Projects & Archives
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Evaluating Archives - Week 1 Activity
Evaluating Archives
Criteria from class: You may choose several criteria from this list, or come up with your own.
- Is it clear what kind of materials are in the collection?
- How easy is the interface to navigate?
- What is the organizing principle?
- How are the items contextualized? (Historically, socially, thematically, etc.)
- Who is the audience? (Are they casual viewers, specialized scholars, or someone else?)
- Does the archive make reference to a physical exhibition space?
- Does the archive provide direct access to the collection materials?
- How does the archive make its collection continuously relevant? Is it updated?
- Are there links to scholarship, writing, or events that involve the archive?
- How consistent is the archive across different sections, items, or pages?
- What tools does the archive offer for filtering, sorting, or reorganizing?
- What is the archive’s aesthetic? Is the visual layout effective?
- What does the archive institution ask from you, and why? (Personal data, signup, surveys, advertising, etc)
- Who is the archive’s curator? When and where did/does curation take place?
- What possibilities exist (within the interface) for creative or generative interaction with the archival materials? Is there a place to add/share your own insights?
- Is there social media integration, and how useful is it? Are there other ways to interact with fellow visitors?
- What are the possibilities and restrictions for exploration?
- Waht data are available? Missing? Hidden?
- How well does the interface suit the collection materials?
- How does the interface utilize non-visual sensation (such as sound, emotion, affect)?
- What is surprising about the archive?
- What aspects are strongest and weakest?
For further inspiration, you may also wish to view some evaluations of archives from students in “Critical Digital Archives,” a course taught at UT Austin by Hannah Alpert-Abrams and Kelly McDonough.
Archives from class:
Massachusetts Historical Society Adams Family Papers
The Metropolitan Opera Archives
Office for Metropolitan Architecture (Rem Koolhaas)
MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies - Special Collection
Other archives:
Archives of the International Tracing Service (ITS)
Australian Live Performance Database
EMA - Erich Mendelsohn Archive Correspondence of Erich and Luise Mendelsohn 1910-1953
French Revolution Digital Archive
Harvard Art Museums’ Bauhaus Archive
Images d’art - ARTWORKS FROM FRENCH MUSEUMS
Museum of Modern Art Exhibitions Archive