Research Summary
2012 March 2
A. Introduction
The project will build a user-centered and sustainable tool that brings together digitized
content and detailed metadata from archival and manuscript collections. This will create
access to digitized objects and their collections in context to better meet the needs of
avocational researchers, college and university faculty, administrators, college and
university students, and family historians. During design and build of the tool, subjects
will give feedback on the design and functionality of the Cross-Search and Context
Utility. On completion of the tool, a summative evaluation performed by an outside
evaluator will measure the project's success. For both subjects will be drawn from users
of archives at the University of Oregon and seven partner institutions.
For items B through I, each answer is divided according to its applicability to the two
sub-projects: general user feedback during design/build of the Cross-Search and Context
Utility and the summative evaluation at the conclusion of the project.
B. Specific Aims
1. User Feedback: Give feedback on design and functionality of the Cross-Search and
Context Utility during design and build.
2. Summative Evaluation: Give feedback on the Cross-Search and Context Utility after it
is built to measure the project’s success.
C. Methods of Data Collection and Analysis
1. User Feedback: Interviews with web-based card sorting, review of wire frames, and
usability testing. Subjects will spend a maximum of 20 minutes on the task. Interviews
will be recorded and transcribed for analysis. Results will be aggregated to guide revision
and development of the tool.
2. Summative Evaluation: Web-based interviews, recorded and transcribed for analysis.
Results will be aggregated in a report prepared by the evaluator for the project.
D. Description of the Subject Population, Research Setting, and Subject
Recruitment Procedures
1. User Feedback:
Subject population is the five priority user groups for the project: college and university
students, college and university professors, avocational researchers, administrators, and
genealogists/family historians. Subjects must be in one of these groups to be included.
The research setting is through GoToMeeting.
Subjects will be recruited through the University of Oregon Libraries and seven partner
institutions on the project as follows: researchers who are in one of the five priority
groups for the study will be distributed an invitation in paper or via email to fill out an
online survey to participate in the study. Individuals at the University of Oregon and
seven partner institutions will not further explain the study or otherwise engage in subject
recruitment. (See attached invitation and survey)
2. Summative Evaluation: Subject population is the five priority user groups for the
project: college and university students, college and university professors, avocational
researchers, administrators, and genealogists/family historians.
The research setting is through GoToMeeting.
Subjects will be recruited through the University of Oregon Libraries and seven partner
institutions on the project as follows: researchers who are in one of the five priority
groups for the study will be distributed an invitation in paper or via email to fill out an
online survey to participate in the study. Individuals at the University of Oregon and
seven partner institutions will not further explain the study or otherwise engage in subject
recruitment. (See attached invitation and survey)
E. Informed Consent Procedure
1. User Feedback: Consent form will form the third page of the recruitment survey. (See
attached)
2. Summative Evaluation: Consent form will form the third page of the recruitment
survey. (See attached)
F. Provisions for subject and data confidentiality
1. User Feedback: We will collect names and email addresses only through an online
survey for purpose of contacting subjects and collecting feedback. No other personally
identifying information will be collected. Names and email addresses will be destroyed
when the project is completed.
2. Summative Evaluation: We will collect names and email addresses only through an
online survey for purpose of contacting subjects and collecting feedback. No other
personally identifying information will be collected. Names and email addresses will be
destroyed when the project is completed.
G. Statement of potential research risks for subjects
1. User Feedback: None.
2. Summative Evaluation: None.
H. Statement of potential research benefits
1. User Feedback: None.
2. Summative Evaluation: None.
I. Investigator experience
Investigator holds IRB certification from the University of Michigan and successfully
completed research with human subjects in 2008-2009. Copy of CV attached.
Recruitment Invitation
1. General:
Our archives, [fill in name of organization], is a member of a regional organization, the
Northwest Digital Archives (NWDA) (http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/index.shtmlwhich
provides enhanced access to information about archives in Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
Montana, and Alaska. As a member of this consortium, we are able to provide access to
our collections to researchers like you. In order to help design a future system that will
offer much expanded access to digitized archival collections across the Northwest, the
NWDA is conducting interviews with people who have been researchers at participating
repositories.
Interviews will be conducted through GoToMeeting, an online meeting service, and will
last from ten to fifteen minutes. You will be shown the website and asked to comment on
specific features as we develop them.
Your name and contact information will be kept strictly private and will not be revealed
in any way when results of the study are used to help improve services.
We hope that you will help us design the future system. If you are interested, please go to
[link to survey] to indicate your interest. Thank you!
2. Summative Evaluation:
Our archives, [fill in name of organization], is a member of a regional organization, the
Northwest Digital Archives (NWDA) (http://nwda.orbiscascade.org/index.shtmlwhich
provides enhanced access to information about archives in Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
Montana, and Alaska. As a member of this consortium, we are able to provide access to
our collections to researchers like you. We’ve developed an innovative system that offers
greatly expanded access to digitized archival collections across the Northwest, and
NWDA has hired an evaluator, [name of evaluator] to determine how successful that
system.
Interviews will be conducted through GoToMeeting, an online meeting service, and will
last 45 minutes to one hour and all interviewees will get a $20.00 Amazon or iTunes gift
certificate. You will be shown the website and asked to comment on the
functionality and whether it meets your needs as a researcher.
Your name and contact information will be kept strictly private and will not be revealed
in any way when results of the study are used to help improve services.
We hope that you will help us design the future system. If you are interested, please go to
[link to survey] to indicate your interest. Thank you!
Recruitment Survey
1. General:
Page 1. Do any of the following categories describe you?
Yes/no
College or university student who uses or has used primary-source
materials from archives for your school work.
Yes/no
College/university professor who uses or has used primary-source
materials from archives for research or teaching.
Yes/no
Administrator who uses or has used primary-source materials from
archives for your work (locating historical reports, images, film, or audio to support legal,
physical plant/architectural or planning, legislative, or similar work).
Yes/no
Genealogist who uses or has used primary-source materials from archives
to support genealogy or family history work.
Yes/no
Avocational researcher who uses or has used primary-source materials
from archives to support research or projects that you do for pleasure, not as a paid
profession.
Page 2. (If no to all) Thanks for your interest in assisting us. We’re only interviewing
subjects that fit one of the five profiles listed on the last page. (Survey will exit)
Page 3. (If yes to any) Informed consent notice (see below)
Page 4. (If yes to any) Thank you, we’d love to talk to you. Please share the following
information about yourself:
Name:
Email (an account you check frequently)
Your general availability over the next two weeks:
Page 5. Thank you! We will contact you to schedule an interview. We look forward to
talking with you soon. (Survey will exit)
2. Summative Evaluation:
Page 1. Do any of the following categories describe you?
Yes/no
College or university student who uses or has used primary-source
materials from archives for your school work.
Yes/no
College/university professor who uses or has used primary-source
materials from archives for research or teaching.
Yes/no
Administrator who uses or has used primary-source materials from
archives for your work (locating historical reports, images, film, or audio to support legal,
physical plant/architectural or planning, legislative, or similar work).
Yes/no
Genealogist who uses or has used primary-source materials from archives
to support genealogy or family history work.
Yes/no
Avocational researcher who uses or has used primary-source materials
from archives to support research or projects that you do for pleasure, not as a paid
profession.
Page 2. (If no to all) Thanks for your interest in assisting us. We’re only interviewing
subjects that fit one of the five profiles listed on the last page. (Survey will exit)
Page 3. (If yes to any) Informed consent notice (see below)
Page 4. Thank you, we’d love to talk to you. Please share the following information about
yourself:
Name:
Email (an account you check frequently)
Your general availability over the next two weeks:
Page 5. Thank you! We will contact you to schedule an interview. We look forward to
talking with you soon. (Survey will exit)
Informed Consent
1. To be presented in the recruiting survey for the general sessions (see above):
Today you will be participating in a user study involving a website that has archival
information and images. The purpose is to improve both the usability of this new site.
Your participation is voluntary, you can withdraw at any time or refuse to answer any
questions.
This interview will last between ten and fifteen minutes. During that time, I will
guide you through several websites using your computer and you will be asked to
comment on different aspects of the sites. We will be looking at historical images
and information about personal and organizational records. I do not foresee any risks
but you should be prepared to study the computer for the next hour and talk to me on
the telephone. I will also be recording our session.
Should you have questions regarding your rights as a research participant, please
contact the Institutional Review Board at the University of Oregon, 1600 Millrace
Drive, Suite 105, Eugene, OR 97403 Phone: 541.346.2510 FAX: 541.346.6224
human_subjects@orc.uoregon.edu.
For all other questions about this study, please contact:
Jodi Allison-Bunnell, Northwest Digital Archives
jodiab@uoregon.edu
2. To be presented in the recruiting survey for the evaluation sessions (see above):
Today you will be participating in a user study involving different types of websites
that have archival information and images. The purpose is to evaluate how successful
this new site is at meeting your needs as a researcher.
Your participation is voluntary and you can withdraw at any time or refuse to answer
any questions. If you decide not to continue after the interview has started, you will
still receive your gift certificate.
This interview will last approximately 1 hour. During that time, I will guide you
through several websites using your computer and you will be asked to comment on
different aspects of the sites. We will be looking at historical images and information
about personal and organizational records. I do not foresee any risks but you should
be prepared to study the computer for the next hour and talk to me on the telephone. I
will also be recording our session.
Should you have questions regarding your rights as a research participant, please
contact the Institutional Review Board at the University of Oregon, 1600 Millrace
Drive, Suite 105, Eugene, OR 97403 Phone: 541.346.2510 FAX: 541.346.6224
human_subjects@orc.uoregon.edu.
For all other questions about this study, please contact:
Jodi Allison-Bunnell, Northwest Digital Archives
jodiab@uoregon.edu