ArchivesSpace offers face-to-face and online training and consultations to members and non-members.

If you would like to learn more about training and consultation opportunities, or if you are a power ArchivesSpace user and are interested in joining our trainer corps, please contact Christine Kim at christine.kim@lyrasis.org.

New in 2017: We have developed a new one-day Introduction to ArchivesSpace workshop that is offered to hosts at a lower cost than our standard training offerings and open to participants regardless of ArchivesSpace membership status. We’re particularly interested in working with local and regional archives groups as hosts and working to make this kind of training as economical as possible. Please get in touch with Kim if you or a group you know of would be interested in sponsoring such a workshop.

Workshop topics currently available:

• Basics training (two-day workshop)
• Digital Objects training (one-day workshop)
• API training (one-day workshop)
• Introduction to ArchivesSpace training (one-day workshop, usually in conjunction with regional and local archives groups)

Although trainings cannot be shortened, multiple workshop topics may be offered in back-to-back sessions to keep instructor travel expenses low. Please contact us for workshop agendas.

Training Expenses for Basics, Digital Objects, and API workshops:

These are our standard terms for the Basics, Digital Objects, and API workshops to encourage an active learning environment for all participants and ensure instructors are adequately compensated.

Training Expenses for Introduction to ArchivesSpace workshops:

These are our standard terms to ensure the instructor is adequately compensated, but they are negotiable according to the financial constraints of the host:

Workshop facility & technology requirements:

• The host is responsible for providing a workshop environment equipped with projector, screen, and internet connectivity for the instructor and all participants in the workshop.
• For Basics, Digital Objects, and API workshops, all participants must have access to a computer and Internet connectivity. A computer lab/classroom works best, but another option is to have participants bring their own laptops.
• For Introduction to ArchivesSpace workshops, we encourage participants to have access to a computer so that they can follow along with the instruction and do hands-on exercises, but it is not required.

Scheduling & logistics:

• Scheduling is dependent on the needs of the host and instructor availability, but we can work with host institutions to try to find a good match in terms of dates. We generally need at least one month lead time to plan a workshop, but preferably more.
• The host can invite whomever it wishes, including unaffiliated individuals or staff from other institutions. The host can also decide whether to implement a charge a registration fee to participants. (No percentage of this goes to the ArchivesSpace program, but it may be useful to cover workshop costs.)

Online training options:

• Though most of our workshops are in person, we are happy to discuss possibilities for offering our standard training topics online for a fee.
• ArchivesSpace members have access to pre-recorded video tutorials in our Help Center. If you’re not a member or are interested in additional web-based training, you may want to also check with our Registered Service Provider Atlas Systems, which has a video training library and is also beginning to offer live introductory ArchivesSpace training. More information is available at https://www.atlas-sys.com/archivesspace-1/.
• If you’re looking for a quick intro and orientation to many of the basics of the system, the Collection Management Tools Section of SAA maintains a documentation portal with user-contributed manuals for a number of systems, including ArchivesSpace. It’s available at https://www2.archivists.org/groups/collection-management-tools-section/cmt-documentation-portal.

About the ArchivesSpace trainers:

The ArchivesSpace training corps is composed of archivists, metadata analysts, and others with years of experience using ArchivesSpace. They are essentially experts in using ArchivesSpace and actively contribute to the instructional materials and the ArchivesSpace community.

Next steps:

If you’d like to host or know of a group local to you that has available space and interest, Christine Kim (christine.kim@lyrasis.org), our Community Engagement Coordinator, is happy to help you set something up.

Upcoming & Past Sessions:

For a list of upcoming and past training sessions, please visit this Training Sessions page.