Monthly Archives: April 2022

TARO April News and Updates

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Hello all,

Hope this finds you well and enjoying a wonderful start to the Spring. Here are some updates and announcements regarding TARO:

  • March Statistics are now available and can be viewed/downloaded from our Wiki page.
  • Upcoming TARO Workshops Introduction to TARO: Encoding and Submitting Finding Aids (In-Person)

This workshop will serve anyone learning how to encode archival finding aids using the Encoded Archival Description (EAD) standard in XML, but is focused on the local guidelines and participation logistics for the state consortium for finding aids, Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO).  The morning session will provide basic information on EAD and the standards used with it, as well as background on TARO. The afternoon session will include hands-on time using an XML editor (or alternatively, using ArchivesSpace) to build a valid EAD XML finding aid file and seeing how to upload it to TARO. In 2020-2021, TARO underwent significant changes and upgrades, which this workshop will address, so it will be useful even to those who are familiar with the previous version of TARO. This includes required tags and attributes, suggested subject browsing terms, and a new way of uploading and managing files. Participants will learn how XML tags work, what the EAD tags are, how to validate an XML file, how to use the TARO Best Practices Guidelines, and how to upload files to TARO. Detailed handouts and sample files will allow participants to continue their practice after the workshop. Sponsored by the Texas Historical Records Advisory Board with funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Dallas, Southern Methodist University, Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 (only 5 spots remaining). Workshop is free to participants. Limited spaces available; registration required. Click here to register.

Houston, Society of Southwest Archivists Annual Meeting, Wednesday, May 18th, 2022 (full; waitlist available on SSA Conference Site)

  • TARO recorded webinars now online. Thank you to everyone who joined us live and/or presented at our Intro to TARO2 and TARO and ASpace webinars. Here are additional ASpace and TARO2.0 resources:
  • TARO and Access Terms Webinar : Delayed; new date TBD
  • Work continues on TXarchives.org thanks to additional funding from ARPA, Americans Rescue Plan Act. Work has been done on improving search results and several updates are expected to go live this month; stay tuned!
  • Join us for the annual TARO Brown Bag lunch at the Society of Southwest Archivists annual meeting in Houston, Thursday, May 19th; 11:30am-1:00pm
  • Welcome to our new members: Dallas Municipal Archives and the B. H. Carroll Center For Baptist Heritage & Mission (Summerlee Member!)
  • Our data remediation specialist has been hard at work helping repositories with their finding aids; but we have room for more! If you need any help remediating or working on your finding aids, please email me and we will get it set up! (email smdodd@smu.edu)

Lots of announcements and good news all around. I am excited to see the return of our in-person works and to see so many new faces!

So what’s next? Steering is hard at work on a strategic plan for TARO and its membership which we hope to roll out this year. The Standards subcommittee is finishing up a new Best Practices Guide for TARO and I have to say, they have done an amazing job. The new guide will be posted to TARO Today when it is completed. Speaking of TARO today, we are working to update the site with new resources, and updated information for TARO2.0.

So what do I need from you? TARO Subcommittees need volunteers! We are looking for a few good folks to help serve on TARO subcommittees. We are in need of volunteers for the Outreach & Education, and Authorized Terms subcommittees. If you are interested or want to know more about these committees, please, PLEASE J contact smdodd@smu.edu.

That is all for now. Have a wonderful week!