84 · Survey Results: Survey Questions And Responses
(By databases, I mean bibliographic databases.) Moderate increase in awareness of collections. Becoming less
significant as volume of finding aids available increases and searching mechanisms refined.
Database access has been restricted to internal reference use.
Databases are developed to complement collections not processed to the item level resulting in increased researcher
interest.
Databases for in-house use and access to location information and basic collection management information is made
easier.
Databases for several of our collections makes searching more efficient and productive. None of these databases are
currently available for anything but onsite access but we are making plans to make some of them accessible online.
Databases we are in include Archives USA, WorldCat, and Archives Grid. An increased focus, because of contributing
to WorldCat, on creating catalog records for collections at all levels of processing. Otherwise, don’t know that there has
been a specific impact besides that stated about having finding aids online: With minimal processing, we’ve gone with
the idea that some info is better than none and having any information on the Web will enhance access. Finding aids for
full, minimally, or preliminarily processed collections are posted. Ability to keyword search has probably made it easier
to accept minimal processing as adequate for a collection ever to receive. Also has affected cataloging records since we
don’t have to try to jam as much as we can into a MARC record any more for it to be findable online.
Depends on the database. Adding collection-level records to the bibliographic database does not seem to generate or
increase use. Once a finding aid has been Googled or crawled by another indexer, use is often immediate.
Don’t provide access through databases.
Don’t really utilize this.
Extremely important for us since ARCHEION and CAIN are used to locate archives. We do not use databases at our own
Web sites.
Finding aids are made available through OPAC, which expands the range of users. We take into consideration patron
needs and anticipate collection use, which may affect processing priorities.
Has allowed for quicker easier access at the item level.
Has no effect.
If you consider Online Archive of California a database, this has proven very helpful to the academic community — but
the wider world Googles you. All Internet presence enhances use, often by offsite researchers who cannot visit, and who
expect everything to be digitized. So sometimes providing descriptions but no related digital content can be frustrating
to researchers, and not everything can be digitized.
Images and other materials that are included in our online databases must be prepared for scanning and item-level
description, these are the only items with this level of description.
Little.
MARC records encourages minimal processing to provide at least collection-level access.
Need content management system. Some use with OAC.
Need to process/reprocess to address historical anomalies in how material is described.
No impact though there are considerations of data input, interface connections, and maintenance.
(By databases, I mean bibliographic databases.) Moderate increase in awareness of collections. Becoming less
significant as volume of finding aids available increases and searching mechanisms refined.
Database access has been restricted to internal reference use.
Databases are developed to complement collections not processed to the item level resulting in increased researcher
interest.
Databases for in-house use and access to location information and basic collection management information is made
easier.
Databases for several of our collections makes searching more efficient and productive. None of these databases are
currently available for anything but onsite access but we are making plans to make some of them accessible online.
Databases we are in include Archives USA, WorldCat, and Archives Grid. An increased focus, because of contributing
to WorldCat, on creating catalog records for collections at all levels of processing. Otherwise, don’t know that there has
been a specific impact besides that stated about having finding aids online: With minimal processing, we’ve gone with
the idea that some info is better than none and having any information on the Web will enhance access. Finding aids for
full, minimally, or preliminarily processed collections are posted. Ability to keyword search has probably made it easier
to accept minimal processing as adequate for a collection ever to receive. Also has affected cataloging records since we
don’t have to try to jam as much as we can into a MARC record any more for it to be findable online.
Depends on the database. Adding collection-level records to the bibliographic database does not seem to generate or
increase use. Once a finding aid has been Googled or crawled by another indexer, use is often immediate.
Don’t provide access through databases.
Don’t really utilize this.
Extremely important for us since ARCHEION and CAIN are used to locate archives. We do not use databases at our own
Web sites.
Finding aids are made available through OPAC, which expands the range of users. We take into consideration patron
needs and anticipate collection use, which may affect processing priorities.
Has allowed for quicker easier access at the item level.
Has no effect.
If you consider Online Archive of California a database, this has proven very helpful to the academic community — but
the wider world Googles you. All Internet presence enhances use, often by offsite researchers who cannot visit, and who
expect everything to be digitized. So sometimes providing descriptions but no related digital content can be frustrating
to researchers, and not everything can be digitized.
Images and other materials that are included in our online databases must be prepared for scanning and item-level
description, these are the only items with this level of description.
Little.
MARC records encourages minimal processing to provide at least collection-level access.
Need content management system. Some use with OAC.
Need to process/reprocess to address historical anomalies in how material is described.
No impact though there are considerations of data input, interface connections, and maintenance.
