Identity and User Preference in the Presentation and Content of Digital Archives

Abstract

This thesis explores user preference in the presentation and content of online archives in small, local institutions. To obtain data for this study, a collection from the Plumas County Museum in northern California was digitized, and three versions were presented on a custom-built test website: 1) a straightforward reproduction of documents in the collection; 2) a pairing of reproductions and typed transcripts; and 3) a selective, interpretive reproduction with supporting secondary material. Users with a variety of research backgrounds viewed the website and provided feedback through an anonymous, online survey. Google Analytics was also used to measure site traffic. During the five-week testing period, 25 complete surveys, five partial surveys, and traffic information from 183 unique users were gathered. Survey findings indicate that 46 percent of users found version 3-the highly processed, highly contextualized presentation-most useful. When controlling for research experience, scholarly and professional users preferred the straightforward reproduction (version 1), while students and teachers preferred an enhanced presentation (versions 2 and 3). Avocational researchers did not show a clear preference. Site traffic showed a heavy concentration of users (68%) from California, as well as users from 15 other states. These findings suggest that while local archives may be most relevant within their geographical range, digitization of collections can extend an archives' usership more broadly.

It is a Matter of Perspectives

“…Discussions on whether archives, archival institutions, archival functions et cetera should be based on the perception of the users or the archivist's perception of the users have been recognized in the literature. As Morton (2015) discusses, it is common, in the development of digital finding aids or collections, that it is the archival professions' perceptions of user needs that are in focus and they are seldom based on systematic research about the users' actual requirements and needs. In the thesis, Morton (2015) explored user preference for archival presentation in the context of the collections of the Plumas County Museum in northern California.…”

“…As Morton (2015) discusses, it is common, in the development of digital finding aids or collections, that it is the archival professions' perceptions of user needs that are in focus and they are seldom based on systematic research about the users' actual requirements and needs. In the thesis, Morton (2015) explored user preference for archival presentation in the context of the collections of the Plumas County Museum in northern California. The aim was to develop a custom-built website, an online archive to contribute knowledge about user preference in small archives.…”

“…A variety of different users with different backgrounds such as community members, museum stakeholders, scholarly researchers, and genealogists tested the website and contributed feedback on its usefulness. As small archives were in focus in the study, Morton (2015) discusses that archival user evaluation studies are often performed by large institutions, and the researchers are often connected to the institutions where the studies are carried out. The study shows that even though local and small digital collections attract users in the nearby surroundings, the digitalization of different collections per se may increase their use and attract other users (Morton, 2015).…”