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Abstract
The Rubenstein Library at Duke University holds several large, complex collections. Describing these collections and making obvious the interconnectivity of each collection's various components has proven difficult within the framework of the archival collection guide, and as such can be perceived as daunting. Patrons can miss important connections or fail to understand the creator's role across collections. To address the particular needs of these collections, staff from Duke University has experimented with EAC-CPF during the past 2 years with the intent of supporting patrons in navigating the collections and therefore having greater success in finding all relevant and related materials.
Notes
1See http://exhibits.library.duke.edu/exhibits/show/dorisduke. The interactive map was a new digital project for the Rubenstein Library. Initiated by the Doris Duke Collection Archivist, it was developed in collaboration with the Digital Projects and Production Services department at Duke. The map allowed visitors to access and interact with some of the materials in the collection in a new and innovative way. By the end of the exhibit, over 8,000 virtual visitors had explored the map.
2The decision to divide the Doris Duke Collection into smaller collections was based on the organization of the materials by the donor.
3Because of the complexity of the collection and transfers of additional materials, by August 2011 approximately half of the materials in the collection had been processed. It was estimated 2 more years were needed to finish processing the collection.
4Up until 2008 there were two Duke Gardens; Doris Duke's Duke Gardens in Somerville, New Jersey, and Duke Gardens at Duke University. Without creator information available, patrons found it difficult to determine which Duke Gardens was being represented.
5At the time of this project the Rubenstein Library Collection Guide Page search functionality was very different. Faceted searches were not available and search results only returned the titles of collection guides.
6Society of American Archivists, Describing Archives: A Content Standard, Second Edition (Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2013): 6.3
7Daniel V. Pitti, “Technology and the Transformation of Archival Description,” Journal of Archival Organization 3, no. 2/3 (2005): 20–21.
8Richard V. Szary, “Encoded Archival Context (EAC-CPF) and Archival Description: Rationale and Background,” Journal of Archival Organization 3, no. 2/3 (2005): 218.
9James Buchanan Duke (1856–1925) was the founder of Duke Energy and benefactor of Duke University. Doris Duke was his only child.
10Around this time the project archivist had been asked to be the keynote speaker at the Friends of the Duke University Libraries annual dinner to be held in May 2012. The program was about Doris Duke and the event was a great opportunity to debut a new interactive tool.
11See http://www.simile-widgets.org/timeline/. Simile was initially selected because it was a free, out-of-the-box, customizable open-source software.
12Szary, “Encoded Archival Context (EAC-CPF),” 217.
13See EAC-CPF Tag Library, accessed November 13, 2013, http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/eac/cpf/tagLibrary/cpfTagLibrary.html.
15EAC-CPF Tag Library.
18The timeline was featured in a “Crazy Smart” ad for the Duke University Libraries magazine in the 2012 summer issue, available at http://library.duke.edu/support/crazy-smart-doris-duke, and in several library-centric blog posts. It was also highlighted in the September/October 2012 Archival Outlook magazine.
19At the time of this writing, the portal has been accessed over 5,000 times, with patrons spending approximately 6 minutes browsing the portal.