Many organizations have evolved since their early attempts to mount digital exhibits on the Web and are experimenting with ways to increase the scale of their digitized collections by utilizing archival finding aid description rather than resource-intensive collections and exhibits. This article examines usability research to predict how such…

This article presents the results from a usability study of the finding aid Web display at the Southern Historical Collection. The results show that Internet proficiency may be slightly more important than archival expertise when navigating online finding aids, that novice users are able to attain a considerable understanding of finding aids…

This article examined the search functions for all individual EAD Web sites listed on the Library of Congress Web site in 2003. In particular, the type of search engine, search modes, options for searching, search results display, search feedback, and other features of the search systems were studied. The data analysis suggests that there have…

The study investigated implications of variations in EAD [Encoded Archival Description]-encoded finding aids on the Web. A content analysis methodology was used to examine five different aspects of EAD finding aids: (1) data elements; (2) labeling terminology; (3) navigation; (4) browsing; (5) searching. Seventeen EAD finding aid web sites…

As more archival metadata and archival records become available online, providing effective interfaces to those materials is increasingly important to give users access. This article describes five approaches from the hypertext and visualization research communities which can be used to improve such access: (1) navigating hierarchical structures,…

Many of those now accessing archives through online finding aids are encountering primary materials (albeit virtually) for the first time. These users are often unfamiliar with finding aid structure, terminology, and principles. This article reports on a qualitative, exploratory study of a subset of these novice users. The study concentrated on…