VITA  by Our Digital World – Profile

Product description

VITA [Video, Image, Text, Audio] Digital Toolkit is a web-based software for uploading, describing and displaying digital collections. Includes a robust set of search and discovery tools, customizable collection site, powerful aggregation options, and interactive tools like exhibits, user contributions, mysteries and comments. Great for collections of all sizes and for telling stories around community collections.

Disciplines supported

An “agnostic” tool, that allows for description of collections from across the Gallery Library Archives & Museums (GLAM) sector.

Product launch date

• Version 1 initial software launched in 2002
• Version 6.0 was released in January 2018
• Version 6.2 was released November 2020

Product history

The original purpose was to showcase digital versions of two-dimensional images. This expanded to printed volumes, audio and video files. In 2010 we merged it with a parallel toolkit that managed runs of digital newspapers (and related serial publications: magazines, newsletters etc.) It has been used to document artefacts as large as ships, and as dispersed as historic houses and cemeteries.

Future development

Next release: first quarter 2022, version 6.3

• Under the hood:
  • Support for the Open Archives Initiative - Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH)
• Management side:
  • Updated data management dashboard
  • Automatic extraction of positional information from born-digital documents for hit highlighting
  • Improved and enhanced rights statements
  • Updated and decolonized subject authority files
• End user:
  • Image jigsaws
  • Sparkline/slide option for date browse
  • Audio/video option for user contribution module
  • Improved mobile responsive design

Demo version

Free trial available

Support methods

Central Help website includes manuals, tip sheets, recorded webinars, and newsletter links; one-on-one email support; phone; optional fee-based training.

Support language(s)

English; some French

Support availability and hours

24/7

Support fees

Included in subscription; custom training available for negotiated fees.

Client support network

Vita toolkit help

Training

On-demand canned webinars available 24/7; custom organizational training sessions available in person or custom live webinar sessions for a fee

System updates and maintenance

System maintenance is automatic, ongoing and centralized; everything from bug fixes to application upgrades; universal to all users. Only major code changes that may require training are flagged as numbered releases.

Pricing

VITA Toolkit annual subscriptions:

VITA Basic or News Basic

$349/year (<1GB storage included)*

VITA Standard

$899/year (<10GB storage included)*

News Plus

$899/year + newspaper page hosting ($0.015-0.03/pp, based on total page count)

VITA Plus

$1299/year (<50 GB storage included)*

VINTA

$1499/year + newspaper page hosting ($0.015-0.03/pp, based on total page count)

Maintenance costs

Plan upgrades can be made anytime for a prorated fee.

Maintenance and software upgrades are included.

Additional fees

Hourly fees apply for customization or training; data migrations and file export fees are charged on a case-by-case basis.

*Extra storage for non-News plans can be purchased at $75/year for every extra 5GB[Gigabytes].

Operating systems supported

VITA Toolkit is hosted and web-based, not distributed software. Users simply need a modern browser and logon privilege. Our logs show users engage with just about every modern operating system that supports a browser. There are occasional issues with pre-2007 browsers (Internet Explorer 6 and before).

Underlying database

The database is server side and requires no client install. We use the current version of PostgreSQL. Full-text searching is supported by Apache Solr.

Platform(s)

Both data managers and end users require a browser. The product is designed to support the major (and most minor) browsers released since 2007. The software, both data management and public sites, function on all types of devices, including desktops, tablets and mobile phones.

Hardware requirements

Users should have a reasonably current browser and good to excellent internet speed and service.

Staff requirements

Software is web based, is not highly technical, requires no local infrastructure and should have one, up to maximum two, site administrators. Other users can be added by the agency, with roles that can be restricted to uploading and describing content with no “delete” privileges.

Plug-ins and/or modules available

There are no required third party tools. Some agencies have chosen to licence Reachdeck Toolbar (formerly called BrowseAloud) Web Screen Reader software which is presented in their public site(s) See, for example, Oakville Newspapers. Only custom code embeds that require OurDigitalWorld staff time will have fees associated.

Third-party requirements

Serving PDFs and Word Doc files are an option for downloading and printing, as are a range of audio and video formats. Depending on the operating system, users may need to install some software to open those files. In general, the system is designed to serve web compatible files or to convert other formats to web-compatible versions on the fly.

Interoperability

Public records can be easily shared via social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Other share options are available as well: VITA will embed YouTube content. Videos can be viewed through iTunes podcasting service. Public records and page-level PDFs can be downloaded for printing locally. KML data can be exported for use in Google Earth or other mapping tools. Record metadata for any agency collection or item can be exported to a variety of standards for local storage or manipulation for other platforms. An API for user queries allows both result “count” and search results to be integrated into external discovery pages using a variety of metadata formats. An OAI-PMH compliant toolset is in beta release for agencies wishing to allow OAI records harvesting.

Accessibility

All VITA public sites are developed and tested to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 AA compliance. All content that is system-generated is delivered in accordance with this standard.

Customization

The public interface of an agency’s search site can be customized. The client can use pre-defined stylesheets or themes with predetermined colour schemes or, for higher plan types, can upload a supplementary Cascading Stylesheets (CSS) to make additional customizations. All screen text in the public interface can be customized. Some functions can be selected or deselected. Search options and facets can also be adjusted. Metadata fields are fixed by template type but fields with no content will not display. Branding is applied by the client, including graphics for: site banner, favicon, RSS and Atom feed tiles, podcast coverflow art, and any footer information; as well, graphic thumbnails for groups, exhibits and external links can be customized to overwrite default graphics.

Cloud functionality

VITA Toolkit is entirely web based and requires no local infrastructure.

Browsers supported

• All modern browsers are supported.
• Public access of content is via a standard web browser URL.
• Login to data management is a browser session requiring cookies.

Old browsers such as IE6 may fail to play some of the HTML5 features such as the video stream.

Web-based access for data entry

VITA is web based. Assigned users can login from any computer or other device to perform data entry.

There are limits to access of the software, based on security restrictions according to user profile: User accounts can be limited with security settings to be able to access only item level records but not delete records (Level 1), access all record types, including groups and exhibits, and delete those records (Level 2), or access all client content as well as manage the agency profile (Level 3); an additional level can be added to Level 3 users to make them Site Administrators, allowing them to alter the public interface of the client search site. The use of cookies is required for the session duration. (These are never shared outside this environment)

Web publishing platform

Any individual record can be made public or non-public; in each record there are fields that are explicitly non-public that the agency can use to populate private data; public records display through the client’s search site which are then crawled by search engines for discovery on the Web. As well, organizations within Ontario have their public content automatically included in the aggregate portal and news content in the Ontario Community Newspapers portal. Organizations can also work together and with ODW to create regional or thematic aggregate sites e.g. 1812 History Collection. All content made public is freely available on the Web.

The tool supports the creation of multiple virtual exhibits.

If enabled by the agency, user contributed content can also be solicited.

The non-proprietary API is available for user queries which allows both result “count” and search results to be integrated into external discovery pages.

Linked open data functionality

A variety of references for Linked Open data are currently supported, including geographical validation against Geonames.

User profiles

Are there profiles for each user?

Yes

Can multiple users be logged in at once?

Yes

Can multiple users be editing at the same time?

Yes

On the same objects?

Not recommended, but possible.

User groups

Is there an “admin” user available?

Yes

• Level 1: User account can be limited with security settings to be able to access only item level records but not delete records
• Level 2: access all record types, including groups and exhibits, and delete those records
• Level 3: access all client content as well as manage the agency profile
• Site Administrators: a Level 3 user with an additional privilege, allowing them to alter the interface of the client’s public site.

Visitor profiles

Not within the data management space.

The public fields of public records are available to any user via the public site. End users can “comment” on public records and these are moderated by the agency before being added to the record.

Visitors can create a Favourites account and bookmark items from any VITA collection with personalized notes and custom sorting and folders for personal use only.

Installations

How many computers can the program be installed on?

n/a

How many can run it at the same time?

There are no active limits at this time

Is it restricted to one workstation?

No

Audit trails and/or edit history

Does the program provide a way to see what changes have been made to a record?

No

When they’ve been made?

Yes

And by whom?

No, however record timestamps and last user login can be cross-referenced if necessary

Offline access

No

Privacy features

n/a

Import formats

Our team has migrated metadata and digital content files from over 100 agencies in the last 20 years. We have imported from InMagic, AccessDB, CSV and XSL spreadsheets, Word Documents, and more. Even where the packaging claims to be standard, the content usually has to be validated and massaged and various data integrity checks run (e.g. date ranges) as the content is imported. There is a n hourly fee associated with data normalization and ingestion, depending on the complexity of the import material.

Export formats

Public Users can export results sets to:

• RSS/Atom
• SOLR
• MODS
• DC
• Optional function: KML export

Any Level 3 user can trigger some export formats at the record level:

• VITA format: an extended full data xml format covering all records or just public records with all fields, including comments, mystery questions, and full text.
• Dublin Core: (just public records and DC fields)
• CSV: Quick dump of specific fields (aka an inventory export)

Additionally, these exports can be done on a request basis (no charge):

• Solr: indexing records for Public, Data Management or record Parts
• Canadiana specified format - for a variety of specified media types such as Images, Text, Video, Newspapers, etc.

Coming soon: MODS via OAI-PMH

Backups

Backups are run daily and saved to other backup servers automatically. This is a fully integrated part of the system. All servers and back up servers are in Ontario, Canada.

Metadata schemas

• VITA
• Dublin Core
• ATOM/RSS
• MODS
• SOLR
• OAI-PMH (DC and MODS) - beta release

Data content standards (cataloguing rules)

The VITA Toolkit is an “agnostic” tool that meets standards from across the GLAM community. The VITA Metadata Application Profile defines best practices for completing each field in the available templates. Where fields are unstructured, there are recommendations for formatting and adding content to meet industry standards. Some fields are driven by authority files (e.g. Media & Item types, Subjects, Geolocations, Creator Roles). Where formatting applies functionality, there are specific rules for entering data e.g. linked personal or corporate names.

Vocabulary standards

VITA Toolkit templates draw on a variety of vocabularies to ensure all types of description can be accommodated. In some cases, there are options to add new terms to existing authority files as well. Some of the vocabularies in use are:

• Dublin Core (DC)
• Thesaurus of Graphic Materials (TGM I & II)
• Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
• Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)
• GeoNames (includes NGA, GNIS, Ordnance Survey OpenData, GeoBase)
• Marc 21 Relators

Local terminology lists

Users can assign quick-pick checklists for adding media types, item types and creator roles from existing authority files.

Users can add subject headings to the Thesaurus but these will be flagged as “unauthorized” on the data management side to distinguish from Authorized subject headings.

Users can also request additions to the Item Types and Creator Roles authority files.

Accreditation

n/a

Media upload/linking

Media is uploaded directly through the Toolkit and to a database on ODW servers. URL-based media can be pointed to as external links, but the media at that address will not be uploaded as an object. Batch uploads of page or image files can be made through the data management interface and associated with an issue record or template record respectively. Batch loaded image records can be customized after the upload.

Media formats supported

Max file size

100MB

Image files

JPG, JP2, JPF, TIFF, PNG, GIF, PDF

Video files

preferred - MP4 or YouTube embed; also supported - M4V, MOV

Audio

preferred MP3; also supported OGG, WAV

Text

TXT, PDF (single or multipage files), RTF, DOC, DOCX

Data entry features

Copy & Paste

yes

Search & Replace

No

Spellcheck

no, unless user has a spellcheck function activated on their browser or device

Bulk Cataloguing

no

Batch Edit

no

Batch Location Change

no

Duplicate Record Search

no, only by record content

Template Record

yes

Date Selection & Formats

no

Mandatory Fields

no

Others

authority files for media types, item types, subjects, creator/contributor roles, subject headings, geo-location.

Spreadsheet editing view

No

Geographic mapping

Using place-name look-up from GeoNames to pin records, with ability to adjust to specific locations within place on Google maps interactive map; results will show as multiple pins on map. Multiple locations can be assigned to individual records.

Multilingual fields

VITA Toolkit provides Unicode (UTF-8), supporting non-Latin characters [this presumes the user’s browser also supports them].

Prototype public site language is available in English and French; Spanish prototype to be released 2022; public-facing label fields can be customized to any language or character set where language reads from left to right. Metadata can be provided in any language. You can place multiple languages within a field if desired.

Data management screens are currently available in English.

Barcodes

No

Labelling

No

Types of search supported

Boolean Queries

yes

Query Any Field

keyword search across all public fields, yes.

Sort Query Results

Indicate whether this is single or multi-level. Yes, sort query results then re-sort within results.

Saving Search Results

Includes saving the search results and the search query. Query is exposed on results set; user can copy and paste query or export or share results to save. Queries are not saved within the system.

Filter Search Results

yes

SQL-based Search

For security reasons, only by request via ODW staff

Free-text (Google) Searches

yes

Multilingual searching

Yes

Report styles included

Onscreen display or CSV or TXT download

Report customization

Report content can be customized after export only.

Report program

Internal user reports are generated by the program; external site traffic reports from Google Analytics.

Collection management function overview

Registration

Can be added to Custodial History

Acquisitions

Can be added to Custodial History

Inventory Management

No

Internal Tracking

Manual tracking, could be added to Location of Original (private or public)

External Shipments

Can be added to Custodial History

Cataloguing

Local Identifier (Public - must be unique), Collection (Public), Custodial History [Provenance] (Non-Public), Donor (Private), Donor (Public), Location of Original (Public), Location of Original (Non-Public), Reproduction Notes (Public), Terms of Use (Public); add to a Group (Public or Non-Public), upload non-public files e.g. accompanying documentation to the object being described.

Does it support multidisciplinary cataloguing?

Yes, VITA is primarily a tool for recording metadata about a wide range of object types and is used for that by museums, archives, libraries and other organizations according to their own standards and best practices.

Conservation

Can be added to Custodial History

Curatorial research

Can be linked or added as Notes or in Citations.

Publications and printed material

Can be added as external links, accessory documents can be uploaded and kept private or made public with the item.

Rights management and reproduction

• Copyright can be assigned
• Creative Commons licences can be assigned
• Terms of use can be assigned
• Reproduction Notes can be added
• Coming soon: First Nations Rights

Exhibitions

VITA has a complete module for building virtual exhibits and timelines

Risk management and valuation

No

Loan management

No

Deaccessions

Can be added to Custodial History

Digital asset management

VITA allows users to create and index records about and content of uploaded objects (e.g. records and/or full text or transcriptions); users can implement lifecycle workflows using the non-public/public record control, groups (for records needing revision or review), and user profile (latest login) and record level (created, modified, made public) timestamping for tracking activity. VITA does not include version control (unless entered manual) or controlled asset access.

Additional features and functions

• Aggregate collection display for multiple agencies
• Contribution module for gathering digital objects or stories from the public
• Moderated Comments feature
• Mystery question for identifying missing information and community engagement
• Moderated testimonials module
• Timeline builder
• My Favourites bookmarking tool for private user collections
• Standalone transcription module