership page.
Can there be clarification on the price structures presented for academic institutions so it is clear by looking at the chart what category your institution is in?
For academic institutions, membership is defined at the level of the entire entity, not just the size of the archives and/or library staff, because it is a widely recognized model used for academic institutions. The JSTOR categories were adopted as determinants for ArchivesSpace membershipbecause they take several factors into consideration including organizational size, budget, and potential users of a resource.
For example, how do you define "medium"?
“Medium” would be appropriate if the academic institution’s JSTOR category is Medium.
How do I find out my institution's JSTOR classification?
Typically your library’s acquisitions librarian or other person responsible for licensing electronic resources can tell you. You may also check with your Head of Collections, Assistant/Associate Dean, University Librarian, or other person responsible for administration of the library and its budget. You can also contact JSTOR directly, even if your institution does not subscribe to JSTOR.
Can the membership fee structure be modified to better reflect the budget in relationship to the size of a repository, rather than the size of the institution?
The current fee structure is designed at the institutional level in part because ArchivesSpace is designed to provide access to collections to all organizational users, not just staff. It integrates the necessary, internal archival management functions with a public interface to those collections and, as with other systems, is an investment for the entire organization.
What if an organization does not have an existing JSTOR or Artstor category?
Most academic organizations, public libraries, and museums will have an existing JSTOR or Artstor category and these carry over as the organization’s ArchivesSpace membership level. For organizations that do not subscribe to either service, we have developed a formula based on FTE of the organization. Information on current levels and fees is available on our membership page.
How do you determine FTE for archives within nonacademic institutions? My archives only has two FTE but my institution is much larger than that.
We consider FTE for the entire organization, not just the archives or library unit. Membership is based on the size of the organization as a whole because the entire organization and its researchers benefit from the use of the application. The intent is to reflect institutional capacity for information management and cultural heritage, not just archives capacity, in a way that is on par with how JSTOR and Artstor classifications are derived for academic institutions, museums, public libraries, and other types of institutions that typically have them.
For non-cultural heritage institutions (for example, the department of records and archives within a local government or the library of a orchestra), the FTE levels apply to the part of the institution responsible for the cultural heritage mission. Please inquire as to level in such cases. We strive to apply the membership levels fairly and consistently for all organizations and have found the measures chosen work well in most cases. ArchivesSpace will entertain “challenges” to membership categories assigned to organizations outside of the JSTOR or Artstor schemes, but cannot guarantee that the determination will change.
How do institutions contract for hosting services with ArchivesSpace?
The ArchivesSpace program activity is completely separate from any kind of hosting service offered by Lyrasis (or any other Registered Service Provider). The program activities and staff are dedicated to the support and development of the community and application. Contact one of our Registered Service Providers to receive a quote or more information about hosting and other services.
Will those who contribute to the project be given some membership benefits in exchange?
As a community-based project, we hope that all members will want to contribute to the ArchivesSpace community, conversations, or coding, depending upon individual capability. There are no additional benefits currently planned for ArchivesSpace contributors.
It has been stated that ArchivesSpace members do not need to be Lyrasis members. Are there discounts for Lyrasis members or are they completely separate memberships?
ArchivesSpace is a completely separate member-based entity from Lyrasis. Lyrasis functions as the ArchivesSpace organizational home, which means that Lyrasis provides the organizational, administrative and accounting support and infrastructure for ArchivesSpace. Lyrasis membership is not required to be a member of ArchivesSpace, and there are no discounts for existing Lyrasis members. Each membership is independent of the other.
How can Consortia participate in and support the ArchivesSpace community?
People and organizations coming together to create something that is more than the sum of its parts is at the heart of ArchivesSpace, and we value the many different ways libraries and archives collaborate. We recognize the need for a healthy ecosystem of service providers and also recognize the important role that consortia have played in archives over time, including as aggregators of finding aids. To keep ArchivesSpace financially sustainable and ensure it has the resources to continue meeting the archives community’s needs in both the long- and short-term, however, ArchivesSpace membership is at the individual institution level.
We do offer some other types of affiliations to help consortia offer better services to their members, participate in the ArchivesSpace community, and contribute to the ArchivesSpace program. The Consortium Provider program is open to regional and thematic library, archives, and other consortia providing hosting or other services related to ArchivesSpace to their member organizations. The benefits of the Consortium Provider affiliation are for the staff employed directly by the consortium itself and include access to resources to learn more about the application, get help in using and deploying it, and participate in the community, including opportunities to connect with other consortia around ArchivesSpace.
We also continue to offer the Registered Service Provider program, which is open to both non-profit and for-profit organizations. The RSP program provides a higher level of benefits and may be more attractive to consortia that want a higher level of participation for their staff.
Both programs offer incentives for encouraging ArchivesSpace membership and providing services to member institutions. You can learn more about participating in these programs by emailing ArchivesSpaceHome@lyrasis.org.
Could some benefits like the migration tools/services be sold à la carte as packages/modules?
They can be and may be by Registered Service Providers, or by anyone since the software is open source. These kinds of separate services are not part of the membership model.
Governance
How does ArchivesSpace ensure that the diversity of all users is represented in matters of governance, improvements, and sustainability?
The ArchivesSpace governance groups are designed to represent the diversity of ArchivesSpace members. Each group has representational spots reserved for members from each of the member categories. Appointment to the governance groups is designed to ensure representation of the various segments of the archives community, including large and small repositories, and repositories that are academic, government, corporate, etc. Representation from all these segments in the governance groups ensures that all segments have a voice and the opportunity to participate in ArchivesSpace development.
There are not “at-large” seats to represent users who are not members, though non-members are eligible to serve on the Technical Advisory Council.
Members in good standing are eligible to be appointed to govern, according to the brochure. Is there a definition for “good standing”?
Members in good standing are members who have paid their membership fees. There are no other requirements to be a member in good standing, though active participation in the ArchivesSpace community is strongly encouraged.
What are the specific duties and role for the Governance Board?
The ArchivesSpace Governance Board represents the ArchivesSpace community, with membership of the Board comprising representatives of ArchivesSpace member categories. The Governance Board has ultimate authority for the maintenance, development, and sustainability of the ArchivesSpace application. Though not required, ArchivesSpace member representatives typically have fiduciary responsibilities at their organization (directors, assistant/associate directors). The Governance Board has several important tasks that include:
- Ensure that the ArchivesSpace application meets the needs of the greatest number of ArchivesSpace members;
- Control the fiscal accounts of the ArchivesSpace program, including advising on fundraising activities and contracted development
- Oversee the Organizational Home in its provision of services;
- Oversee the User Advisory and Technical Advisory Councils
An explanation of the current governance model is here. Membership on the three governance boards was restricted to Charter members for the first year of operation, June 2013-July 2014. Beginning July 2014, General members could begin serving on the boards, and Registered Service Providers could begin serving on the Technical Advisory Council. (Registered Service Provider is the membership type for consortia, or organizations or agencies representing a group of institutions.)
Position descriptions for Governance Board members, as well as the Chair and Vice Chair, are available.
Can you clarify what the Technical Advisory Council is charged with? How is that different than the work of the hired (and paid) software developers on staff?
The Technical Advisory Council has several distinct tasks, including:
- Reviewing user-submitted enhancements and priorities for the application, in collaboration with the User Advisory Council. (Development Prioritization)
- Conducting user-centered testing of the application prior to releases, in collaboration with the User Advisory Council. (Testing)
- Documenting the metadata standards used by ArchivesSpace and monitoring the standards landscape. (Metadata Standards)
- Identifying integration points for ArchivesSpace with other systems (e.g. digital asset management systems, patron and request management systems, etc.) and creating resources to assist the community with integration work. (Integrations)
- Maintaining and updating technical documentation, including documentation of the API. (Technical Documentation)
- Providing support and resources to help develop a community of code committers.
This work complements and augments the day-to-day work of the ArchivesSpace developers hired by LYRASIS. The Technical Lead participates in all the tasks identified for the Technical Advisory Council, as well as serves as an ex officio member of the Council. S/he writes and contribute some code for the application, though this person is not expected to be the sole coder for ArchivesSpace. The ArchivesSpace developers have responsibility for compiling and packaging all new releases and posting them to GitHub. The contribution of code is anticipated to come from many sources, including ArchivesSpace members and non-members. Because code contribution is a separate activity of the Technical Advisory Council, not all code contributors need be Technical Advisory Council members.
Do any of the governance groups help inform membership categories, structure, prices, and services?
Any changes to the membership model or fees necessary to sustain the community, application, and support development needs would be discussed and approved by the Governance Board. Requests for changes may come from the User Advisory or Technical Advisory councils or the general membership.
Could a Community Board (open to everybody, including non-members) be added as part of the Governance structure?
How will surplus membership fees be used?
As of December 2024, ArchivesSpace is more than 500 members strong. The vigorous response of the archival community has enabled the program to extend its support and activities beyond what was provided for by the original project plan. As the use of ArchivesSpace grows, the demands and expectations grow as well. When there are membership funds beyond what was expected in the budget set for a given year, the Governance Board allocates them to address additional priorities as needed. Past surplus funds have gone to hire additional developers; engage a third party design firm specializing in user experience and interaction design to provide assessment, project management, and design services in support of enhancing the public interface; extend migration services; and create the Community Engagement Lead and Front End Developer positions (which are now permanent).
Lyrasis and ArchivesSpace are non-profit enterprises. Revenues generated from membership fees are directly applied to improving the application and supporting the community that uses it.
Are the project partners (NYU and UCSD) considered charter members? Do they have a different role than other members in governance?
Yes, the Project Partners (NYU and UCSD) were dues paying Charter Members at the outset of the ArchivesSpace collaborative. Like other ArchivesSpace members, the partners pay dues annually. However, unlike other members, the partners each have one seat on the Governance Board until they no longer want to remain a partner. This privilege reflects the responsibility of each partner for the success of the ArchivesSpace collaborative, as well as their commitment to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for sustaining the ArchivesSpace application after the end of the funded project phase. (The third original Partner, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, left in 2021.)
Does ArchivesSpace have Bylaws? How frequently are they updated?
Yes, ArchivesSpace has Bylaws. They are maintained by the ArchivesSpace Governance Board and updated occasionally as situations warrant.
Membership Services & User Resources
What documentation is available for non-members? What documentation is available only to members?
There are two main types of documentation for ArchivesSpace: User instruction in the form of manuals and video tutorials and technical documentation supporting developers.
- User instruction components: “Tool tips”: cues to indicate how to complete a given ArchivesSpace field are included in the open-source software package and available to everyone. User instruction, in the form of online contextual help, application user manual, and video tutorials is restricted to members.
- Developer/technical documentation about the ArchivesSpace application and source code is open and available on GitHub.
I am new to ArchivesSpace. Where should I begin?
Our Getting Started page contains a number of resources to assist those new to using ArchivesSpace or in need of a refresher.
As a member, how can I request technical support?
Technical support is a benefit of membership to ArchivesSpace. To request technical support, follow the instructions here.
How much technical support do members receive?
There is no limit on the number of requests a member organization may make for assistance. There are, however, limits to the complexity of issues that can be addressed. For example, membership does not include hosting, customization, data migration, or intensive data repair. We can provide you with strong guidance in these areas, but we can’t undertake the solutions themselves for you. If your issue requires assistance beyond what is possible through membership, we will alert you to this and suggest alternatives. Support for local installations and migration may come from direct email, phone call, a post to the member-based list, or through a support ticketing system. More information on how to obtain member support is available on our Technical Support page.
Does being a member gain guaranteed additional customization? Or is this an “extra” that members and non-members alike pay for?
If customization in this context means the development of new features, then members can make suggestions and recommendations to the User Advisory Council and the Technical Advisory Council to initiate new development. If by customization you mean branding a public interface, adding additional functionality, etc., we expect to have a list of known developers who will be able to assist with these services.
Does ArchivesSpace offer training?
We have recently transitioned to a virtual, community-wide training model. Individuals will be able to register for trainings that meet their particular need and experience level. These trainings are offered at a discount to ArchivesSpace members. To learn more about ArchivesSpace community-wide training, visit our Training Page.
How do I access the ArchivesSpace Help Center?
The ArchivesSpace Help Center is available to members of ArchivesSpace. In the Help Center, users will find the ArchivesSpace user manual and user tutorial videos. More information on the ArchivesSpace Help Center and how to access it can be found here.
How do I join the ArchivesSpace Listservs?
Access to both the ArchivesSpace User Group Listserv and Small Archives Group Listserv is available to ArchivesSpace members. Information about accessing the archives and how to join our member listservs is on our website.
When and where is the next ArchivesSpace forum?
ArchivesSpace holds forums throughout the year for ArchivesSpace users to connect and learn from one another. These forums include our Annual and Regional in person member forums, our open Online Forum and our Forum in a Box community developed forums. The program and agenda for these forums are developed by working groups made up of ArchivesSpace community members. Whether in-person or online, all of our forums have the same goal: bringing ArchivesSpace users together to learn from one another and share information with the community. Learn about upcoming forums or review resources from past forums here.
Where can I view recorded ArchivesSpace content like webinars and forum presentations?
All ArchivesSpace recordings, including our webinars, demos and past forum presentations are available on our YouTube channel.
Other Membership Questions
What if I want to join outside of the July 1-June 30 membership term?
Institutions that enroll as ArchivesSpace members outside of the July 1-June 30 membership term receive a prorated fee for the first membership term and then are invoiced for the full annual fee when the membership renews on July 1. Proration is on a monthly basis.
Can individuals become ArchivesSpace members?
No, ArchivesSpace membership is at the institutional level only.
What institutions use ArchivesSpace? What institutions like mine use ArchivesSpace?
I want to try out ArchivesSpace while I’m considering membership. What options are available to me?
ArchivesSpace is free to download and use. There are links to download and install the software from Github under the "ArchivesSpace Application" menu on our website. For testing purposes, you can install the application on a standalone machine (even something as simple as a laptop) or a basic server that meets the system requirements indicated in the documentation on the Github site. If you’d prefer not to install anything, we also provide a sandbox, with links available here. The sandbox is updated and cleared out regularly, and anyone can see the data that is put into it. It should not be used as a production tool or for sensitive data.
I am an educator and want to use ArchivesSpace in my courses. What options are available to me?
An ArchivesSpace Educational Program Membership is a fee-free category of membership intended to support the use of ArchivesSpace in archives and library education programs. More information is available on our website. If an Educational Program Membership is not of interest, the ArchivesSpace application is still free to use and download and may be used without support services from the ArchivesSpace program.
I am a student and want to use ArchivesSpace in conjunction with my educational program. What options are available to me?
If your academic program is an ArchivesSpace Educational Program Member, contact your school’s coordinator to get access. (ArchivesSpace staff can point you to the correct person if you don’t know.) If your school is not a member, encourage them to become one. If your academic program is not interested in becoming an ArchivesSpace Educational Program member, the ArchivesSpace application is still free to use and download and may be used without support services from the ArchivesSpace program.
ArchivesSpace Application
Can I access the technical documentation for the application?
The technical documentation for the software is publicly available on Github.
What are the system requirements for ArchivesSpace?
A list of system requirements is included in the technical documentation on Github.
Where is ArchivesSpace data stored?
The ArchivesSpace application needs to be installed on a server, either maintained by your organization or by another organization with whom you contract to host it for you. Depending on how you choose to configure ArchivesSpace, the data itself could be stored on a local server or in the cloud.
How much server space does ArchivesSpace require?
The amount of server space ArchivesSpace requires is dependent on many factors, including the number of repositories, the size and number of your collections, and whether you use the entire ArchivesSpace application or only certain modules.
Is ArchivesSpace a digital asset management system?
ArchivesSpace is not a digital asset or document management system and cannot manage digital files or digitization workflows. The digital objects module can be used to describe digital objects and link to digital files stored elsewhere. The metadata created can be exported to other systems as MODS, METS, or Dublin Core or made publicly accessible through the built-in public interface, though the viewers in the public interface are more limited in their functionality than those of a digital asset management system or digital repository.
Where can I find documentation for the ArchivesSpace API?
The ArchivesSpace API documentation is available here.
Where can I find information related to importing data into and exporting data out of ArchivesSpace?
A series of migration tools and data maps are available to all users here.