Welcome to CollectiveAccess

CollectiveAccess puts the control of your collection in your hands. Freely available under the open-source GNU Public License, CollectiveAccess allows you to manage collections easily, publish collections to the Web, and preserve these assets digitally. CollectiveAccess is a configurable, flexible, and sustainable alternative to proprietary, custom or ad-hoc collections management solutions. This tour will guide you through the many features of CollectiveAccess and introduce key components of the software package.

The Highly Configurable Cataloging Tool

CollectiveAccess doesn't lock you into strict schemas or set data entry fields. Instead, individualized installation profiles determine how your cataloging interface will look and function. Select from the many supported metadata standards or custom profiles from our Installation Library. Many features are available in each installation profile, and any component can be modified or added without custom programming.

Work with Metadata Standards

CollectiveAccess supports a number of Metadata Standards created and used by library and information professionals. These include Dublin Core, PBCore, SPECTRUM, VRACore, CDWA, CCO, DACS, DarwinCore, MARC, and more.

Custom Project Profiles

The Installation Library allows you to preview and download installation profiles that were developed for partner institutions with specialized collections management needs. These were designed to meet the functional requirements of real-world projects and go beyond the scope of traditional metadata standards. Choose from special configurations for art collections, historical societies, institutional archives, mixed collections, and time-based media.

Specialized Features

Cataloging features allow you to enter basic cataloging information about your collection objects as well as subjects and keywords, media, and georeferencing. Create your own controlled vocabularies, authorities, or use Library of Congress Subject Headings. CollectiveAccess also supports multi-lingual cataloging, allowing you to create and publish your records in any number of languages simultaneously.

Publish your Collection

Publish your collection to the web using Pawtucket, our full-featured web presentation and access module. Access levels allow you to instantly share your collection on your website, or keep selected records private. Custom display tools allow you to choose exactly what information is published for each object. Any changes you make are immediately posted to the web and there is no need to maintain a separate website or upload additional data. As with all CollectiveAccess products, Pawtucket is freely available under the open-source GNU Public License.

Create Relationships

CollectiveAccess supports complex relationships between Objects, Entities, Occurrences, Places, and Vocabularies. Use these relationships to define objects in a series, elements of a larger group, or “See Also” records. CollectiveAccess supports hierarchical relationships, allowing you to nest records within other records – an invaluable tool for cataloging complex collection objects, geographical places and specialized collections.

Create Sets of Objects

Sets allow the user to create groupings of Objects for a variety of practical purposes. Sets can be used to present selections from your collection as thumbnails, slideshows and timelines on your website.

Internally, Sets are a convenient way to group records for administrative purposes, such as creating a working checklist for an exhibition, or a list of images proposed for publication.

Catalog Collections

Assign objects to various Collections in your CollectiveAccess system to document special groupings within your archive. Typical Collection types include important acquisitions, historical exhibitions, cultural collections and other permanent groupings within your institution. Records can belong to any number of Collections, allowing for more flexible cataloging of versatile assets that can be described by multiple genres and subjects.

Sophisticated Searching

Find information easily with simple keyword searching, faceted browsing, and advanced search forms. CollectiveAccess allows you to create custom search forms to find Objects in your collection according to any number and combination of specialized fields. Faceted browsing is fully configurable and can be applied to virtually any field in your system, including relationships, dates and valuations. CollectiveAccess allows you to take advantage of all specific types of data when searching. Dates, length and weight and valuation ranges can be searched; dates can be searched in the native language of the user, no matter what language they were entered in; measurements can be searched on in the units preferred by the user, no matter the units used during data entry, and more.

Administrative Tools

CollectiveAccess includes many administrative features for managing your collection. You can catalog intake information for acquisitions, purchases and loans by creating Object Lots. Use the Storage Locations hierarchy tool to track the locations of all of the Objects in your collection. The fully customizable display allows you to specify locations beginning from a campus or facility, all the way down to a single drawer. You can also track conservation information, provenance and condition reports with fields that precisely suit your requirements.

Custom Display Tools

CollectiveAccess makes it easy to display only the information you want to see. Control what fields are shown when you view, search for or export a record. Preloaded templates make it easy to create printable labels or summaries of your records.

Access controls allow you to choose what fields are displayed for different users, allowing for speciliazed views for curators, administrators, researchers and cataloguers.

Import and Export your Records

From tab-delimited text to EAD XML and OAI-PMH (coming soon), CA allows for easy import and export of collection data.

Preserve your Collection

CA is committed to data preservation and interoperability, providing support for Fedora, IRODS and OAI (coming soon).

Customization and Configuration

CollectiveAccess gives you the control to entirely customize and configure your cataloging interface at any time without any risk to your data.

Tailor your workflow, interface and features to your institution and no longer fuss about components you don’t want or don’t need.

Reach your Audience

Woonsocket and Pascoag (currently in development) will make CollectiveAccess fully accessable to iPhone and iPad users, and support touch-screen gallery kiosk displays. As with other CollectiveAccess products they applications will be freely available under the open-source GNU Public License.

Join a Growing Community

CollectiveAccess is used by a growing community of libraries, museums, archives and historical societies around the globe. These partner organizations help us to continually develop new features and keep CollectiveAccess current with the real-world needs of today's collecting institutions.