Background

The objectives of the USMS History and Archives Committee are to preserve and maintain USMS archives at an internet site and a secure physical location. Our digital archives reside at www.SwimGold.org where they were placed when Dorothy Donnelly and Carl House began working in 1995 to create a site where important USMS archive files would be safeguarded and available for viewing. The secure physical location is the Henning Library at the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF), where the paper originals and duplicate backups of electronic media and microfiche will be conserved and stored.

The archives currently consist of 6,531 webpages with 256,338 links connecting them (as of 2/13/02). All databases are internally consistent and up to date (with the exception of records). The database is managed under program control, not human labor (although research and some data preparation is still labor intensive). All of the systems development work was done with volunteer labor and donated professional services. USMS has never had to pay for an internet server or for programming related to our archives.

Our most difficult technical accomplishment has been to create and implement a "permanent swimmer id" which enables us to link together all the information we have on any one person despite name changes due to marriage, preferences which change from year to year, and, simply, errors. There are 11,876 people whose information is now tracked by this means (as of 2/13/02). Each year we receive approximately 20,000 new records of information for individuals plus additional information on relays. Information on individuals requires the addition of approximately 600 new names/ages to our list of permanent swimmer ids at each of three seasons each year. At present, we do not identify relay information with the swimmer id.

At present our digital archive system is comprised of 8398 files in 145 folders requiring 181mb of storage. In addition, we have 69 database tables with 83mb of data (?) and one file of programs for maintaining our archives (4mb).

It is our job now to move forward with thoughtful and orderly planning and conversion so that this work is integrated into USMS in an institutional way and so that nothing is lost. The goals of the History and Archive Committee by convention next year (Sept., 2002) are to have our databases all in conventional (text) formats and to have a user interface for the maintenance system so that people other than the creator can use it.

1. The first task in the technical plan is to convert all the source files (tables and narrative text) into a conventional text formats. Databases and tables will be exported into comma delimited format (.csv) while narrative text will be exported into text files (.txt).

2. In addition, the programs that manage the archives (written in APL) need to be converted so that they will work from the text files and conclude by updating the text files. This is for security purposes, so there is very little possibility of data ever being lost or unavailable to non-APL people. Backups to CD including all these files are made and distributed periodically.

3. A user interface must be written so that people other than the creator of these systems can use them.

This could be achieved by many different strategies. It is our feeling that ultimately maintenance of our information should be done on the web, so it would be preferable that all work be done in a way that will transfer to the web in the easiest possible way. We should employ technologies that help us prepare for transfer to the web. In the meantime, our work can be done from a CD which allows us to closely control distribution of any sensitive files. The implementation of this could mean that all screen forms will be expressed in a format whereby they can be compiled either for Windows or for HTML. Minimal achievement in this regard will mean that they will be completed in either Windows or HTML. Possibly our screen forms will be completed in both, but only one format is required for this consultancy.

So, we have 3 fixes at this point: text files as source data including comma delimited for databases and text vectors for narrative information, Windows and/or HTML and/or Javascript/Jscript for screens, and APL as the language that our current maintenance system is written in.

We will keep in mind the desireability of completing all conversion work so that the systems assets of the H&A Committee can be used in 3 different environments,

1. APL/Javascript/Windows/HTML/Active X and appropriate databases from a CD,
2. APL/Javascript/HTML/Active X and appropriate databases on an NT Server, and
3. APL/Javascript/HTML/Active X and appropriate databases on a Unix server.

All systems require ongoing maintenance, so it is not assumed there will be no future work required. But, it is hoped that the future maintenance work can be done by Carl and/or other members of the 3 related committees on a volunteer basis (H&A, R&T, Computer On-Line). Future maintenance will be an important consideration in awarding this contract.

Should USMS ever decide to convert to a permanent registration number or code, a great deal of the work in preparing for that transfer may have been done in this effort. Meanwhile, a permanent swimmer id is essential for maintenance of our archives.

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