Market Engagement for Suffolk Archives - Content Management and Public Access Solutions

Suffolk Archives is home to over 900 years of Suffolk’s history captured in thousands of archive collections and Local Studies materials.The Archives service uses IT applications to catalogue, preserve, digitise and make available the catalogue and digital content including images, sound and media files as well as recording the associated collections information and metadata. We also use IT for booking appointments for researchers and volunteers as well as booking and buying tickets for events.The contracts for our current IT applications are due to expire in late 2024.It has been several years since we last reviewed the market so are looking to understand what IT applications are now available and what functionality they can offer.The collections are mainly traditional formats ie paper, parchment, photographs but we have an increasing number of born digital records. Our website needs to have an easily searchable catalogue with full online interaction across the site, including chargeable and free downloads, online payments, full interaction with SCC’s financial systems, online exhibitions and social media capability. Suffolk Archives, part of Suffolk County Council, is looking for specialist software system(s) to help them deliver all aspects of the Archive Service. Cataloguing Management System:Integrated software that allows for management and linking of information relating to accessions, depositors, catalogues, images, conservation work records, local studies, location of archives. We currently have 1.14 million catalogue records and 35,000 accession records. We would need the ability to generate reports such as accession receipts, archive catalogues, work reports for conservation records.Website:Easily editable and customisable website that allows a wide range of functionality including reader management, catalogue search and full hierarchical display of resulting catalogue entries, ability to link oral history recordings, images and video clips to catalogue entries, ability to allow multiple levels of access to digitised content depending on IP addresses and accounts, content pages including online exhibitions (currently using Shorthand), online payments system that is compatible with SCC’s financial systems, bookings system for appointments, integration with a ticketing system such as TicketSource, and social media capabilitiesDigital Preservation System for archives:Software that will allow us to manage our digital archives and surrogates, ensuring appropriate migration to newer formats, acceptance of a wide range of data types, authentication checks, delivery of access copies, and seamless linking with the cataloguing management system and online access. Currently hold 7.5TB of mixed born-digital and surrogate but expecting an additional 10Tb in 2025.