LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Roosevelt University, founded in 1945 to foster the democratic ideals and values of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, is taking advantage of new archives management software to provide for public access to its archives. Its extensive catalog of archival materials has now been made available for searching over the Internet.
The software involved is STAR Knowledge Center for Archives (“SKCA”), a product of Los Angeles-based Cuadra Associates. This software, which can be used from any browser, supports the rapid and efficient cataloging of archival materials, as well as providing for easy search of the materials over the Internet.
The organization of the University’s archival materials did not begin in earnest until 2007 but in a relatively short period of time, the archivists have processed about 20 percent of the University’s collection. They first focused primarily on cataloging their photographic collection, and are now concentrating on a series of document collections that are part of the backlog.
According to University Archivist Laura Mills, SKCA has enabled the University to pick up the pace of describing its collections, as well as supporting the release of an attractive public-access catalog. “The appearance of our public-access catalog is welcoming and straightforward,” she said. “University staff members tell me that they like it. We can already see that both our users over the Internet and University staff members will enjoy the benefits of using this tool because they can get to the descriptions, photographs and images that they want easily and quickly. And, SKCA’s ‘Advanced Search page’ helps them to limit their retrieval to only the materials that are relevant to their needs.”
Mills introduced the new catalog to University faculty and staff through a series of orientation meetings and an announcement on the University’s internal newsletter. She also announced it on the University’s Facebook page and in its blog, to call additional attention to the University’s unique collection.
Mills credits SKCA for helping to make so much of the University’s collection accessible in such a short period of time. “SKCA is a really effective and efficient way to make your collection accessible both within your organization and over the Internet,” she said.
About Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University, a national leader in educating socially conscious citizens, is a private student-centered university with 6,700 students studying at comprehensive campuses in Chicago and northwest suburban Schaumburg.
About Cuadra Associates, Inc.
Cuadra Associates, Inc., a SydneyPLUS Company, is a leading provider of knowledge management software products. The core of every Cuadra product is STAR, a highly acclaimed multi-purpose software package with the power and flexibility to manage information collections of all types. STAR is used to manage information collections from many types of environments, including archives, libraries, museums, and publishing houses.
For more information on Cuadra products, contact Ilene Slavick at 800-366-1390 or 310-591-2490 or visit the company’s Web site at: http://www.cuadra.com.