The Visual Archiver
In working with clients, Commonwealth has recognized the opportunity and need to develop a customized electronic archival collections management tool. Together with experts in software design and development, Commonwealth has successfully produced and tested The Visual Archiver. The Archiver is a state-of-the-art software package that has been beta tested in the field, supported by an investment from the National Research Council, and favourably evaluated by the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN).
The Archiver has a base platform of standard features that can be customized to the specific needs of each client. The program operates on basic computer systems (PC and Mac), and has the flexibility to meet the expanded needs of an organization as their resources, systems, and requirements expand. The Archiver’s applications include:
- • A full-scale, relational database using the 4th Dimension development platform, one of the most powerful database systems in the marketplace
- • Provision for multiple images per record
- • Ability to link any photo image to the collection
- • Multi-level viewer screens
- • Label maker and report maker
- • Easy adaptation to external kiosks and to the World Wide Web
- • Quick search and print features as well as full detail search and print capabilities
The Visual Archiver is marketed to a range of clients, including:
- Private corporations, and archival and art collections
- Public and private art galleries and museums
- Private and non-profit foundations which manage heritage research, or art collection
- Municipal and county planning departments
- Municipal LACACs (Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committees)
Provincial and federal initiatives entailing archival data collection and management
