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Overview of Modules

The SKCA application includes the five Staff session modules represented by the tab links shown below.

The chart below provides a general description of the tasks in each module. Links in the chart are to sections that provide more detailed task-by-task descriptions of the module.

See also:  Types of Tasks/Navigating Between Tasks

Module General Description
Accessions

This module includes tasks for adding and editing Accession records. Other tasks provide for:

  • approving (or blocking) the transfer of Accessions data into the Catalog to create "starter" records.
  • generating the Deed of Gift.
  • performing searches and generating a registry listing as well as other management and statistical reports.
  • deleting Accession records.

Optionally, if you are also using STAR/Libraries MARC or SKCL MARC, transfers can be made into the Library Catalog.

Accessions module

Catalog

This module provides tasks for creating records in a hierarchical structure of your choosing for each collection. Sublevel records can be created in either of two ways:

  • "top down," by entering a list of "next-level" titles/numbers — of subgroups, series, containers, or files/items — in a single repeating field and letting the application automatically create separate records that you then edit to fill in relevant descriptive and administrative data. This process is referred to as an "explode" operation.
  • "bottom up," by creating a new record at a given level in the hierarchy and linking it to the level above that you want to be its "parent," e.g., a container record to a series record. This process is referred to as an "attach" operation.

With either approach, you can choose whether you want data from the "parent" to be copied into the new attached records.

In the "top down" approach, you can also use the "next-level" worksheets without exploding, e.g., for fast-track cataloging to prepare a container listing. The module also provides for other tasks, including:

  • releasing access to and removing records from being accessed in the Public Catalog.
  • creating and editing container records that you do not want to be included in the collection hierarchy, e.g., shared or collection-dedicated containers that represent physical location data for files/items, not a descriptive level in the hierarchical structure (referred to as non-hierarchical boxes or NHB records).
  • Options for rearranging hierarchies, including the unlinking of a record at a given level and all of its sublevels below from one parent so that you can then attach it to a different parent record, in the same or a different collection.

Catalog module

Research Services

This module allows for logging and tracking requests received by email, phone, and other methods. It is designed to support various workflows associated with pulling physical materials/tracking their return to the shelves and for fulfilling requests associated with digital resources.

A number of special reports have been designed for the module including:

  • A Pull report, with configurable page/form elements to support managment of your retrieval and reshelving/re-filing procedures
  • Several statistical reports to help you track and analyze the services that are being provided to your user constituencies

Research Services module

Inventory Control

[available in full staff session only] This module is used to generate inventory listings/flag missing items and to relocate sets of containers.

For your convenience, it also includes the tasks for working with the Locations authority, including the utility for specifying the pattern of Location IDs to be used in assigning containers to their physical location.

Management

[available in full staff session only] This potpourri module provides access to these two administrative task groups:

Application Management.  This task group provides tasks to:

1)   set up and maintain a Repository record with data about your Archive that is needed to meet the various Finding Aid standards. If you have different departments/units in your institution, each of which has its own separate identity, you can set up multiple Repository (sub-repository) records, each of which can be associated with different sets of your collection records.
2)   perform several system-level tasks, e.g., to set up in advance the values that you want included in list boxes for several fields, in the catalog, accessions, requests, and selected other databases.
3)   optionally, configure the New Acquistion, Hot Topics, and saved searches for your Public Catalog session.
4)   generate EAD (.xml) files for individual collections or all collections you have linked to a single Repository.

Authorities.  Tasks are provided for searching and maintaining records in all authorities used to validate fields in one or more application databases.