Introduction to Web 2.0 for Archives

What is Web 2.0?

Its not:

• just a buzzword

• a revolution

• all about technology

• just for teenagers

It’s a state of mind• Be open

• Encourage participation

• Provide good user experience

Benefits of participating

Web 2.0 approach and tools can give an archive:• Increased awareness of collections

• Varied access points

• Diversification of users

• Improved relationships & links in the sector

• Additional information about collections

• New dynamic ways to engage

The era of control is over:

You can either stay in the bunker, or you can jump out there and try to participate, to not participate is

criminal.- Ed Dilworth, Wired Magazine

Archives have extraordinary content and the ability to touch real people

= a duty to engage and share

Why participate?

Vs

Web 2.0 Technologies

Flickr Use to:• Share digital images• Collect images• Collect comments• Link to your official site

Example:ArchivesOnFlickr

WikisUse to:• Capture user knowledge• Add value• Give users a forum• Revise catalogues safely!

Example:Your Archives

Web 2.0 Technologies

Podcasts Use to:

• Share recordings with wider audience

• Record talks, instructions for using archive and audio transcriptions of documents

Example:

TNA - Podcast Series

VideosUse to:

• Share films and digital media

• Connect with different user base

• Allow reuse of material

• Provide information and instructions

Example:

National Library of Scotland - NLofScotland

Blogs

Are websites with frequently updated posts, links to other sites and reader comments

Use to:• Communicate

• Host online exhibits

• Collection of the month or Whimsy (Mustaches of the 19th Century)

• Highlight treasures

• Transcripts of diaries or letters (George Orwell / Robert Burns)

• Subject based (Business Archives Scotland)

• Share news about your repository (British Cartoon Archive)

• Document the processing of a collection (John Murray Archive)

Twitter (microblogging)

Use to:• Similar to blogs but shorter posts

• Share news

• Tweet letters, diaries, postcards

• Answer user queries

Examples:• Edwardian postcard project at Lancaster University tweets excerpts from postcards in their collection..

• West Yorkshire Archive Services are using twitter as a news service

Blogs: a tale of 2 blogs

Glasgow University Archive Services• Part of larger library services blog

• Focus on publicising events, websites, launches and projects

• Encourage staff to post about personal experiences or research interests

• Stats since May: 4950 views, 86 in total (24 from archives)

Ballast Blog• Organisational blog about our collections and working life

• Focus on images

• Only archivist posting at present

• Stats since May: 641 views, 45 posts

How to find your way?

Think • What do you want your blog to do?

Make time• Commit to regular blog posts

• Take time to learn what other organisations are doing

Create an organisational identity• This allows multiple members of staff to work on it and is more ”official”

Make the internet work for you• Create a start page

• Use bookmarks

Let the Internet do the work

• Different accounts available (igoogle, netvibes, bloglines)

• Allow you to collate news feeds, blogs, twitter comments, bookmarks, flickr, articles

• Pushes content to you in one place for comment or action

• Saves time

• Make it a part of your daily routine

Create a “start page”

Questions

Get in touch k.king@archives.gla.ac.uk

01505 328488

More examples availablehttp://www.webwatchingforarchivists.blogspot.com