Computer Applications in Archives

A survey was conducted by the Liverpool University Archives in 1982 to identify existing archives services outside the Public Record Office where automation has taken place or is about to take place, and to undertake a preliminary evaluation of the systems used or proposed. The objective of the study was to identify operational systems and those in the planning stages, conduct an evaluation of those systems, and make recommendations for future action. To obtain information: (1) a questionnaire was sent to archives services known to be active in the field; (2) operational systems were visited; and (3) personal interviews were conducted. Three areas were investigated--records management, archival management, and special applications. Findings show significant developments in records management with two new systems for circulation control; however, no general system or package suitable for immediate dissemination for archive management, and no significant systems for internal management systems and indexing tools were found. It is recommended that work in developing and disseminating a data standard should continue, and funds should be sought to carry out a comparative test and evaluation of software packages. The appendices, which make up the major part of the report, contain brief descriptions of the systems identified, together with examples of input and output, and a list of archives services contacted. (JB)