1. A Question of Interpretation The role of archivists in an online age Amanda Hill University of Manchester, UK

2.  “How others see us”  Do others see us?  Does it matter whether they see us?

3. Role of archivists  Same as it ever was…  To provide access to information  To interpret our records for users through descriptions and exhibitions  To keep things safe

4. So what’s changed? TechnologyExpectations

5. Technology  Rapidly changing  Opening up new audiences  Taking us out of our comfort zone

6. Expectations  Users expect to be able to find everything on the Internet (preferably through search engines)  New audiences have their own requirements for interpretation, which may be different from those of traditional users

7. Archives Hub  Developing since 1999: a union catalogue for archives held in universities, colleges and other organisations throughout the UK –Funded by the JISC  Now holds c.20,000 finding aids from 150 institutions  Funded for UK academic community, but free for anyone to use

8. Rapid change in role for archivists

9. Relationships with users  Small staff in many archives  More contact between archivists and users than there often is in, for example, libraries and museums  We know our traditional users and their needs well

10. Gatekeeper  Users had to talk to archivists before finding aids were available more widely  We interpreted our finding aids for them, within the repository Duke Humfrey’s Library, Bodleian, www.visitbritain.com

11. Gatekeeper  Users had to talk to archivists before finding aids were available more widely  We interpreted our finding aids for them, within the repository Duke Humfrey’s Library, Bodleian, www.visitbritain.com There is a vast amount of information available at the Bodleian concerning its manuscripts, but only a tiny fraction is currently available online; we intend progressively to make more information available at this website, as and when resources permit. http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/wmss/medieval/medieval.htm

12.  Work we’ve done in putting finding aids and digital versions of archives online has changed that gatekeeper role entirely  Our knowledge and expertise has to be transferred into the finding aid or metadata – many existing finding aids not up to the job  The user no longer ‘sees’ or is aware of the existence of the archivist Online, things change

13. Users  May not need to know about archivists  …if they can find what they need online

14. Consequence of visit to Hub site Survey, May 2006, part of a JISC review of resource discovery services

15. We need to change what we do  Different types of users have differing requirements  New interpretative skills are required to meet their respective needs  Cataloguing needs to take new context (and users) of finding aids into account –Revisiting Archival Collections project

16. Interpreting users’ needs  Important to stay in touch with users  Some are easy to talk to – traditional users  Others more difficult – potential users, casual online users

17. Particular problem for Archives Hub as a purely online service  Lack of direct contact with users –Rely on online questionnaires or participation of contributing institutions –Difficult to get significant level of response (survey fatigue) –Bribery works to a degree

19. June 2005 (163 responses)

20. Target audience…

21. Current survey

22. Interpreting technology  Understanding technological developments and applying them for the benefit of users and archivists –Without implementing new technology for technology’s sake  Sometimes easier to get funding for the new and exciting at the expense of core work –…but some new developments are low-cost and easy to implement – so worth experimenting with

23. Interpreting jargon  300 archival terms provided to interpreters at a recent European conference

24. More jargon (Image of search interface featuring archival jargon)  Keep jargon away from end users!

25. Online finding aids  Jargon-free  Written with a general audience in mind  Available through search engines  All collections catalogued, if only at a minimal level –But the more detailed the better  Linking to digital surrogates or originals where possible  Capable of displaying contributions from people outside the repository

26. Best of both worlds TechnologyExpectationsSatisfied users

27. Side effects…  In opening up resources online, archivists and other information professionals are becoming increasingly invisible…  …whilst reaching a larger audience than ever

28. Focus attention where it matters  Paymasters  Advocates

29. Must find  Meaningful ways of measuring: –Use –Impact

30. So…  If our users can find what they need and easily understand it  If our paymasters understand and value what we do  It doesn’t matter if our professional public profile is low or non-existent…  …as long as the value and importance of our records and archives is understood

31. Gatekeeper (Image of Sigourney Weaver as the Gatekeeper in Ghostbusters) Keymaster (Image of Rick Moranis as the Keymaster in Ghostbusters)