Setting up National Archive system from scratch –where to start?

I have been put in a rare and privileged position – I've been asked to provide technical input for a national archive that is being set up from scratch in a small developing nation. The task at hand is how to manage, digitise and give public access to over 30 years of physical government archival documents, while maintaining the appropriate level of access control and security. Specifically requested features include browser-based finding aid, web-based client request tracking system, redundant encryptedta backup outside the country, and a browser-based accessioning system.

The constraints - no total number of documents available as yet; small staff (\<10); staff have limited professional experience as archivists; no dedicated IT staff; very small pool of available IT support expertise in Govt and local private sector; unreliable internet access; frequent natural disasters; limited budget.

Does anyone have any experience in a similar context? I'm especially interested in hearing about the the pros and cons of particular EDMS/ERMS in a scenario such as this one.

Nick

• digital-collections
• archives
• collection-management
• accessioning
• challenges

Comments

• jonsca: Wow, this is an amazing experience. Let us know if you'd like to blog about it.
• Harrison W. Inefuku: The International Records Management Trust has a lot of experience working with governmental archives and records management programs in developing countries. They have a lot of materials available on their website, including education and training modules, http://www.irmt.org.