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I've mentioned this before (http://listserv.loc.gov/cgi-bin/wa? A2=ind0605&L=EAD&P=R886&I=-3) and apologise again for blatantly plugging our own work on the list, but there does seem to be sufficient interest... Before I describe it, I should point out that this software is open source and free for use in academic institutions. We have produced a piece of software which provides a web-interface for searching and displaying EAD finding aids. Search options include: Full text, Title, Name (geographical, personal, corporate), Subject, Date, and Reference Number. Searching returns a merged list of item and collection descriptions in order of descending relevance. Results offer the option to display a summary (including your search term highlighted wherever it was matched), full-text display and email. All of these displays are customisable by XSLT. All pages and displays are based on XHTML and use CSS (not frames) for layout and style. You can also browse through various indexes (title, reference number, subject) alphabetically, as well as use our innovative subject finder. This provides a means of resolving free text queries to the controlled vocabulary subject terms used within the records. There is also an authenticated online administration interface for uploading, and deleting EAD files, and managing other aspects of the finding aid database. The software also provides SRU and Z39.50 gateways, allowing you to implement a local catalogue search interface, whilst enabling your institution to become part of a larger search network. The software is currently the basis for a geographically distributed search network in the UK, the Archives Hub ( http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/ ) This software is open source and free for use in academic institutions. However it should be noted that we cannot provide unlimited free support for the software. Potential commercial or non-HE users should contact us regarding licencing terms (I can pass any enquiries on to the relevant people here). Further details, including download and installation instructions can be found at: http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/arch/spokes.shtml or http://www.cheshire3.org/download/ead/ Please feel free to contact me off-list if you have any further questions. John On Mon, 2007-05-14 at 16:48 -0400, Jennie A. Levine wrote: > > Also, when the person has done a search for a word or phrase, that > > word or phrase is highlighted in the search results list (though not > > when they go to the full finding aid itself, haven't figured out a > > way to do that yet). > > We also would like to do this! Or have a way to get the person into the > section of the finding aid that has the search term in it. Online > Archive of California does this, I think. > > We have just developed a very hierarchical style sheet to display our > finding aids - it's in the testing phase right now. While it's nice for > browsing very large collections as it breaks up the amount of data your > browser has to download on a single page, I am doubting the usefulness > of this, since it actually makes it more difficult for someone looking > for a specific term to browse the finding aid to locate the term. We > still also have the long, complete version, and I can see myself using > that more frequently than the new, improved, version. > > Jennie -- John Harrison Special Collections and Archives University of Liverpool Library Chatham Street, PO Box 123, Liverpool, L693DA e: [log in to unmask] w: sca.lib.liv.ac.uk t: 0151 7943142 f: 0151 7942681