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CollectiveAccess

CollectiveAccess is a free, open-source, downloadable Collection Management System created by Whirl-i-Gig in collaboration with multiple partners. CollectiveAccess consists of two applications: Providence (cataloging and data management) and PawTucket (publication and discovery). CollectiveAccess is extremely customizable and user-created installation profiles and program additions are available online for download. The following review is of the basic CollectiveAccess software without any add-ons.

Licensing

Free and open-source.

licensing

System 

Requirements

Any up-to-date web browser.

System Requirments

Usability

User-friendly.

Free tech support. 

Active Q&A forum community. 

Usability

Administration

Granular access control settings. Moderate and accept user-generated tags, comments, and content submissions. Collaboration tools for projects and cataloging. eCommerce and licensing tools.

Administration

Content 

Management

Complies with most metadata standards and offers  “out-of-the-box standards" support. Data Validation. Batch imports and cataloging

Digital preservation workflows. Multilingual cataloging.

Content Management

Target Market

Any one.

Users include:

The School of Visual Arts 

National Public Radio  

Estée Lauder  

Coney Island History Project   

Queens Borough Public Library  

New Museum of Contemporary Art 

American Museum of Natural History

Target Market

Public Access

PawTucket provides the tools to publish a public-access portal website, to create interactive maps and timelines, design configurable galleries, and style other public-access components.

Public Access

Flexibility

Both PawTucket and Providence are fully customizable through installation profiles and the theme library. Click here for examples of user-generated installation profiles.

Flexibility

Project Examples

Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre: Provides access to Truth and Reconciliation Commission records. Documents and preserves survivor stories and records.

University of Michigan Museum of Art: Maintains a varied collection of artworks. Hosts linked-open-data tools.

 

Click here for more project details. 

Project Examples

CollectiveAccess is a fairly balanced CMS. The software incorporates both front and back-end tools, as well as, facilitates intra-institutional, inter-institutional, and public access of collections. CollectiveAccess is used by a variety of institution types. As the software is free and open-source, CollectiveAccess is a great choice for a smaller gallery, library, archive, or museum. The basic program is easy to use and comes with many tools.

 

The flexibility of CollectiveAccess is perfect for institutions looking to create their own custom-tailored CMS. The software website states that customization is easy. However, customizing any software is time-consuming and extensive customization likely requires intermediate or advanced technological skills. Therefore, CollectiveAccess may not be the best choice for an institution looking for a ready-made CMS to perform advanced or intricate functions on either end of the spectrum.

 Additional informative can be found at https://www.collectiveaccess.org/

© 2018 by Emily Caspari

© 2018 Access Spectrum Reviewers

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