From File to I-Pad

Digital Project Management and Publishing at the ISA

Louise Fischer 13th Biennial International Conference of Editors of

Diplomatic DocumentsWashington, 2015

The ISA adopts the Matmon (Cache or Treasure )File Management

System and DatabasePublications project management =

an integral part of the system

2000

Functions of the ISA

•Preservation•Cataloguing•Declassification•Scanning•Ordering from storage

•Reading room•Publications projects

•Database•Search

Publications projects

•Israel-Turkey relations 1961-1967

•Israel-Germany relations, 1961-1967

•The peace process with Egypt, 1973-1979

•Commemorating presidents and prime ministers

Work stages

•Location of relevant documents

•Entry of meta data•Preliminary selection

•Selection for publishing

•Declassification•Translation•etc

Features of Matmon

of Screenshot TranslationOrigin of the document General data

NARA Israel State Archives/Other 16 Israel-Egypt, 1973-1979 Project No.

Carter Library Archival code 2734 Document No. (automatic)

ISA Box/File Code 2900 Total documents (automatic)

ZB Geographic Files, Box 14, President’s and Brzezinski’s Trip to Egypt and Israel

Notes (free text) Checklist for initial meeting with PM Begin

Name of document

Further information 10/3/1979 Date

Scans, photographs etc Attached files Memorandum Type

Key words Linked subjects Original Original/copy

English Language

Unclassified Classification

Louise Entered byOn date (automatic)

Carter’s talks with Sadat Subject

Entered (Selection 1, Final Selection, Declassified, Typed etc)

Status

You can attach photographs or scans of documents

Search capabilities

For content management “Slice and dice”

Using different filters to combine fields of metadata according to subject, date, source etce.g. find all documents from the Carter Library from September 1978

For project managemente.g. how many documents were

declassified in the last 3 months?

Teamwork and trackingAll team members can see everyone’s data

You can track your own progress and avoid

duplication

The manager can see all projects and track

their progress

Metadata can be copied and shared among

projects

“Rimon”The new Electronic Content

Management system

Based on the system to be adopted by Israel’s government offices, Documentum

Database Document management

CataloguingOrdering

Publishing projects?

2015

Pomegranate – or hand grenade?

Digital Publications

List of selected documents

DeclassificationScanning or

typing originals

Writing introductions

Illustrations, maps, videos

“Documents” seriesBlog post

Short publicationApplication

“Making Peace”March 2014

35 years since the signing of the Israel-Egypt treaty on the White House lawn

An app for Tablet

For the general public, using a variety of media

• Extracts from documents

• Personal notes

• Trivia questions

• Caricatures

• Photographs

• Videos

• Maps

Analysis of visual representations

The unending quest for peace

Arab attacks on Sadat

Legal Adviser Aharon Barak recording and making history

“Everyone has his own Camp David”

Public opinion

Newspaper headlines and letters to P.M. Begin

TV News footage and TV programmes (Links to YouTube):// . . / ? = -_https www youtube com watch v j

5 0 =5 = _ 4 0 7 0i HOx MA&index &list PLYj GrkJgmYK XnHMyV dAQ Q WVzTbuN

Conventional publication in English and Hebrew

• English introductions

• Original documents in English

• Translations of key documents

E.g. The late night talk between

Begin and Carter on a West Bank

settlement freeze

http://. . . / _www archives gov il ArchiveGov en

g

16.9.78 President [Carter], Vance, Begin, Dayan, Barak

The president: We thank you very much for coming and for the progress that's been made. There are still important decisions that must be made, on Jerusalem and other issues; but it is a good idea, to "take stock" of what we've done, to note the good that will result if Camp David succeeds. If it fails – all the advantages will be lost. If we succeed, it will be to Israel's advantage.

1 .Full peace with Egypt. This peace will include recognition, international relations, open borders. Sadat said that if there is an agreement, with the first withdrawal from Sinai all this will take place .

2 .Security with Egypt, based on this agreement, whose significance is the reduction in Sinai by one division on the eastern side of the Suez Canal. Perhaps even less than a division – a brigade. Including a buffer zone in which there are police and UN forces. Sadat was generous, for there will be [only] a symbolic buffer zone [on the Israeli side] of 1 to 3 kilometres.

3 .A promise of safe passage in all the adjacent waters: Suez, the Gulf of Suez and the Tiran Straits. Any wording we want will be acceptable, and the UN will remain in Sharm-el-Sheikh.

4 .You will have an agreement with the Arabs on Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip for five years and beyond. There will be a military presence, as you wish. You will declare what you want and need.

5 .In the creation of [Palestinian] self-government you will have the right of veto on any arrangement. This is based on your very constructive proposal. I assume that what will be decided will be very close to

your proposal, and any changes will have to receive your approval .

6 .You will be involved in the negotiations on the final status. If the Palestinian Arabs are pleased with the existing situation, there is a good chance that the issue of borders will remain as it is.

7 .There will be a new relationship between you and the Arabs .

Success or Failure?

App

• Innovative, potential for new markets

• Technological and artistic success

• Limited number of downloads

• Limited use of tablet in Israel

• Results could be improved by advance definition of

target audience, paid marketing

• Shorter introductions and less documents

Conventional digital publication• Effective marketing through the press, TV and

radio• Wide exposure through popular websites like

Y-net• Long term use by academic users, students,

etc

Success or Failure?

The digital futureE-Books? Social media?Apps for mobile?

Partnerships with the educational system

We will continue to experiment and learn