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Version history

Version 2.1

September 2004

Point release to fix a problem in Version 2.0 whereby a search using the 'Photograph search' form returned the same photograph multiple times where the photograph had been indexed with more than one indexing term (subject heading, person name or place name).

Includes upgrade file for users of Tabularium Version 2.0.


Version 2.0

September 2003

Production release of Version 2. New features include:

  • Improved indexing for photographs (create authority lists for indexing terms; select from authority list to apply multiple terms to photographs; subject, name and place index to photographs reports)

  • Improved classification for objects (create classification headings list; select from list to apply multiple classification headings to objects; report listing objects by classification heading)

  • Fully revised user manual in Microsoft Word and HTML

  • Upgrade version for users of Tabularium Version 1.0 and 1.1


Version 2 beta build 33

July 2003

Further beta release for evaluation. New features were:

  • Support for the current (Rio) draft of the second edition of the International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families (ISAAR(CPF)), with a range of additional fields in the Organisations, Agencies, Families and Persons tables, and associated changes to forms, queries and reports

  • ‘Repository information’ form, enabling, among other things, the name of the repository to appear in all reports

  • Reports providing full list of registrations for each entity, including draft and cancelled registrations


Version 2 beta build 28

March 2003

Beta release of Version 2 (with documentation still to be completed and/or updated) for evaluation. New features (in addition to those in Version 2 alpha release) were:

  • New entities: fonds and documents

  • Additional descriptive elements for for record series and records items

  • 'Tabbed pages' in registration forms

  • Detailed item registration form

  • List items in consignment form

  • Basic and advanced 'record group system' flavours (in addition to existing basic and advanced series system flavours)

  • Button on Search forms to take user to registration form for registration found in search


Version 2 alpha

July 2002

Alpha release of Version 2 (with most intended new features working) is available for evaluation. New features are:

  • New entities: photographs, objects and families

  • Digital images of photographs and objects

  • Search forms for all entities

  • Finding aid reports, with built-in hyperlinks, for publishing on the Web

  • Context-sensitive ‘tips’ (help text) available from all forms

  • Online manual accessible from all forms

  • ‘Save’ button on all forms

  • Improved appearance, with colour-coded forms and buttons for easier navigation


Version 1.1

July 2002

Version 1.1 is available in Access 97 and 2000 formats, replacing the original Version 1.0a in Access v.2 format. This version replaces the separate help text files with pop-up windows, to get rid of the main annoyance in Version 1 while Version 2 is completed. 


Version 1.0a

January 1998

The menus, forms and reports from the 'Brevis' version have been added to the 'full' version of Tabularium. This means that the database files for the two versions (TABULARM.MDB and BREVIS.MDB) are identical, with the exception of the Autoexec macro that opens the main menu on opening the database.

The two 'versions' are retained so that the new Tabularium Brevis user does not have to edit a macro before being able to use the database.


Version 1.0

December 1997

A range of changes have been made from the test version, based on feedback from testers. The following summarises those changes.

Few changes have been made to the data structure (tables and fields), but there have been many changes to the menus, forms and reports (and their underlying queries). Aspects of physical control have been strengthened in particular. In addition, a number of small, annoying inconsistencies have been resolved.

Menus

The menus look a little different but work in the same way.

Because there are now 66 reports available, the Reports menu (formerly the Print menu) leads to six further menus.

Extract from manual

Each menu and form includes a Manual button in the footer. This displays an extract from the manual relevant to that menu or form, functioning as a primitive help system.

Save button

Forms also feature a Save button, providing a convenient way to save your work without leaving the form.

Date qualifiers

There are two new date qualifiers: `in year of' and `in decade starting'.

Organisations

Sub-forms and text fields have been added to identify superior and subordinate organisations, registered and unregistered.

Persons

A text field has been added to the 'Related agencies' sub-form for describing the nature of the person's relationship with the agency.

Series

'Agencies controlling' has been changed to 'Agencies responsible' to avoid confusion with transfer or retention of control in distributed management arrangements.

Consignments

'Transferring agency' and '. person' and 'Unregistered transferor' have been added.

A notes field has been added.

'Donation', 'Purchase' and 'Estray recovery' have been added to Consignment type lookup list.

Unserialised accessions

'Accession' has been changed to 'Unserialised accession' to distinguish it clearly from the concept of 'Consignment'.

'Donation', 'Purchase' and 'Estray recovery' have been added to Acquisition type lookup list.

Unserialised accessions can be temporary, with fields added for date due for destruction etc.

Consignments and unserialised accessions

The `Donor' field has been changed to `Unregistered transferor', to cover people who deposit or transfer records without necessarily donating them.

An 'Acquisition file number' has been added.

`Accession date' has been changed to `Transfer date' to remove confusion with the date the consignment or accession was registered.

`Destroyed', `Awaiting transfer' and 'Converted' are available in a lookup list as valid locations.

'Agency contact', with a lookup to registered contact officers, has been added.

Items

The full date, rather than just the year, is displayed for 'Start date' and 'End date'.

An 'Item registration' form for assigning items to series in arrangement and description projects, has been added.

Disposal authorities

A disposal authority can be linked to one or more agencies and/or functions. Links can be made from the 'Disposal authority' form or from the 'Agency' or 'Function' form.

A disposal authority can be revoked.

Archivists

Archivists' current positions have been added.

Agency contact officer

A form has been added for registering agency contact officers, their contact details and their role as contact (transfer, lending, disposal, access).

Lending

A lending 'module' has been added for recording lending requests and the loan and return of items.

Reports

Each report now features two buttons: one for previewing and one for printing.

The 'Details' reports now preview or print the report for one agency, series etc. at a time, prompting you for the registration number.

A number of 'Inventory' reports now work the same way, e.g. the 'Inventory of series by creating agency' shows the series created by one agency, prompting you for its number.

The 'Inventory' reports in the Finding Aids menus show approved registrations or those with no registration status only, i.e. draft and cancelled registrations do not appear in these reports.

'Shelf list' to now 'Inventory of consignments and accessions by location' because archivists use the term 'shelf list' in different ways.

The quantity reports in metres and containers have been combined.

New reports are:

  1. Inventory of agencies by superior agency
  2. Inventory of persons by function
  3. Inventories of agencies, series etc. by title
  4. Consignment details
  5. Inventory of consignments
  6. Inventory of consignments by series
  7. Accession details
  8. Inventory of accessions
  9. Inventory of accessions by transferor
  10. Inventory of items by consignment
  11. Inventory of items by accession
  12. Inventory of items by accession with location
  13. Full registration reports to parallel finding aids 'details' reports, with extra administrative data
  14. Location index by series/consignment
  15. Location index by consignment
  16. Location index by unserialised accession
  17. Inventory of lending requests
  18. Lending request details
  19. Items on loan by series
  20. Items on loan by date loaned
  21. Items on loan by agency
  22. Items on loan by lending request (accessible through 'Lending request' form)
  23. Consignments due for destruction
  24. Consignments due for destruction by agency responsible
  25. Consignments falling due for destruction between specified dates
  26. Registration statistics
  27. Statistics of lending requests between specified dates
  28. Statistics of items loaned between specified dates
  29. Statistics of items returned between specified dates.

© David Roberts and the Government of New South Wales MMIV

E-mail: tabularium.archives@gmail.com

This page updated 21/07/2008