Topic
Finding aid
About: Finding aid is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 132 publications have been published within this topic receiving 876 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: The Polar Bear Expedition Digital Collections as mentioned in this paper is an online access tool employing Web 2.0 technologies and evaluation of the first six months of its deployment (January-June 2006) using web analytics, an online survey, semistructured interviews, and content analysis of comments.
Abstract: This article analyzes the design and provides a preliminary evaluation of an experimental finding aid incorporating social interaction created by the Finding Aids Next Generation Research Group at the University of Michigan. It discusses the development of the Polar Bear Expedition Digital Collections, an online access tool employing Web 2.0 technologies and evaluation of the first six months of its deployment (January-June 2006). Using Web analytics, an online survey, semistructured interviews, and content analysis of comments, the researchers explore visitors' initial reactions, and their uses of and interactions with this new type of finding aid. The study also offers insights from other disciplines and considers how social navigation features might enhance accessibility to archival materials. Initial findings suggest that enabling direct and indirect interaction among visitors and archivists, collaborative filtering, and other Web 2.0 features might make archival materials more accessible and enrich t...
90 citations
TL;DR: The Minnesota Historical Society recently completed a project to evaluate the effectiveness of its finding aids and to reengineer their look, feel, and structure in order to make them more effective tools for delivering information about archival materials to distance users via the World Wide Web, as well as to in-house users.
Abstract: Although it is tempting for a repository to begin its work with EAD by marking up its existing finding aids as they are, more satisfying results will ensue if the repository invests some time up front in assessing, and perhaps revising, its finding aid model. The Minnesota Historical Society recently completed such a project to evaluate the effectiveness of its finding aids and to reengineer their look, feel, and structure in order to make them more effective tools for delivering information about archival materials to distance users via the World Wide Web, as well as to in-house users. The author describes the process and the results of that intensive project.
41 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that single-level displays, those that present a single component of a multilevel description to users at a time, have the potential to transform the delivery and display of collection information while improving the user experience.
Abstract: This article examines how finding aids are structured and delivered, considering alternative approaches. It suggests that single-level displays, those that present a single component of a multilevel description to users at a time, have the potential to transform the delivery and display of collection information while improving the user experience. It also examines how single-level displays allow for greater reuse of finding aid data. It introduces the Brigham Young University finding aid system as a proof of concept model demonstrating the power of using inheritance and single-level displays to meet user needs.
34 citations
TL;DR: The goal was to discover by what route users accomplished a given task, to determine what elements on the site helped or hindered them in completing the task, and to gain insight into their overall experience with a range of styles of online finding aids.
Abstract: Many of those now accessing archives through online finding aids are encountering primary materials (albeit virtually) for the first time. These users are often unfamiliar with finding aid structure, terminology, and principles. This article reports on a qualitative, exploratory study of a subset of these novice users. The study concentrated on four key components of online finding aids: terminology, navigation, display, and structure. The goal was to discover by what route users accomplished a given task, to determine what elements on the site helped or hindered them in completing the task, and to gain insight into their overall experience with a range of styles of online finding aids. Findings suggest that site structure often presupposed users' knowledge of archival principles. Therefore, what may seem to archivists and their web designers to be elegant solutions to resolute issues in online finding aids, in fact, confused or eluded novice users. However, findings suggest, as well, that partic...
30 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the current methods for deploying EAD (Encoded Archival Description) finding aids to identify the most promising practices being used, examines how much and what type of evaluation archivists are gathering from end-users regarding deployment methods, identifies archvists' perceptions regarding the use of EAD-encoded finding aids, and in general, attempts to further the study of electronic access to archival collections.
Abstract: This study explores the current methods for deploying EAD (Encoded Archival Description) finding aids to identify the most promising practices being used, examines how much and what type of evaluation archivists are gathering from end-users regarding deployment methods, identifies archivists' perceptions regarding the use of EAD-encoded finding aids, and in general, attempts to further the study of electronic access to archival collections. The focus of this paper is the current state of deployment methods for EAD, including how long and what types of deployment methods are being used, why they were selected, what changes, if any, are being planned, and what types of challenges are associated with them. The paper also focuses on archivists' perception of end-user utilization of EAD and explores the evaluation upon which this perception is based, including how and on what basis archivists formulate their perceptions.
25 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2015 | 14 |