This session will show users how the content management system of he Cuban Theater Digital Archive (cubantheater.org) works. It will allow artists, scholars, and librarians to test it out and consider its use for other theater/performance digital archives. The platform is built upon a relational database structure that guides the creation of a modular system architecture, built using existing open source software to ensure interoperability with other tools or modules being developed elsewhere to support digital humanities initiatives. This infrastructure provides rich interaction and easy navigation of site content, facilitates contributions of text and multimedia content from geographically dispersed partners while placing intellectual property rights at the forefront of the content submission work flow, increases capacity to create and deliver video content along with appropriate metadata, and allows for the peer review, approval, and innovative scholarly interaction with and publication of site content.  works.

For the technologically savvy: This content management framework, named Romeu after the Cuban musician Armando Romeu, was made live at cubantheater.org in early 2012, with access to the system opened to all significant content contributors. In addition, the Romeu software powering the CTDA was made available as open source software at github.com/umdsp/romeu. Romeu is built on the Python-based Django framework and it aims to be a simple but powerful content management system for multilingual theatrical archives. Vaunting itself as a “web framework for perfectionists with deadlines,” Django allows for the quick, elegant deployment of textual data-driven websites. As another plus, the Python programming language which underpins it has always been at the forefront of internationalization, a distinct advantage when compared with certain other options on the open source market.

Two of the barriers to providing access to special collections (including performing arts documentation) are time and descriptive metadata. Librarians are often short on the time and resources necessary to properly describe and make available special collections. Additionally, specialized knowledge often lies with the content creators.

I have recently had the opportunity to investigate alternatives to traditional
indexes and collaborative cataloging for special collections. Amy Ballmer (CUNY
Graduate Center) and I explored alternative methods of indexing (including
collaborative tagging with art historians) for small press and avant-garde
journals a recent article in Art Documentation. During my work at ARTstor, I’ve also had the opportunity to learn from some different use cases for collaborative cataloging across campuses. For example, Vickie O’Riordan at UC San Diego has partnered with Roger Reynolds to make his innovative intermedia work, PING available to faculty and staff on campus via Shared Shelf.

I would love to hear more about what ideas librarians might have for
collaborative cataloging practices with faculty and students and what they’re
currently doing on their campuses.