Extending Access to Memory for Modern Archives
The most comprehensive extension suite for AtoM archival software
Installation • Feature Comparison • Extensions • Compliance • Documentation
AtoM (Access to Memory) is an open-source, web-based archival description application developed by Artefactual Systems. It's trusted by national archives, universities, and cultural institutions worldwide.
| Feature | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Archival Description | ||
| ISAD(G) Templates | International Standard Archival Description | ✅ |
| RAD Templates | Rules for Archival Description (Canadian) | ✅ |
| DACS Templates | Describing Archives: A Content Standard (US) | ✅ |
| Dublin Core Templates | Simple metadata standard | ✅ |
| MODS Templates | Metadata Object Description Schema | ✅ |
| Multi-level Descriptions | Fonds → Series → Files → Items | ✅ |
| Hierarchical Browse | Tree-view navigation | ✅ |
| Authority Records | ||
| ISAAR(CPF) | Corporate bodies, Persons, Families | ✅ |
| Actor Relations | Relationships between authorities | ✅ |
| Maintenance History | Track changes to authorities | ✅ |
| Archival Institutions | ||
| ISDIAH | Repository descriptions | ✅ |
| Contact Information | Address, phone, email, hours | ✅ |
| Holdings Statistics | Collection counts | ✅ |
| Functions | ||
| ISDF | Functions/activities descriptions | ✅ |
| Function Relations | Link functions to records | ✅ |
| Access Points | ||
| Subject Terms | Controlled vocabulary subjects | ✅ |
| Place Terms | Geographic access points | ✅ |
| Name Access Points | Link to authority records | ✅ |
| Genre Terms | Material types | ✅ |
| Digital Objects | ||
| File Upload | Images, PDFs, audio, video | ✅ |
| Thumbnail Generation | Automatic derivatives | ✅ |
| Compound Objects | Multi-page documents | ✅ |
| External Links | URI references | ✅ |
| Import/Export | ||
| CSV Import | Bulk data loading | ✅ |
| EAD 2002 Import/Export | Encoded Archival Description | ✅ |
| EAD3 Export | Latest EAD version | ✅ |
| Dublin Core Export | Simple XML | ✅ |
| MODS Export | Library metadata | ✅ |
| SKOS Export | Taxonomy terms | ✅ |
| Clipboard Export | Select and export | ✅ |
| Search & Discovery | ||
| Elasticsearch | Full-text search | ✅ |
| Faceted Search | Filter by repository, date, subject | ✅ |
| Advanced Search | Boolean operators | ✅ |
| Browse by Repository | Institution grouping | ✅ |
| User Management | ||
| User Accounts | Login/registration | ✅ |
| User Groups | Role-based permissions | ✅ |
| LDAP Integration | Enterprise authentication | ✅ |
| Two-Factor Auth | OTP security | ✅ |
| Administration | ||
| Taxonomy Management | Edit controlled vocabularies | ✅ |
| Static Pages | Custom content pages | ✅ |
| Theming | Customize appearance | ✅ |
| Multi-language | Interface translation | ✅ |
| OAI-PMH | Harvesting protocol | ✅ |
| Accessions | Acquisition records | ✅ |
| Deaccessions | Disposal records | ✅ |
| Physical Storage | Location tracking | ✅ |
| Jobs | Background processing | ✅ |
| Feature | Base AtoM | + Extensions |
|---|---|---|
| User Interface | ||
| Modern Bootstrap 5 UI | ❌ | ✅ |
| Responsive Mobile Design | Partial | ✅ Full |
| Dark Mode Support | ❌ | ✅ |
| Drag-and-Drop Landing Pages | ❌ | ✅ |
| Display Profile System | ❌ | ✅ |
| Architecture | ||
| Laravel Query Builder | ❌ | ✅ |
| Extension Manager CLI | ❌ | ✅ |
| Database-driven Plugin System | ❌ | ✅ |
| PHP 8.3 Optimized | Partial | ✅ Full |
| Security & Compliance | ||
| Security Classification (5 levels) | ❌ | ✅ |
| GDPR Compliance Tools | ❌ | ✅ |
| POPIA Compliance Tools | ❌ | ✅ |
| CCPA Compliance Tools | ❌ | ✅ |
| PIPEDA Compliance Tools | ❌ | ✅ |
| LGPD Compliance Tools | ❌ | ✅ |
| PAIA Request Management | ❌ | ✅ |
| DSAR Management | ❌ | ✅ |
| Data Breach Register | ❌ | ✅ |
| Consent Management | ❌ | ✅ |
| Comprehensive Audit Trail | ❌ | ✅ |
| GLAM Sector Support | ||
| Archives (ISAD/EAD) | ✅ | ✅ Enhanced |
| Libraries (RDA/MARC) | Partial | ✅ Full |
| Museums (Collections Procedures) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Museums (CCO) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Galleries (CCO/CDWA) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Digital Asset Management | ❌ | ✅ |
| Unified GLAM Browse | ❌ | ✅ |
| Heritage & Finance | ||
| GRAP 103 Heritage Accounting | ❌ | ✅ |
| IPSAS 17 (International) | ❌ | ✅ |
| FRS 102 (UK) | ❌ | ✅ |
| GASB 34 (USA) | ❌ | ✅ |
| FASAB (USA Federal) | ❌ | ✅ |
| AASB 116 (Australia) | ❌ | ✅ |
| PSAB/PS 3150 (Canada) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Asset Valuation & Depreciation | ❌ | ✅ |
| Insurance Management | ❌ | ✅ |
| 10 Accounting Standards | ❌ | ✅ |
| Research & Access | ||
| Research Portal | ❌ | ✅ |
| Researcher Workspace | ❌ | ✅ |
| Reading Room Booking | ❌ | ✅ |
| Access Request Workflow | ❌ | ✅ |
| Embargo Management | ❌ | ✅ |
| Collection Management | ||
| Donor Agreement Tracking | ❌ | ✅ |
| Donor Reminders | ❌ | ✅ |
| Condition Assessment | ❌ | ✅ |
| Conservation Tracking | ❌ | ✅ |
| Condition Annotator | ❌ | ✅ |
| Provenance Research | ❌ | ✅ |
| Vendor/Supplier Management | ❌ | ✅ |
| Advanced Features | ||
| IIIF Deep Zoom Viewer | ❌ | ✅ |
| 3D Model Viewer | ❌ | ✅ |
| 3D Thumbnail Generation | ❌ | ✅ |
| Records in Contexts (RiC) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Graph Visualization | ❌ | ✅ |
| AI Entity Extraction (NER) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Automated Backups | ❌ | ✅ |
| TIFF to PDF/A Merge | ❌ | ✅ |
| Metadata Extraction (EXIF/IPTC/XMP) | ❌ | ✅ |
AtoM = Rock-solid archival foundation trusted by national archives, universities, and cultural institutions worldwide.
AtoM Extensions = Enterprise features, multi-sector support, regulatory compliance, modern UI, and AI capabilities.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AtoM 2.10 BASE (Symfony 1.x) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ LAYER 1: atom-framework (REQUIRED) │
│ ├── Laravel Query Builder (Illuminate\Database) │
│ ├── Extension Manager CLI │
│ ├── Base Repository/Service Classes │
│ └── Helper Utilities │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ LAYER 2: atom-ahg-plugins │
│ ├── ahgThemeB5Plugin (Required - Locked) │
│ ├── ahgSecurityClearancePlugin (Required - Locked) │
│ └── [Optional Plugins...] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ LAYER 3: Provenance AI (Optional - API) │
│ └── AI-powered entity extraction for archivists │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| AtoM | 2.8.0 | 2.10.x |
| PHP | 8.2 | 8.3 |
| MySQL | 8.0 | 8.0+ |
| Elasticsearch | 5.x | 7.10 (AtoM 2.10; ES 8.x not supported) |
| OS | Ubuntu 20.04 | Ubuntu 22.04 LTS |
# Download and run installer
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ArchiveHeritageGroup/atom-framework/main/bin/ahg-installer.sh -o ahg-installer.sh
chmod +x ahg-installer.sh
sudo ./ahg-installer.sh📖 See INSTALLATION.md for all installation options →
| Extension | Description |
|---|---|
| ahgThemeB5Plugin | Bootstrap 5 responsive theme |
| ahgSecurityClearancePlugin | Security classification (Public to Top Secret) |
| Extension | Description | Standards |
|---|---|---|
| ahgLibraryPlugin | Library cataloging | RDA, MARC21 |
| ahgMuseumPlugin | Museum cataloging | CCO, Collections Procedures |
| arGalleryPlugin | Visual arts/gallery | CCO, CDWA |
| ahgDAMPlugin | Digital Asset Management | Dublin Core, IPTC |
| Extension | Description |
|---|---|
| ahgResearchPlugin | Researcher portal, workspace, reading room booking |
| ahgAccessRequestPlugin | Access request workflow management |
| Extension | Description |
|---|---|
| ahgPrivacyPlugin | Multi-jurisdiction privacy (GDPR, POPIA, CCPA, PIPEDA, LGPD) |
| ahgHeritageAccountingPlugin | Heritage asset accounting (10 standards) |
| ahgExtendedRightsPlugin | Rights statements & embargo management |
| Extension | Description |
|---|---|
| ahgBackupPlugin | Automated backup & restore |
| ahgAuditTrailPlugin | Comprehensive audit logging |
| ahgDisplayPlugin | Display profiles & viewing modes |
| ahgDonorAgreementPlugin | Donor agreements with reminders |
| ahgVendorPlugin | Vendor/supplier management |
| ahgConditionPlugin | Condition assessment & conservation |
| ahgLandingPagePlugin | Drag-and-drop landing page builder |
| Extension | Description |
|---|---|
| ahgNerPlugin | Named Entity Recognition |
| ahg3DModelPlugin | 3D model viewer & thumbnails |
| IiifViewerFramework | IIIF deep zoom image viewer |
| ahgRicExplorerPlugin | Records in Contexts graph viewer |
| Jurisdiction | Regulation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | POPIA, PAIA, NARSSA | ✅ Full |
| 🇪🇺 European Union | GDPR | ✅ Full |
| 🇺🇸 California | CCPA | ✅ Full |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | PIPEDA | ✅ Full |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | LGPD | ✅ Full |
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | NDPA | ✅ Full |
| 🇰🇪 Kenya | DPA | ✅ Full |
| Standard | Region |
|---|---|
| GRAP 103 | South Africa |
| IPSAS 17 | International |
| FRS 102 | United Kingdom |
| FASAB | USA Federal |
| GASB 34 | USA State/Local |
| AASB 116 | Australia |
| PSAB/PS 3150 | Canada |
| NZ PBE IPSAS 17 | New Zealand |
| mGAAP | Germany |
| Custom | Configurable |
# Extension Management
php bin/atom extension:discover # List available
php bin/atom extension:enable <name> # Enable
php bin/atom extension:disable <name> # Disable
# Framework Management
php bin/atom framework:version # Version
php bin/atom update # Update
php bin/atom migrate run # Migrations
# Maintenance
php bin/atom backup:create # Backup
php bin/atom cc # Clear cache
php bin/atom help # HelpAI-powered entity extraction for archivists:
- People - Names, roles, relationships
- Places - Locations, coordinates
- Organizations - Companies, institutions
- Dates - Events, periods
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| INSTALLATION.md | Complete installation guide |
| docs/ | User guides for each plugin |
| CHANGELOG.md | Version history |
Developed by The Archive And Heritage Digital Commons Group
| 🌐 Website | theahg.co.za |
| info@theahg.co.za | |
| 🐙 GitHub | ArchiveHeritageGroup |
| 📦 Releases | Download |
GPL-3.0 - see LICENSE for details.
Made with ❤️ for the archival community
