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Archive Discovery

Digital Archives vs. Digital Exhibits

  Digital Archive Digital Exhibit
Title May include the word "archive" (but not always) May include the word "exhibit" (but not always)
Topic May be narrow or quite broad Usually fairly narrow
Content "Raw" items, sometimes grouped into collections, and accompanied with metadata and simple descriptions Specifically selected items from one or more archives
Presentation   Items are put certain together in a certain order to tell a story or convey a message.
Audience More useful to specialists in a specific field Accessible to a general audience
Text Usually not much lengthy text, apart from basic descriptions Usually lots of text about a historical event or person
Home Page Will encourage users to search or browse the collection Will encourage visitors to "Start Here" or "View the Exhibit" and content will usually proceed in a specific order
Pages Many individual pages will resemble search results or a library catalog Pages resemble an essay or article

But: A digital exhibit can be a discovery tool for finding an archive:

  • Look for the exhibit's credits or acknowledgements page.
  • Find the names of archives and institutions which contributed to the exhibit.
  • Dig deeper into those institution websites in search of an actual digital archive, finding aids or collection descriptions if the collection is not digitized.
  • If the collection is not digitized and you are relying primarily on textual descriptions of the contents, you might refer to individual digital pieces in the exhibit as examples of why you believe the physical collection's contents will contribute to your proposed research project. 

Anatomy of a Digital Archive

 

Inner Asia Digital Archive

from the American Center for Mongolian Studies

Anatomy of a Digital Archive:

  1. Starts with instructions for use or details about the collection itself, not a story.
  2. Prominently placed search box and browse options.
  3. Individual items include detailed metadata such as Publisher, Contributor, or Collection.
  4. Bonus Tip: Omeka is an open source software for displaying archives and scholarly collections. Similarly, ContentDM is one of the major software products used to house digital archives.

Anatomy of a Digital Exhibit

Mongols in World History

from the Weatherland East Asia Institute at Columbia University

Anatomy of a digital exhibit

Anatomy of a Digital Exhibit:

  1. Pages begin with headings like you would see in an essay.
  2. Contains long passages of text like an essay.
  3. Contains a few small historical images, but they are treated as less important than the text.
  4. Bottom of pages includes links such as "Continue to next page," like a tour that goes in order.