Guy Grannum16 June 2008

Your Archives

ALISS AGM

What is Your Archives?

• It is a wiki• A programme which allows you to create or edit a webpage

through your web browser• Best example is Wikipedia

• Uses the wisdom of crowds and experts• It is accessible• It is knowledge• It is exciting !• It is simple to use

Some statistics (24 April 2007-30 April 2008 – 1 st year)

• 746,500 visits• 24% arrive from Google

• 6,728,159 page views• 5,632 articles• 8,071 registered users• 101,774 page edits

Why have we done this?

• Feedback from researchers and staff• Enable us to capture and reuse knowledge about records• Allow both staff and readers to contribute this knowledge• Enable constant improvement and fine-tuning of information

and advice• Allow us to find out more about our online users and to be at

the forefront of Web 2.0 implementation in archives

What have we done?

• Created links from:• Catalogue (reciprocated with links to the Catalogue)• National Register of Archives (manual links back)• Considering similar links from NDAD, ERO &

documentsonline (can use URLs)• Seeded Your Archives with

• Almost 700 reading room memoranda• 10 Research Guides & 29 Source Sheets• And various finding aids

What can you do on Your Archives?

• Search over 3000 articles• Browse using categories• Correct or update an article• Create a new article adding information to the Catalogue and

National Register of Archives entries, expanding upon Research Guides or transcribing documents on DocumentsOnline

Challenges

• Spam• Moderating

• Content• Links

• Language• Vanity pages & links to virtual archives• Breach of legislation

• Copyright, DPA, FOI, anti-terrorism