A Question Of Interpretation: the role of archivists in an online age

A Question of Interpretation The role of archivists in an online age Amanda Hill University of Manchester, UK

“ How others see us”
Do others see us?
Does it matter whether they see us?

Role of archivists
Same as it ever was…
To provide access to information
To interpret our records for users through descriptions and exhibitions
To keep things safe

So what’s changed? Technology Expectations

Technology
Rapidly changing
Opening up new audiences
Taking us out of our comfort zone

Expectations
Users expect to be able to find everything on the Internet (preferably through search engines)
New audiences have their own requirements for interpretation, which may be different from those of traditional users

Archives Hub
Developing since 1999: a union catalogue for archives held in universities, colleges and other organisations throughout the UK
Funded by the JISC
Now holds c.20,000 finding aids from 150 institutions
Funded for UK academic community, but free for anyone to use

Rapid change in role for archivists

Relationships with users
Small staff in many archives
More contact between archivists and users than there often is in, for example, libraries and museums
We know our traditional users and their needs well

Gatekeeper
Users had to talk to archivists before finding aids were available more widely
We interpreted our finding aids for them, within the repository
Duke Humfrey’s Library, Bodleian, www.visitbritain.com

Gatekeeper
Users had to talk to archivists before finding aids were available more widely
We interpreted our finding aids for them, within the repository
Duke Humfrey’s Library, Bodleian, www.visitbritain.com There is a vast amount of information available at the Bodleian concerning its manuscripts, but only a tiny fraction is currently available online; we intend progressively to make more information available at this website, as and when resources permit . http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/wmss/medieval/medieval.htm

Work we’ve done in putting finding aids and digital versions of archives online has changed that gatekeeper role entirely
Our knowledge and expertise has to be transferred into the finding aid or metadata – many existing finding aids not up to the job
The user no longer ‘sees’ or is aware of the existence of the archivist
Online, things change

Users
May not need to know about archivists
… if they can find what they need online

Consequence of visit to Hub site Survey, May 2006, part of a JISC review of resource discovery services

We need to change what we do
Different types of users have differing requirements
New interpretative skills are required to meet their respective needs
Cataloguing needs to take new context (and users) of finding aids into account
Revisiting Archival Collections project

Interpreting users’ needs
Important to stay in touch with users
Some are easy to talk to – traditional users
Others more difficult – potential users, casual online users

Particular problem for Archives Hub as a purely online service
Lack of direct contact with users
Rely on online questionnaires or participation of contributing institutions
Difficult to get significant level of response (survey fatigue)
Bribery works to a degree

June 2005 (163 responses)

Target audience…

Current survey

Interpreting technology
Understanding technological developments and applying them for the benefit of users and archivists
Without implementing new technology for technology’s sake
Sometimes easier to get funding for the new and exciting at the expense of core work
… but some new developments are low-cost and easy to implement – so worth experimenting with

Interpreting jargon
300 archival terms provided to interpreters at a recent European conference

More jargon
(Image of search interface featuring archival jargon)
Keep jargon away from end users!

Online finding aids
Jargon-free
Written with a general audience in mind
Available through search engines
All collections catalogued, if only at a minimal level
But the more detailed the better
Linking to digital surrogates or originals where possible
Capable of displaying contributions from people outside the repository

Best of both worlds Technology Expectations Satisfied users

Side effects…
In opening up resources online, archivists and other information professionals are becoming increasingly invisible…
… whilst reaching a larger audience than ever

Focus attention where it matters
Paymasters
Advocates

Must find
Meaningful ways of measuring:
Use
Impact

So…
If our users can find what they need and easily understand it
If our paymasters understand and value what we do
It doesn’t matter if our professional public profile is low or non-existent…
… as long as the value and importance of our records and archives is understood

Gatekeeper (Image of Sigourney Weaver as the Gatekeeper in Ghostbusters) Keymaster (Image of Rick Moranis as the Keymaster in Ghostbusters)

A Question Of Interpretation: the role of archivists in an online age

by Amanda Hill on Jun 23, 2007

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