Sonderband 2. International Council on Archives. Dritte Europäische Archivkonferenz, Wien 11. bis 15. Mai 1993. Tagungsprotokolle (1996)

4. Session / Séance. Strategies for Links with Historical Research / Stratégies de Communication envers la Recherche historique - Gonzalez, Pedro: Data Bases and Long Distance Communication. A Spanish Éxperience / Bases de données et information a distance. Une expérience des archives espagnoles (english 319 - français 343)

4. Session/Séance: Gonzalez, Data Bases and long distance Communcation- Printing sub-system: offers different possibilities for printing textual information (Reference and Information System, User Management) and image information (Digital Images Storage System).

The operating environment in which these subsystems work is as follows:- A 16 Mb LAN Token ring- An IBM AS-400 mini-computer, with SQL 400, as server for the data base and the user management system.- PS/2 high range micro-computers with OS/2 operating system, as optical disk servers. They control Reflection Systems RF-5010C disk drives.- PS/2 high range micro-computers, with OS/2 operating system, and Dialog Manager and Presentation Manager for the user interface, as work stations. They control two monitors, one conventional one (IBM 8513) for text, and another high resolution one for handling images (IBM 8508 for grey images, or IBM 6091 for colour images).- Scanning stations initially with IBM AT micro-computer, DOS operating system, Rank Xerox scanner and RF-5010C Reflexion Systems optical disc unit.- Maps and plans scanning stations, composed of PS/2, with a 16 Mb memory, optical disc RF-5010C Reflexion Systems, and Nikon LS 3500 slide scanner.

5.3. Present stage of Introduction

At the moment this document is being prepared, December 1992, the computer system has already been installed in the Archivo General de Indias and is available for researchers’ use in the Archive itself.

The whole User Management system, the Information and Reference System, and the Digital Image Storage System, including the phases of digitalization and consultation i. e. the entire integrated system, are functioning regularly in the Archive, although some of the functions most recently incorporated have not yet been tried out. This is to be done immediately.

In the Reading Room at the present moment there are 10 work stations for direct use by researchers (request for fonds, Information System look-up and Digital Image look-up for documents). The 10 stations are at present normally occupied by the researchers and it is planned to increase the number of stations to 25 in the near future.

In any case, the three institutions which signed the agreement to develop the system are now negotiating a new two-year agreement to continue the work of perfecting the system (new functions in the data base, evaluation of new media, the possibility of an automated optical disk service by robot, the possibility of remote image transmission, etc.). The new agreement will, moreover, provide backing and consolidation for the system in the archive itself.

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