1. The Cross-Search and Context Utility: Contextualizing Digital Content and Associated Encoded Archival Description Finding Aid Metadata in the Northwest Sam Meister University of Montana Digital Frontiers 2013 September 20, 2013

2. What / who is nwda?

3. Problem

4. Online Finding Aids

8. “What is this? You want me to read all of this?”

9. Online Finding Aids Hierarchical display is confusing / difficult Users want to customize their experience Users want direct access to content Novice users struggle with archival terminology

10. Digital Content

12. Google Bing Yahoo

13. Finding Aid Finding Aid

14. Previous Studies & Research Usability testing conducted by NWDA (2006-2008) and others on EAD finding aids systems. Survey of Digitizing Initiatives (2007) Researcher Type Survey (2007-2008) Researcher Needs Study (2008-2009) Literature on EAD and on digital representations of archival content

15. Recommendations / Requirements

16. Search across digital content and online finding aids

17. Expose materials to search engines rather than be new “portal”

18. Combine digital content and all metadata to provide context

19. Give users a way to quickly sort and limit results

20. Give users a clear way to contact institutions

21. Give users information on getting copies, permissions, and more information from archivists

22. Provide contextual information that’s not long, hierarchical, and full of archival terminology

23. Partners Technical Team Alliance Staff Project Advisors

24. Users Partners Technical Team Alliance Staff Project Advisors

25. Project team / roles

26. Not about metadata and systems

27. http://www.flickr.com/photos/83633410@N07/7658230838/

28. Methodology / Training

30. User Centered Design Prototype Test User Feedback

31. Administrator Avocational Research Faculty Teaching Faculty Geneaologist Student

33. Technical Development

36. METADATA + DIGITAL OBJECTS

37. NWDA EAD DATABASE EADs

38. NWDA EAD DATABASE XCU

39. Challenge: Variable Metadata

40.     

41.  *MAGIC* (aka a lot of custom work and scripting) MODS

42. MODS-8652 Nestucca Sand Spit Straub, Robert W. Creator 1966-05-08T07:00:00Z

43. + MODS EAD XCU

44. xcu testing site

49. User Testing

50. Administrator Avocational Research Faculty Teaching Faculty Geneaologist Student

52. Tests: 1 user 30 – 60 minutes 3 – 4 tasks

53. User Centered Design Prototype Test User Feedback

54. Results / feedback / lessons learned

55. On the right track

56. Is this an item or a collection?

57. http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/8720682418/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/48600091327@N01/3279279695/

58. XCU Search Engine Finding Aid

59. Issues / challenges

60. Harvesting

61. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dizmangphotography/9284617870

62. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/5984094240

63. Finding Aid

64. Digital collections with EADs: 152 EADs without digital collections: 16,816 Digital collections without EADs: 705

65. Next Steps More tests / feedback Add graphic design Name? (hired a marketing firm to help with this) Summative Evaluation

66. Public Launch Date = October 17

67. future http://www.flickr.com/photos/expressmonorail/3046970004/