Reviewing (Online) Archives

What elements make up successful online presentation of archives?

I often reference the work of peers at other institutions to see how they handle web-based presentation and access to digital archival material. How do they describe the relationship between their finding aids portal and a separate, digital collections site? Do they consider cohesive design across these platforms? Is there supportive documentation for researching with less common archival formats, like email archives?

As a way to track the qualities of different online archives sites for ongoing reference, I have created a continually updated directory and set of reviews with brief notes about various features, especially elements that I have already, or plan to develop for The New School Archives. My spring project: a guide to web archiving that describes our own collections, and provides tips for personal management of projects published to the web.

Despite our efforts to manage archives through advanced standards and schemas, this research has exposed how frontend solutions vary greatly across cultural heritage groups. It leads me to consider whether practitioners and users would benefit from a guide with resources and examples of the most critical elements of web-based repository access.

For now, these are some of the categories I have identified as categories of information that archivists have determined to be important and necessary to their community.

I. Repository Statements

Description of repository and distinctions between collections.

Policies that may include mission statement, collection development, code of ethics, and use and citation.

Information on how to donate.

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II. Special Formats

Introduction to points of access, which may include finding aids, digital collections, catalog, and possibly collection aggregators.

Deeper description is often required for standalone platforms built for accessing complex and interactive media, like email or web archives.

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III. Community Documentation 

Community may be broadly defined by two groups with sometimes overlapping interests: first, information professionals conducting similar work, and second, user groups connected to the institution. For example, archives may provide public access to their workflows, and in a separate space, publish general record keeping best practices, and tips for conducting research in their collections.

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IV. Curatorial and Interactive Features 

Showcasing archival material through digital exhibitions, social media, collection maps, and other platforms designed to engage audiences without adherence to cataloging standards.

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V. Design

Thoughtful web design with consistent and user friendly implementation of fonts, color scheme, layout, and site navigation applied to all applications that allow custom themes.

Accessibility barriers addressed and regularly reviewed.

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