Subject Guides for ArchivesEva Guggemos

"The Metadata is the Interface"-Jennifer Schaffner, OCLC Research (2009)

• Most people start their research with Google• Most people look at finding aids without

encountering the archivist or even the home page of the archive for help

• Most people want to search by topical keywords -- not by provenance or format of material

Aboutness

How do we help novices become

adepts?

http://guides.library.yale.edu/europeanhistory

http://pacificu.libguides.com/archives

"What are archives exactly?"

(good question!)

"I'm looking at the finding aid..." 

(and I am still confused about what I am looking at)

"I only found one item on my topic."

(I wonder if I'm searching for the right thing?)

• What are archives?• How they are usually arranged/described• How to put together a good search• Where to search (the annotated bibliography)• How to get access once you've found something

Included:

• Take advantage of its modularity: re-use and share what you make

• For best results, be prepared to do some light coding and Photoshopping

• Simplify your advice down to the essentials 

Some advice on the LibGuides platform:

Eva Guggemosguggemos@pacificu.edu