2025-10-21 FOLIO Implementers Meeting Notes

Oct 21, 2025

• Housekeeping (5-min.)

• Archives Space

• None!

Link to recording: https://recordings.openlibraryfoundation.org/folio/implementation-group/2025-10-21T10:55/

@Tara Barnett @Darsi Rueda @Thomas Trutt Dinah Handel, Amr Elmasry, Chris Barber, Heidi Nance, Jason Carpenter, Jesse Randolph, Kara Hart, Kate Deibel, Liz Parker, Martina Tumulla, Maura Byrne, Olga, Stephanie Kaceli

• Discussion: Meeting began with light conversation about login issues and personal anecdotes. Thomas mentioned scanning family photos and hosting them on a self-hosted image server due to privacy concerns.

• Overview: Brief housekeeping included checking for corrections from previous meeting and any old/new business before diving into ArchivesSpace topics.

• Presenter: Dinah

• Overview: Dinah introduced Stanford’s new Archival Collections Discovery site built on Arclight, explaining its role in presenting finding aids and integrating with FOLIO and ArchivesSpace.

• Key Points:

  • Definitions: Explained finding aids, catalog records, and systems involved (ArchivesSpace, Arclight, SearchWorks).

  • Challenges:

    • Lack of interoperability between ArchivesSpace and FOLIO; manual duplication of records.

    • Complexity of archival description (aggregate vs. granular levels).

    • Managing digital/born-digital materials alongside physical collections.

    • Multiple discovery environments causing user confusion.

  • Solution Implemented:

    • Introduced Archival Resource Keys (ARCs) as persistent identifiers shared across systems.

    • Automated generation of ARCs in ArchivesSpace and mapping them into FOLIO MARC records (856 field).

    • Updated 2,721 records programmatically; ~500 required manual intervention.

  • Complications:

    • Duplicate ARCs for microfilm vs. paper collections.

    • Missing data for small collections without finding aids.

    • Suppressed items in FOLIO causing display issues.

  • Future Goals:

    • Enable API-based data exchange between ArchivesSpace and FOLIO.

    • Automate record creation and suppression across systems.

    • Address container-level data interoperability (currently stored only in FOLIO).

• Presenter: Liz with input from Jason

• Overview: Cornell uses a homegrown integration between ArchivesSpace and FOLIO, originally adapted from Voyager integration.

• Key Points:

  • Integration Workflow:

    • Creates stub FOLIO records when ArchivesSpace resource records are created.

    • Sends bib ID back to ArchivesSpace for linkage.

    • Fires again when top containers (physical boxes) are assigned locations, creating holdings and item records in FOLIO.

  • Major Issues:

    • Top Container Complexity: Dual role (intellectual arrangement vs. physical reality) causes sync problems.

    • Ghost Boxes: Failed integrations when Folio rejects box profile data, leading to thousands of orphaned containers.

    • Deletion Gap: Integration does not handle deletions, requiring manual cleanup.

    • Born-Digital Collections: Lack of physical location prevents holdings/item creation, risking accidental deletion of records.

    • Shelf Locating Feature: ArchivesSpace’s new box profile functionality conflicts with FOLIO, breaking integrations.

  • External Dependencies: Aeon and Kayasoft rely on FOLIO data, compounding complexity.

  • Risks: Increasing manual intervention and error potential as collections grow.

• Integration Architecture:

  • Runs on AWS ECS; checks every 5 minutes to sync via FOLIO and ArchivesSpace APIs.

  • Fragile due to multiple repositories and evolving requirements.

• Offer: Jason will share integration code with the group for review and potential reuse.

• eHoldings Module: Maura asked if it helps with born-digital collections; Liz confirmed this is under review.

• Custom Fields in FOLIO: Thomas suggested upcoming custom fields could store box data, improving integration.

• MARC vs. Instance Records: Discussion clarified that MARC records are still created for catalog display and indexing.

• Working Group Proposal: Thomas proposed forming a community working group to explore API enhancements and integration standards.

• Share Integration Code: Jason will provide the repo link for Cornell’s ArchivesSpace-FOLIO integration.

• Future Exploration: Agreement to investigate custom fields in FOLIO and potential API-based interoperability.

• Community Collaboration: Interest expressed in forming a working group to address systemic integration challenges.

• Record Updates: 2,721 catalog records updated programmatically; ~500 required manual edits.

• Repositories: Stanford manages 7 repositories contributing to archival collections; Cornell manages 3 major repositories.

• Integration Fragility: Homegrown solutions lack scalability and error handling for deletions and complex container data.

• Next Meeting: Two weeks from now; potential agenda includes working group formation and technical deep dive into integration code.

• Checkpoints:

  • Review shared code and assess adaptability.

  • Gather feedback on custom fields and eHoldings feasibility.

• No explicit JIRA numbers mentioned in transcripts.

• ArchivesSpace – Archival management system.

• FOLIO – Library services platform.

• Arclight – Open-source finding aid discovery tool.

• Aeon – Request and fulfillment system.

• Kayasoft – Off-site storage management system.

• Stanford Digital Repository – Digital asset management.