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Re: Archival Collection On-Line



At 03:15 PM 12/23/99 -0800, you wrote:
>Like many researchers, one of my first questions when I find materials
>on the Web is "can I print it?"  The finding aid prints nicely, though
>it would be nice to have the option of getting the whole thing in one
>file for printing purposes.  Some of the item images will not print
>nicely (e.g., Sitio Conte 1940 Map and J. Alden Mason Diary (1940)).

The images will _not_ print nicely.  The resolution is too low.  This is
partly intentional and partly the way the web works.

>The object images and maps are beautiful and provide a terrific level of
>detail.  It's great to get the object and negative number with the
>objects.  I do find it frustrating when the images do not fit in the
>frame--especially as I can't adjust the frame width.  (I'm using a 17"
>monitor at 800x600.)  I did appreciate being able to read the details on
>the maps.

We debated about that, and I agree that it would be more attractive and
less bothersome if the whole image fit inside the frame.  However, in the
long run the real users of this material will benefit from having a larger
image, especially when you consider some of the tiny and/or horrific
handwritings.  You can also open the image side of the frame into a
separate web window (this is a feature of the web browsers: if you use
Windows you right-click on the frame to get a menu; if you use a Mac just
hold the mouse button down over the frame until the menu pops up).

>Why do you have a separate set of container lists with links to the
>items?  Why not have only one list or set of lists with the links?  It
>is a little confusing to have to click in another frame to get to an
>identical list with links.

One reason is that we didn't want the navigation bar to get too big and
unwieldy.  It really took a lot of time to put together, and it would have
been much more difficult to put all the folder titles on the navigation
bar.  We included the complete list of folder titles under the initial page
of "Container List" so that the user could print it out in one piece.  But
when the user is looking at the images and records, we wanted him/her to
know where they were in relation to the other series.  You will notice that
the name of the series is highlighted when you are looking at records from
a particular series.

>The list of related materials found under Additional Information is much
>easier to understand than the paragraph and links in Scope & Contents.
>Could you link to Additional Information from Scope & Contents?  (And it
>would help to have the Peabody Museum title be a link in the right frame
>for Related Archival Collections.)

I will look into these suggestions.  Thanks.

>I was happy to find that bookmarks seem to work as expected despite the
>frames (;>)
>
>Congratulations again!
>
>Naomi Nelson
>Special Collections
>Emory University

Sincerely,

Alex Pezzati
Reference Archivist
University of Pennsylvania Museum Archives
33rd & Spruce Sts.
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6324

Tel.:   (215) 898-8304
Fax:    (215) 898-0657
e-mail: apezzati@sas.upenn.edu
www:    http://www.upenn.edu/museum/

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