This document discusses the author's practicum experience encoding an archival finding aid using EAD (Encoded Archival Description) and considering how Web 2.0 tools could enhance online discovery of archival collections. The author encoded the finding aid for the Ella Winter Papers to make it interoperable and searchable online. They also analyzed how tools like blogs, podcasts and wikis could help archives interact more with users and transition to an "Archives 2.0" model of participatory discovery and description of archival materials.

1. THE ELLA WINTER PAPERS: USING EAD
AND WEB 2.0 TOOLS TO ENHANCE
ONLINE DISCOVERY
By Ryan McComas
LIS 698 – Practicum
Dean Giannini
Pratt Institute

2. PROJECT IDENTIFICATION
 Gain practical experience in an archive
 Encode a finding aid with EAD to strengthen online
discovery through searches
 Conceptualize the use of Web 2.0 tools for Archives
2.0

3. NATURE OF THE WORK
 Primary goal: to act as a processing intern and
complete a finding aid to the addition of the Ella
Winter Papers
 It is starting to become common practice in
archives to use something like EAD, particularly the
larger ones like RBML.
 I began to think about the implications of things like
twitter, blogs, podcasts, and wikis on an archive.

4. NATURE OF THE WORK

5. FINDING AIDS
 It progressively
describes parts of an
individual collection,
summarizes the overall
scope of the material,
conveys details about
the individuals, and
organizations involved,
and notes the
conditions under which
the collection may be
accessed

6. ANALYSIS
 I was to encode my
finding aid with EAD,
allowing for
interoperability, strong
online discovery, and
high searching
capabilities.
 With the use of EAD,
links can be provided to
the catalog and related
digitized content when
available, like images of
correspondence,
photographs or even
audio.

7. ANALYSIS
 Digitized collections
are useful for
researchers who are
unable to physically
see the collection.

8. ANALYSIS

9. ANALYSIS
 EAD will make it
possible to have better
access, along with still
providing the
hierarchical structure
provided by a paper
finding aid

10. ANALYSIS
 The information in the finding aid is organized in a
hierarchical manner through component elements:
 <eadheader> : Bibliographic and descriptive
information about the finding aid
 <frontmatter>: Information on the creation,
publication or use of the encoded finding aid
 <archdesc>: Description of the content, context and
extent of the materials in the collection

11. ANALYSIS

12. ANALYSIS
 Archivists can use EAD
to make their finding aids
accessible in an online
environment, but how
can they bring more
interaction with users?
 Web 2.0 tools:
 One must wonder what
the role of archivists and
librarians is now that we
are entering an age of
Web 2.0 that includes
applications like wikis,
blogs, and podcasts.

13. ANALYSIS
 Archives 2.0: The
concept is not based
on specifically the tools
integrated into online
finding aids, but rather
a change in thought
and procedure in how
we approach users and
how we provide
archival content. Ukoln

14. ANALYSIS
 Finding Aid 2.0?
 Better navigation, more interoperability
 Will knowledgeable researchers make contributions to
online finding aids?
 Researchers can form connections with archivists,
curators, and other researchers, forming a mutually
beneficial relationship

15. ANALYSIS
 How is the RBML
working towards an
Archive 2.0?

16. ANALYSIS

17. ANALYSIS
 The RBML is working towards this goal by creating
blogs for processing a certain collection. Users can
comment and share the process through different
social media outlets.
 The interaction with users is still low, by the count of
comments on the blogs. Users may be consuming
the information, but are not actually engaging with
the archivists on it

18. THE FUTURE
 Archivists need to interact with users more in the
digital environment. This will mean the
democratization of archival control and letting
archival data be re-appropriated across new
contexts outside the current online finding aid.
 Promotion of the digital collections

19. FINDING AID 2.0?
 The goal of the project is
‘to expand the capability
of EAD, make the
archival and research
experience collaborative
and participatory, and
challenge the traditional
finding aid structure.’
 The two most notable
Web 2.0 features are
commenting and
recommendations.

20. CONCLUSION
•Regardless of thoughts on Web 2.0 tools,
archives must be open, transparent, user-
centered, a facilitator to access, and attract
new users
•Archives must use shared standards like
EAD and DACS, be innovative and flexible,
and keep abreast of new technologies, which
may or may not include Web 2.0 applications

21. CONCLUSION
•The Rare Book and Manuscript Library at
Columbia is taking steps towards becoming
an Archives 2.0 by utilizing blogs and Twitter
to interact with users.
•While I am simply encoding my finding aid
with EAD (one step towards making it
discoverable in an online environment), I am
also utilizing the blog format to talk about
my experiences and research for anyone to
see