Webinar: Making the most of the ArchivesSpace Classifications Module and Library of Congress Subject Headings at the University of Oregon

Webinar Recording

Webinar slides

Workflow for subject analysis and assigning of LC main classes for topical terms

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When: June 30, 2021

Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PT)

This webinar will be recorded and made available on the ArchivesSpace YouTube channel.

Webinar description:

In March 2020, processing archivists in Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) at the University of Oregon Libraries began experimenting with the Classifications module in ArchivesSpace, seeking a way to create interactive, browsable subject guides for new reference staff and patrons. Using existing controlled vocabulary in SCUA’s MARC records, processing archivists employed data exploration tools in OpenRefine (formerly GoogleRefine) to collate collections into subject areas based on Library of Congress Classifications. Using OpenRefine and additional subject analysis of the collections, processing archivists were able to create comprehensive lists of SCUA’s collections by subjects represented. These lists could then be uploaded into ArchivesSpace Classifications, giving staff and patrons a tool to browse archival collections as they would books on a shelf in the general stacks of the university library.

This webinar will explore the MARC-to-Classifications workflow in OpenRefine, as well as subject analysis methods used to assign both classifications and subclassifications based on numerical collection data. Classification Web, the primary tool used for subject analysis and classification, will be juxtaposed with other open-access tools in the hope that institutions may replicate aspects of the project regardless of subscription-based resources. Highlighted resources used for subject analysis will include Library of Congress Classification Web (subscription-based), Library of Congress Authorities (open access), and the Library of Congress Classification Outline (open access).

A Q&A will follow.

Presenter Information:

Liliya Benz is the Special Projects Processing Archivist for Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Oregon. She received her Bachelor of Arts in applied mathematics from the University of Oregon and her Master of Library Science with a concentration in archives studies from Emporia State University.

Alex Bisio (she/her/hers) is the Lead Processing Archivist in Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Oregon Libraries. She earned her MSLIS in Archives Management and MA in American History from Simmons College, and her BA in American History from Santa Clara University. Before joining SCUA at the University of Oregon, she served as the Associate Archivist of the Jesuit Archives: Central United States in Saint Louis, Missouri, and the Archivist for the Critical Theory Archive at the University of California, Irvine.

Who should attend:

Anyone using or interested in using the ArchivesSpace Classifications module.