INTERNATIONAL DATABASE OF
DIGITAL
HUMANITIES
PROJECTS

Workflow for the NINCH Database of Humanities Computing Projects

John Unsworth

As each record moves through this process, the number/letter designations for stages in the workflow should be included in the record's note field along with the date at which the record reached that stage and who last handled it, so it is easy to see where a record stands, what needs to happen to it next, and who last handled it. Time estimates are provided for each step that we control, with minimum and maximum estimates for each step and for the whole process.

  1. NINCH representative makes contact with a funding agency, invites the agency to deposit records of humanities computing projects they have funded.
  2. Upon reaching agreement about records to be deposited, NINCH representative provides instructions on the options for input format for the records (templates for Filemaker Pro, Access, Web form for transcribing paper records).
  3. Records are delivered to the University of Michigan Library by the funding agency.
  4. Records are loaded into the DB by University of Michigan personnel, and Michigan notifies University of Virginia's student worker that new non- deployed records exist. [1 week]
  5. University of Virginia student worker emails site contact for each new record, inviting him/her to review and add to the record of his/her funded project. [Variable time elapses here, depending on the number of new records in a batch, but probably 1-3 weeks for initial notification]

    Several outcomes are possible from this point:

    A. Site contact either does this, with no problems [two weeks], or

    B. Site contact submits questions to query-ninch-data@ninch.org, before completing the record [two weeks], or

    C. Site contact doesn't respond and/or record is not updated within two weeks, so nagging protocol kicks in.

    1. If there's no response in two weeks, mailing is repeated, with a warning that records lacking necessary information may be discarded from the collection. [1 week]
    2. If no response in two more weeks, the record is submitted, as is, by University of Virginia student worker for cataloging, with a note in the record that the site contact has not responded. [Two weeks]

    D. Mail to site contact bounces, and no alternative address can be found, record is submitted, as is, by University of Virginia student worker for cataloging, with a note in the record that the site contact has not responded. [1 week] [Minimum elapsed time, 3 weeks; maximum elapsed time, 9 weeks]

  6. Database distributes notification of submitted record to cataloger at Rice or Michigan. Cataloger reviews the record. [Variable time elapsed, depending on the number of records in a batch, but likely 1-2 weeks] A. Records that don't meet the minimum standard of completeness and were submitted by the UVa student worker, due to a lack of response from the site contact, should be called to the attention of the ninch-data group by the cataloger, with an indication of what information is needed to meet minimal completeness. If no one in the group can provide the missing information within two weeks, the record expires and is deleted by University of Michigan personnel. [Two weeks] B. If the record doesn't meet the minimum standard of completeness and it was submitted by the site contact, the cataloger should email the site contact requesting more information. [1 week] 1. If there is no response in two weeks, the cataloger should send a final message making it clear that if the missing information cannot be provided within the next two weeks, the record will be discarded. [Two weeks] [Minimum elapsed time, 1 week; maximum elapsed time, 5 weeks]

7. Records that do meet the minimum standard of completeness are given cataloger-specific classification and information and submitted to the public database. Records that do not meet the minimum standard are discarded. [Variable time elapsed, depending on the number of records in a batch, but likely 1-4 weeks]

Time elapsed for the whole process, from the time records are initially received by Michigan:

minimum 6 weeks

maximum 19 weeks

Any non-deployed record that is 20 weeks old should automatically be referred to the student worker at UVa for assessment and action.