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![DEFINING USER-CENTERED SERVICES
• Oxford English Dictionary definitions:
• User:
• “a person who has or makes use of a thing, esp. regularly; a person
who employs or practices something” (def. 1a)
• Centered:
• “placed at the centre [sic] or in a central position” (def. 1)
• Service:
• “friendly or professional assistance” (def. 19c)
• Therefore, user-centered services can be defined as:
• friendly, professional assistance that focuses on the needs
and interests of the people who have or may access your
collections.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/re-imaginingtheatticpresentationamandacartersconflictedcopy2012-03-19-130211115906-phpapp01/75/Re-imagining-the-Attic-Creating-User-Centered-Services-for-Your-Special-Collections-3-2048.jpg)
![TWEET WHAT? TWITTER WHO?
• How to Use It:
• Cousin to text messaging, but more public and you can “tag” (link to)
people or institutions, which allows for more interactive
communication
• 140 character limit
• Easy sign-up
• Make announcements about events or new acquisitions
• Post links to news, blogs, Facebook, or new digitization efforts
• Follow a few other people or institutions to keep up with what is new
in the industry
• Some Lingo:
• @[username]: replies to other tweeters
• #[keywords]: helps to categorize your tweets
• bit.ly: shortened (tiny) URL can be a blog, image, webpage](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/re-imaginingtheatticpresentationamandacartersconflictedcopy2012-03-19-130211115906-phpapp01/75/Re-imagining-the-Attic-Creating-User-Centered-Services-for-Your-Special-Collections-13-2048.jpg)
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Similar to Re-imagining the Attic: Creating User-Centered Services for Your Special Collections
Re-imagining the Attic: Creating User-Centered Services for Your Special Collections
- 1. C R EAT I N G U S E R - C E N T E R E D S E R V I C E S F O R Y O U R S P E C I A L C O L L E C T I O N S RE-IMAGINING THE ATTIC A M A N D A J . C A R T E R , M O D E R N P O L I T I C A L A R C H I V E AT B A K E R C E N T E R C H A P E L D . C O W D E N , U T C H AT TA N O O G A S P E C I A L C O L L E C T I O N S
- 2. Use is themain rationale for archival work in the user- oriented archive.
- 3. DEFINING USER-CENTERED SERVICES •Oxford English Dictionary definitions: • User: • “a person who has or makes use of a thing, esp. regularly; a person who employs or practices something” (def. 1a) • Centered: • “placed at the centre [sic] or in a central position” (def. 1) • Service: • “friendly or professional assistance” (def. 19c) • Therefore, user-centered services can be defined as: • friendly, professional assistance that focuses on the needs and interests of the people who have or may access your collections.
- 4. HOW DOES YOURARCHIVE IDENTIFY? User Oriented • Research Services • Use is the main rationale for archival work. • User information-essential for program planning. • Systematic gathering and analysis of user information. • Marketing is a priority. • Promoting use, researcher services are regarded as program priorities. • Subject indexing fosters retrieval. • Finding aids and services are geared to users’ needs. Bruce W. Dearstyne, Managing Historical Records Programs: A Guide for Historical Agencies (Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press, 2000), 105. Custodial Oriented • Reference • Use is one of several rationales. • User information-interesting but of secondary importance. • Researchers are simply counted. • Marketing is secondary. • Promoting use, researcher services are secondary to appraisal and other functions. • Reliance on provenance as a means of retrieval. • Reference is mainly educating users to appreciate records, contexts, how the repository works.
- 5. HOW DO YOUWANT YOUR ARCHIVE TO IDENTIFY? Archives 2.0 • Open • Transparent • User-centered • Technology-savvy • Archivist as facilitator • Open to iterating products • Innovative and flexible • Looking for ways to attract new users Kate Theimer, A Different Kind of Web: New Connections Between Archives and Our Users (Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2011), 335. Archives 1.0 • Closed • Opaque • Archivist- and record-centered • Technology-phobic • Archivist as gatekeeper/authority figure • Focused on “perfect” products • Adhering to tradition • Relying on interested users coming to the repository on their own
- 6. SERVICES COVERED • Web2.0 applications • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube • Flickr • Blogs • Digitization • Creating shareable finding aids • Exhibits • …and potential challenges to implementing these services.
- 7. KEEP IN MIND: HAVEA PLAN No matter which option or how you choose to implement or increase your user-centered services, it is important to understand how you want to benefit your institution. • Define your goals • Who is your audience? • What do you want to achieve? • What is your purpose? • Tend your garden • Don’t create & ignore. Practice good upkeep on the services that you decide to implement. (e.g. post often, check links, etc.)
- 8. MEETING YOUR USERSWHERE THEY ARE, WEB 2.0-STYLE: THE MAJOR PLAYERS
- 9. THE “F” WORD (FACEBOOK) •How To Use It: • Establish a profile (location, hours, contact info, etc.) • Post frequently • Engage your audience through events, contests, news, and shared content (videos, photos, etc.) • Push info from your other digital offerings into FB (blog posts, tweets, YouTube videos, Flickr streams, etc.
- 10. FACEBOOK EXAMPLE: HOUSTON CO.ARCHIVES Recently celebrated their one year anniversary (Nov.)as an established archive. FB presence since March 2011. Post Types: Images Exhibits & Events “Found in the Archive” Shared articles http://www.facebook.com/groups/190560887647081/ Open Group
- 11. FACEBOOK EXAMPLE: EAST TENNESSEEHISTORY CENTER Organization Page Post Types: Images Policies Cross-posts from other organizations Ephemera http://www.facebook.com/pages/E ast-Tennessee-History- Center/117404638280061
- 12. FACEBOOK EXAMPLE: UTC SPECIALCOLLECTIONS http://www.facebook.com/UTCLibrary?ref=ts Organization Page
- 13. TWEET WHAT? TWITTERWHO? • How to Use It: • Cousin to text messaging, but more public and you can “tag” (link to) people or institutions, which allows for more interactive communication • 140 character limit • Easy sign-up • Make announcements about events or new acquisitions • Post links to news, blogs, Facebook, or new digitization efforts • Follow a few other people or institutions to keep up with what is new in the industry • Some Lingo: • @[username]: replies to other tweeters • #[keywords]: helps to categorize your tweets • bit.ly: shortened (tiny) URL can be a blog, image, webpage
- 14. TWITTER EXAMPLE: JEWISH WOMEN’SARCHIVE https://twitter.com/#!/jwaonline Blurb can include mission or overview
- 15. TWITTER EXAMPLE: CALVIN MCCLUNGHISTORICAL COLLECTION https://twitter.com/#!/similar_to/McClungHistColl Notice the personalized background
- 16. BLOGGING? YOU MEAN IHAVE TO KEEP A JOURNAL TOO?? Implementation Options • special events • new collections • processing highlights • varia • how-to’s • news • ??? Blog Software
- 17. BLOGGING? YOU MEAN IHAVE TO KEEP A JOURNAL TOO?? • How to Use It: • Define goals • Post often to keep audience interest • Include images when possible • Prominently display subscription options (RSS feed and/or email) • Encourage commenting & be responsive when comments are made • Tag posts • Title posts thoughtfully for SEO • Promote the blog • Be patient!
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- 19. Implementation: Varia with stronginteractive component
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- 22. FLICKR • Why Flickr? •Crowdsourcing materials (especially photos) • Inexpensive way to display digital exhibits or collections • Sharing event/other photos • Enormous potential audience
- 23. LOC FLICKR REPORT “TheFlickr project increases awareness of the Library and its collections; sparks creative interaction with collections; provides LC staff with experience with social tagging and Web 2.0 community input; and provides leadership to cultural heritage and government communities.”
- 24. FLICKR • How ToUse It: • Define goals • Select content • Upload content & create metadata • Tag images • Interact with users • Can begin with free account, then upgrade when necessary.
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- 26. NC STATE ONFLICKR
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- 28. YOUTUBE & VIDEOSHARING How To Use It: • Define goals • Record video • Upload content & create metadata • Tag video • Interact in the comments section What To Film: • Tutorials • Webinars • Advocacy • Basic information • Tours
- 29. LOC ON YOUTUBE Personalized bannerincludes navigation http://www.youtube.com/user/LibraryOfCongress
- 30. UTC SPECIAL COLLECTIONSON YOUTUBE http://www.youtube.com/user/utclib/
- 31. DIGITIZING FOR YOURUSERS
- 32. DIGITIZATION • Why? • Yourusers want it! • Promote access • Demonstrate holdings • For remote users • Preservation • What? • Just about anything • Determined by plan • How? • Create a plan. See Handbook for Digital Projects www.nedcc.org/resources/digitalhandbook/dman.pdf
- 33. CSCC DIGITAL COLLECTIONS •Materials contributed from several sources. • Also serves as a service learning project for CSCC students
- 34. TSLA’S TENNESSEE VIRTUALARCHIVE
- 35. VOLUNTEER VOICES Statewide digitization program Goals: •Improve access to digital collections • Facilitate use • Offer training opportunities for staff to learn digitization standards/best practices Digital Collections from: • KCPL-McClung • MTSU • NPL • TN Encyclopedia of History & Culture • TeVA • Volunteer Voices
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- 38. WAYS TO SHAREFINDING AIDS 1. Put them online (users are expecting this more than ever) 2. Place the URL in the catalog record 3. Link to FA’s through website collection overviews 4. Create a Google Search for FA’s (or have IT build you a search) 5. Place FA’s in a national database (e.g. ArchiveGrid)
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- 42. WHY PHYSICAL EXHIBITS 1. Educationaland aesthetic purposes 2. Showcase types of materials found in the archive 3. Highlight new collections or hidden gems 4. Draw attention or interest to the special collections or archives department 5. In collaboration with other departmental events 6. To celebrate holidays 7. Pique interest to bring in new users
- 43. HOW TO DISPLAY EXHIBITS 1.Decide on a theme. • Such as a local event or an upcoming holiday. 2. Display options: • Covered display cases • Hang framed objects • Digital displays or screens • Offer interactive components if possible. • Even a simple guestbook for comments is a great way to engage the user. 3. Try to include a small note or card summarizing what the materials are and how they relate to the theme. • Display cases and digital displays may not be within the budget so get creative in deciding how you would like to show off items from you collection. • Creating posters using images of items from the collection or digitizing the images to display on your website could work.
- 44. WHAT TO INCLUDE INPHYSICAL EXHIBITS • Pamphlets, flyers, posters • Demonstrates types of ephemera held • Medallions, pens, awards • Shiny objects usually catch the eye of passerbys • Art • Cartoons, doodles, art gifts to the creators of the collections • Handwritten letters or postcards • Am I the only one that loves this kind of stuff? • Anything that seems unusual or unique, but still falls in line with the theme • Consider this a way to demonstrate the types of materials found within archives of which the general public may not be aware • Removing items from the collection can be tricky. Be sure you have a good tracking and replacement plan.
- 45. EXAMPLE: POLITICAL CARTOONS MODERNPOLITICAL ARCHIVE AT THE BAKER CENTER
- 46. EXAMPLE: COLLABORATION MPA ANDBAKER CENTER
- 47. CHALLENGES • Maintaining context •Online efforts will not reach everyone. • Blurring of lines between personal & professional in Web 2.0 endeavors • Maintaining quality and trust. • Avoiding the bandwagon. • Measuring success
- 48. WRAPPING IT UP •Don’t like these tools? Get creative. • Google+ • Pinterest • Blurbs in department newsletters on new finds • Things to Remember: • Have a goal • Make a plan • Tutorials are helpful • Have fun with it!