Web 2.0 Tools and Strategies for Archives and Local History Collections

Citation

Yeates, R. (2010), "Web 2.0 Tools and Strategies for Archives and Local History Collections", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 44 No. 4, pp. 404-405. https://doi.org/10.1108/00330331011083284

At the time of writing, Twitter, the Web 2.0 mainstream tool of the moment, has 175 people working at its headquarters in San Francisco; many archives and local studies departments have only one or two. With a background in rather larger archival institutions including the National Archives and Records Administration and the Smithsonian Institution, Kate Theimer is a blogger who plans to link the archival universe to the Web 2.0 social internet universe with the aid of her conference presentations, blogs and this book for beginners and those hesitant to make a move.

Acknowledging the fact that many find the idea of blogs, wikis and internet uploads inhibiting rather than exhilarating, Theimer addresses five “myths and misconceptions about Web 2.0” immediately after examining definitions of the topic and concluding that Web 2.0 is a buzzword for a host of community and collaborative approaches to using the web. The approach here is to present brief structured arguments for dipping toes in waters sooner rather than later.

The meat of the book continues the quite formally structured analysis of tools that have evolved to provide layers of potential involvement for archives in internet‐mediated communications. The first chapter on using blogs is typical: first the author asks “What is a blog?”, then proceeds to explore how a blog might be used by archives or local studies institutions, and finally there is an attempt to indicate how interested parties can get started.

The approach is not over technical, despite the amount of jargon that those unfamiliar with production of modern web sites face. Blogs and other Web 2.0 technologies are designed to make things easier for non‐geeks; specialist information skills and more generally applicable talk of content management systems seem largely put aside. There are clear descriptions of the basic concepts and facilities provided by blogs, and then a magazine‐style interview with a leading practitioner gives answers to FAQ type questions such as “what challenges did you face?” and “about how much time does it take?”, and adds depth and links the concepts to key issues faced by archivists seeking to embrace the web social tools.

The succinct book is suitable for students as well as hesitant practitioners, with each chapter describing a single type of tool, growing in sophistication and following a roughly chronological order of technical development. Chapters cover in turn: podcasts; the use of Flickr and other image‐sharing sites; YouTube and other video sharing sites; and Twitter (microblogging) then wikis and Facebook before considering in a single chapter mashups, widgets, online chat and Second Life. It is perhaps a measure of how far the web has matured over the last ten years that most of these tools should be recognisable for the lifetime of the printed book and even the proprietary names seem to have relatively long‐lasting influence as competitive technology gives way to strong social networks. It is often no longer a matter of who has the best technology, but of where you need to be to belong; but of course, you have to keep up with your peers.

It is therefore logical that Theimer next includes a chapter on “Measuring your success”. This chapter is extremely brief for such an important topic, but it does deal with it in an intelligent nutshell ideal for busy staff and should be enough to provoke thought. Having inspired thought, the author proceeds to outline the management considerations such as policies, legal matters, preservation and project planning.

After all that, the reader should be ready to take things forward locally or to support those who do so. Just in case they may be overwhelmed by all the tools and issues discussed, there is an encouraging list of seven tips for keeping yourself in “2.0” frame of mind. This is needed to deal with the challenging questions Theimer poses in the final chapter, starting with “How can we address user expectations?”

This book is certainly a practical introduction to careful consideration of a revised internet strategy for local studies and archives, as well as any institutions seeking to share their unique public content more widely. It will not add much technical knowledge for those willing to dive in and experiment, but might provoke prior thought and encourage good planning. For the less technically minded it offers an accessible discussion of key technologies already being widely used by information services, including a guide to additional resources and a good index. Whether it will put your archive in the communication league with Twitter's HQ staff may be questionable, but perhaps the time has come for archives to be used more widely and for more of their services to reflect the current interests and expectations of the general public whether silver surfers or surf dudes.