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Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage. Progress report and content specification Steering group meeting Feb 2005 Richard Butterworth. Overview. Recap what I said I would do Show what I have done Discuss what’s next. Recap. Christmas 2004

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Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

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  1. Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage Progress report and content specification Steering group meeting Feb 2005 Richard Butterworth Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  2. Overview... • Recap what I said I would do • Show what I have done • Discuss what’s next Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  3. Recap... • Christmas 2004 • Prototype tutorials, finish backend system, finish digitisation system • Prototype tutorials: very briefly • Finish backend system: nearly • Finish digitisation system: overtaken by events Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  4. Recap • Backend system • Stores site structure, and page information as XML pages • These are converted into browser independent web pages • Maintainers are automatically informed of problems Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  5. Shmml Site system (Senate House Maintainable Markup Language) Glossary Glossary Glossary Glossary Glossary Glossary Glossary HTML Glossary Shmml Site Glossary Glossary Shmml Editor user interface Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  6. Hiding the technology... Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  7. <script language="javascript"> function showMenu( menu_id ) { var mymenu = document.getElementById( "menu" + menu_id + "drop" ); mymenu.style.visibility = 'visible'; } function hideMenu( menu_id ) { var mymenu = document.getElementById( "menu" + menu_id + "drop" ); mymenu.style.visibility = 'hidden'; } var topRefs = [ 'index.html', 'about.html', 'staff.html', 'news.html', 'stakeholders.html', 'links.html', 'documents.html' ]; var menus = [ [ 'Home' ], [ 'About', 'Introduction', 'Aims', 'Objectives', 'Workplans' ], [ 'Staff' ], [ 'News', '9 Aug 04' ], [ 'Stakeholders' ], [ 'Links' ], [ 'Documents', 'AAMH 1.3', 'AAMH 2', 'AAMH 3', 'AAMH 4' ] ]; var menuRefs = [ [ 'index.html' ], [ 'about.html', 'intro.html', 'aims.html', 'objectives.html', 'workplans.html' ], [ 'staff.html' ], [ 'news.html', 'news.html#9aug04' ], [ 'stakeholders.html' ], [ 'links.html' ], [ 'documents.html', 'AAMH1.3.pdf', 'AAMH2.pdf', 'AAMH3.pdf', 'AAMH4.pdf' ] ]; var drops = [ 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0 ]; function writeMenu( menu_num ) { var DOMCapable; if( document.getElementById ) DOMmenu( ); else preDOMmenu( ); } function preDOMmenu( menu_num ) { document.writeln( '<table><tr>' ); for( var i = 0; i < menus.length; i++ ) { document.writeln( '<td valign="top" style="padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px">' ); for( var j = 0; j < menus[i].length; j++ ) { if( j == 0) document.writeln( '<a style="font-size: small" href="' + menuRefs[i][j] + '">' + menus[i][j] + '</a>' ); else document.writeln( '<br/><a style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal"' + 'href="' + menuRefs[i][j] + '">' + menus[i][j] + '</a>' ); } document.writeln( '</td>' ); } document.writeln( '</tr></table>' ); } Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  8. Shmml <menu> <menuitem> <as><address uri=“about.html”>About</as> </menuitem> <menuitem> <as><address uri=“intro.html”>Introduction</as> </menuitem> <menuitem> <as><address uri=“aims.html”>Aims</as> </menuitem> <menuitem> <as><address uri=“objectives.html”>Objectives</as> </menuitem> <menuitem> <as><address uri=“wps.html”>Workplans</as> </menuitem> </menu> Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  9. Shmml Site <shmmlsite> <page src=“home.xml” /> <container> <page src=“about.xml” /> <page src=“intro.xml” /> <page src=“aims.xml” /> <page src=“objectives.xml” /> <page src=“wps.xml” /> </container> <page src=“staff.xml” /> . . . </shmmlsite> Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  10. The maintainer’s interface... Shmml Site Editor New page home.xml about.xml Add page aims.xml objectives.xml Home page wps.xml staff.xml Generate menus news.xml links.xml Save Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  11. Backend system... • 3 XML formats implemented • Glossary • Shmml • ShmmlSite • All documented using ‘XML Schemas’ (W3C standard) • Converter implemented • HTML4 • Nearly MSIE6, pre Document Object Model Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  12. Editor... • ShmmlSite editor working fully • Shmml editor nearly finished • Needs a general tidy up Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  13. What’s still to do... • MSIE6 compatibility, tidy up editor • Port converter to unix (should be easy) • Will install linux on the project laptop to test • Install converter on ULCC server • Evaluation • Install editor on Mura’s machine, so she can use it in anger • Bug reports and corrections for remainder of project Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  14. Liaison • Links established with: • Camden Local History Society (visit to SHL and presentation to meeting) • West Middlesex Family History Society (visit to SHL and to present to their AGM in March) • London Archive User’s Forum (visit to SHL and another planned) • Heraldry society • Two interviews with users, some volunteers for focus group Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  15. Content specification • Primary specification from AAMH2 • Target user groups: local and family history groups • Produce one site aimed at both groups • If we expand target groups then maybe one site per group • Beginners: tutorials • Not beginners: questions to archives examples Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  16. Primary specification (AAMH2) • Example driven tutorials • Interactive discussion boards • Database of questions and archives • Annotated links • Searchable catalogue • Digitised resources Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  17. Home page Tutorials Archive tutorials What are archives? What can I use archives for? How do I get access to archives? Which archives should I use? How do I find what I’m looking for? Research tutorials Why should I do research? What is a research question? What is my research question? Family history research questions Local history research questions From collecting facts to deeper understanding Publishing your research Identifying archives Family history archives Local history archives Discussion groups Family history discussion Local history discussion Ask the expert Links and other resources Family history sites Local history sites Other tutorials and guides Palaeography and transcription Translation Senate House Library resources Contextual help Content specification... Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

  18. What’s next... • Proactive liaison • Chase up all contacts • Keep chasing... • Write tutorials • Based on our liaison • Stealing good ideas from elsewhere • Compile question to archive examples • Discussion group software • Digital content based on collection strengths (AAMH7) Accessing our archival and manuscript heritage

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