Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art

Address:  750 9th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20560

When:  August 10, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Details:  Tour; 20-person limit; pre-registration not required

About:  Join a tour and discussion of the Archives of American Art’s Collections Online—a web interface that provides user-friendly and contextual access to fully digitized archival collections. Using an archival approach rather than a curatorial approach, the Archives has been able to digitize 100 individual collections represented in more than 500 linear feet and totaling circa one million digital files as part of its Terra Foundation for American Art Digitization Program. The interface provides users with a virtual reading room experience by presenting the collection online in the same order as it is physically and intellectually arranged. It takes advantage of the descriptive information found in EAD finding aids and repurposes that data to create file directories, descriptive metadata, and online contextual navigation. The tour will cover workflow and scanning efficiencies, technical infrastructure, equipment, and the building of the online interface.

Contact:  Barbara Aikens, www.aaa.si.edu