Archnet 2.0: Building a new asset management system for MIT’s online architectural library of the Islamic World

Abstract

is the Visual Resources Librarian for Islamic Architecture in the Aga Khan Documentation Center (AKDC) at MIT. In that role she manages the creation, cataloging, uploading and storage of digital assets from the AKDC's vast collections. She administers the Aga Khan Visual Archive and provides access to the Documentation Center's visual collections for the MIT community and for a worldwide community of users. She also contributes content to Archnet as part of the AKDC team.Abstract Archnet 2.0 is a new front end website and back end cataloging tool and asset management system for Archnet (http://archnet.org), the largest openly accessible online architectural library focusing on the Muslim world. The site, a partnership between the Massachusetts Institute for Technology and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), contains articles and publications, images, maps and drawings, video, archival material, course syllabi, and site records relating to architecture in the Islamic world. By 2012, when the Aga Khan Documentation Center (AKDC) at MIT, part of the MIT Libraries, took over the digital library, the site has become dated and was no longer meeting the needs of its users. A software development firm was hired to build new front and back ends for the site. This paper explores the development of the new back end cataloging and asset management tool, including the reasoning behind building a new tool from scratch; considerations during development such as database structure, fields, and migration; highlights of features; and lessons learned from the process.