Hi, Barbara.
We still have a number of things
to attend to before we move this framework over to our live site, but you can
check out our redesign (bugs and all) here:
http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/jlead/
(and do use the
“feedback” form in the lower-right corner if you want)
…as opposed to online display,
though, which I still think requires constant updating and more discussion
(especially as screen sizes have become bigger and smaller), my feeling is that
making the data (i.e., EAD sans stylesheet) as freely available/request-able as
possible, especially as the EAD/EAC standard itself evolves, will be the most
important thing that we can do for our collections.
For instance, far more
interesting, in my opinion, than the online delivery of information about a mass
of collections confined to one institution, is the possibility of exploiting
how different collections, which are geographically dispersed, relate to one
another. And, I think this becomes increasingly true as “special
collections” materials become digitized and made to be (in my opinion)
less special; and, because of that, all the more in need of becoming both
highly connected and user-friendly (lest they become both less special and
deemed to be too cumbersome to bother with).
How different might archival
research look like if we could entice a startup company to use our data
to build and maintain an interface? For just one example, consider how
Powerset (later purchased by Microsoft) updated and innovated wikipedia’s
data made available via the DBpedia project. Here’s an example
page, for the “Archives of American Art”:
http://www.powerset.com/explore/semhtml/Archives_of_American_Art?
All of these tools, such as the
highlighter, could be replicated for the online delivery of EAD, but it would
take some work, and it’s not really work worth doing by each and every
institution. So, we’ll either need more people working on open-source
endeavors focused on delivery, such as the fantastic XTF project, and/or we’ll
need to work on establishing some sort of EADpedia project.
</my2cents>
Mark Custer
From: Encoded Archival
Description List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Aikens, Barbara
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 9:30 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Call for Contributions to SAA Presentation
Dear Colleagues,
You may recall that last fall I wrote the listserv asking
about the development of really new and different online displays of and
search interfaces for EAD structured data – presentations that were
really appropriate for the web environment, as opposed to more traditional
online pdf and htm displays that resemble paper finding aids.
After some online discussions and comments, Jackie Dooley at
RLG volunteered to pull together a SAA session and it was accepted. The
title is “Structured Data Is Essential for Effective Archival Description
and Discovery: True or False?” Speakers are Michael Fox, Noah
Huffman, and myself. I had planned to focus my presentation on
AAA’s interface of linking all resources (catalog record, finding aid,
Collections Online, digital images) via the creator, and present our prototypes
for improved finding aid displays. I also wanted to briefly discuss the
new Smithsonian Collections Search Center.
As I think about the presentation more, though, I
thought it might be fun to also highlight the work of others in addition to the
work we’re doing at AAA. I know that many of you have also
been doing innovative work with online prototypes and search interfaces for EAD
data. This would be a good way to get information out there about a lot
of projects on a national level, rather than just one or two. So, if you
think your work with EAD structured data is something different and interesting,
and are interested in having your project mentioned, please let me know and we
can talk. I’m thinking perhaps one or two PP slides with a
paragraph of narrative that I could read, as well as contact
information.
Best,
Barb Aikens
Barbara
D. Aikens
Chief, Collections
Processing
Archives of
American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Ph: 202-633-7941
Mailing Address
Archives of
American Art, Smithsonian Institution
PO Box 37012
Victor Bldg.,
Suite 2200, MRC 937
Washington,
DC 20013-7012