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Archiva is the collective name for a group of web-research and data-capture and conversion modules that help you find and then gather desired reference/citation data from the web, retrieving results as Ibidem records for citing in your documents.
The capabilities of all these innovative Archiva research tools are described in detail below. But first a very brief history:
Over the years, there have been various versions of Archiva, the most recent/mature versions of which were called Premium and Platinum. All these earlier versions were optional add-on modules.
Now, in NB 14, the essential Archiva capabilities (most of those previously available in Premium) are included as part of the base Nota Bene Workstation, at no extra cost.
Simultaneously, features originally in Platinum have been reworked, and significant new capabilities added, to become a new module, Archiva+, available as an add-on to further extend reference/citation capture.
Although Archiva+ is a new module, users who previously had Premium or Platinum will continue to have access to the features they previously had access to, whether or not they move up to the new Archiva+ program.
The primary Premium features are now included in the Nota Bene Workstation
Any of the features of Archiva+ that were originally in Platinum (most importantly, the first two features described below) remain active for all users who previously had Platinum
INCLUDED IN THE MAIN NOTA BENE WORKSTATION
On-Line Library Searches
Archiva lets you search hundreds of on-line libraries right from within Nota Bene, producing Ibidem records of all matching items
You can search a single library, or multiple libraries at the same time
Searchable libraries include those that support the industry-standard Z3950 protocol
Results are accumulated in a special Archiva database, from which you can easily transfer the desired records into your active Ibidem database for citing in your work
“This latest update came most coincidentally as I was sitting down to search my university's library for some titles, so I installed it and put it through some tests. The results are all perfect. It's time to say it: EndNote has met its match, and then some.”
Prof. Mark Szuchman ♦ Department of History, Florida International University
Articles from Web Databases
As an academic, you have access—via your university or research center—to tens of thousands of on-line databases of journal and newspaper articles, along with chapters in books and anthologies. Archiva mines data from the various aggregators (e.g., JSTOR, Cambridge Scientific Abstract, EBSCOHost, ProQuest, OCLC, Eureka and dozens more) that provide direct access to this article-level literature, bringing the bibliographic data automatically into your Ibidem database.
“Everything works like a charm! I can retrieve records and append them normally not only accessing JSTOR but other databases as well. Many thanks for your attention and my congratulations for this wonderful tool you created.”
Enrique Lynch ♦ late Professor of Philosophy, University of Barcelona
Features new or enhanced (since Platinum) are indicated by gold banners below
1. Bibliography Converter
Did a colleague just give you a particularly useful bibliography? Or did you happen across one during a recent web search? Or have you finally decided that you’re tired of formatting all your bibliographic references manually, and want to start using Ibidem, but don’t want to have to spend weeks manually typing in all your existing non-database-style bibliographies? If so, you’ll welcome Archiva Bibliography Converter—simply select the records you’d like, and Archiva will convert them into field-oriented Ibidem records.
“The ability of Archiva Platinum [now Archiva+] to convert bibliographies into Ibidem is alone worth the price. I had dreamed of a way to avoid having to input data from bibliographies I have kept for years or ones other people have sent me, and now Platinum [now Archiva+] does it in a few heartbeats.”
Klyne Snodgrass ♦ North Park Theological Seminary
2. ISBN Converter — Structured Lists
You can also generate full bibliographic records from structured lists of ISBN numbers:
To capture these records, go to Tools, Archiva, Lookup ISBN #'s (or use Shift+Alt+F7)
ISBN numbers can be entered into this dialog either by:
Typing or pasting ISBN numbers into this dialog
Using a hand-held scanner that can scan ISBN bar codes, convert them to numbers, and send them to this dialog
These numbers can be added by any scanner that functions as a "keyboard wedge"
Some of these scanners work in batch mode, letting you scan multiple items before sending them to the ISBN list
In all case, the data needs to consist of a structured list of consistently formatted ISBN numbers
The records that Archiva+ builds from items on this list are fuller than records produced by most other stand-alone programs:
Records generated by most other programs lack essential items such as publisher location, which Archiva attempts to locate
Without the fuller information that Archiva gathers, these records cannot be cited properly
“Using Archiva with [an ISBN barcode] scanner has been pure pleasure and considerable fun. I’m already planning to catalogue my whole library this summer.”
Dr. Alan Segal ♦ Barnard College
“I am happy as a neophyte supermarket shelver. I have been running around my house—from study, to living room to bedroom and back—scanning into Ibidem every book I can lay hands on. . . . This new feature is such a great leap forward that it amounts to a revolution. . . . Now I can add a new book in an instant, and without getting distracted from reading and writing. My students will think me a master of my field, when I am in reality just a little old scanner, a Wizard of Oz of the world of books.”
Dr. John Talbott ♦ Department of History, University of California Santa Barbara
3. ISBN Converter — Numbers Identified in Unstructured Text
Archiva+ extends earlier ISBN capture options beyond the structured lists (of well-formatted numbers) described above to now identify ISBN numbers in unstructured files, such as:
Files created by apps running on smart phones
Text files saved from catalogs or web pages
To generate records from the embedded ISBN numbers in files, simply:
Go to File, Import Records, select the ISBN Numbers option, and specify the file containing the embedded ISBN numbers
Use Your Smart Phone!
Image of scanned code on iPhone
One of the easiest ways to get ISBN numbers is to use one of the dozens of ISBN barcode scanner apps that are now available, many at no cost, on both iPhones and Android devices. As long as these apps can send data to your computer, with the results containing readable ISBN numbers, even if embedded in other text, you can convert these barcodes-converted-to-numbers (the task of the application) into Ibidem records.
It's very simple:
The first stage — scanning barcodes and converting them into text files that can be uploaded from your phone to your computer — is entirely the responsibility of the app which you choose to use (we cannot provide any support for this part of the process)
But one thing is clear — a phone app is incredibly convenient, always at hand, much more so than the separate "keyboard wedge" scanners required in earlier versions of Archiva Platinum
The conversion engine we have designed is entirely neutral — it should be able to create records out of any uploaded list, regardless of the source of that list (as long as it is in readable text format)
Archiva+ uses only the ISBN number, ignoring any other captured text the app may itself include, preferring to generate a full bibliographic record using Archiva+'s superior ISBN retrieval engine
Among other things, Archiva+ is unique (as far as we can tell) in including publisher location, which is missing from virtually all other apps
We do NOT recommend any particular scanner. That said, an app perhaps worth checking out is the scanner by Leontec, a Japanese company that has a unique product — it not only can scan ISBN barcodes, it has an OCR reader that can generate readable ISBN numbers for those earlier publications that lack ISBN barcodes. There are two hesitations that prevent us from recommending this enthusiastically — (a) the Android version has been removed from Google Play (although the company has told us that they might consider re-adding it, so if you are an Android user you should write them asking them to repost it), and (b) we've not had any luck (but we have not yet tried very hard) to get the results automatically uploaded (via AirDrop) to the cloud (as it is, we send batches of scanned/OCR records to email, and then just copy the text of the email). There may be better apps for your purposes (ones that auto upload the results for real-time Archiva+ ISBN capture are alluring), but at least to start off those who have iPhones might want to check out the version at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/isbn-scan-ocr-barcodescanner/id891627785. (Please note that this is not a formal endorsement, and we cannot support this particular product in any way. But — despite the small number of mostly unimpressed reviews —, we find this unique dual mode to be convenient when it works, as have a few others.)
4. Find ISBN Numbers for Active Record
In order to support the enhanced options that rely on ISBN numbers described below, Archiva+ offers an option to try to find the ISBN number (based on the author, title, and year of publication) in on-line sources such as the Library of Congress, and then adds the number (after confirmation) to the Ibidem record.
5. Links to Web Pages (Records with ISBN Numbers)
If a record has an ISBN number, Archiva+ provides links to that record in various on-line sites, including:
Library of Congress
Edelweiss (a new publisher-supported cataloging site)
WorldCat
Google Books
Amazon
Bookfinder (useful for checking purchase availability and pricing)
Note: some of these links were available in Archiva Platinum, but the list has been extended in Archiva+
6. Web Page Search/Favorites
Archiva+ also offers a way to launch searches of web pages right from within Nota Bene using NB’s own web-page “favorites” system.
This option is available using the Ctrl+Shift+O shortcut, or from the main Archiva menu.
These various Archiva tools — the basic ones built into the Nota Bene Workstation, and/or the ones in the new Archiva+ add-on module — can save you literally hundreds of hours of work over the course of your scholarly career. You can use the time you save by not having to enter bibliographic data, or worry about citing it in the proper form, for the creative aspects of your work.
“To my mind Archiva has simply become the best bibliographical search tool available, and its seamless integration with Ibidem has made it my newfound favourite part of Nota Bene.”
Shawn W.J. Keough
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Faculty of Theology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium)
“I have unlocked Archiva and discovered that it is — to adopt the words of my 14 year old daughter — ‘sweet’! It makes NB even more comprehensive and is yet another example of how NB makes all of the technical aspects of academic research work just so much easier.”
Dr Jamie Grant, Highland Theological College, Scotland
