Presentations

NAFAN Building a Natinal Finding Aid Network

NAFAN Building a National Finding Aid Network Research Update

By Merrilee Proffitt, Lesley A. Langa, Chela Scott Weber

SAA: 2022 Research Forum Agenda
Virtual

Across three presentations, the NAFAN research team shares an update on their work and preliminary research findings from focus groups interviews with archivists and a pop-up survey of archives users. They also discuss research questions, data collection and analysis methods, and efforts to align methods with project values and principles.

Understanding Archivists Needs for a National Finding Aid Platform

Understanding Factors that Shape Archivists’ Needs for a New National Finding Aid Platform

By Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Lesley A. Langa, Merrilee Proffitt, Chela Scott Weber

LRRT Chair's Program: Research Forum and Awards Presentation, ALA Annual 2022
Washington, DC

The authors identify and discuss the opportunities and challenges archivists experience when describing archival materials, sharing archival description on the web, and making decisions about whether or not to participate in current finding aid aggregations.

Topics: User Research, Archives and Special Collections

Imagining a Shared Future for Archival Discovery

Imagining a Shared Future for Archival Discovery

By Adrian Turner, Merrilee Proffitt, Itza Carbajal, Lesley A. Langa

Rare Books and Manuscripts Conference 2022

Building a National Finding Aid Network (NAFAN) is a collaborative project rooted in the goal of providing inclusive, comprehensive, and persistent access to descriptions of archival collections by building the vision and roadmap for a national finding aid network available to a broad and diverse set of contributors and researchers. OCLC Research has conducted extensive research with archivists and archival users, in service of shaping the NAFAN vision. The project team will give an overview of NAFAN, share research findings, and discuss how these will inform the vision for a national archival discovery platform that is community-driven, -sustained, and -governed.

Wikipedia and libraries opening slide

Wikipedia and Libraries

By Merrilee Proffit

Italian Bibliostar Conference
virtual

This presentation and paper highlights how libraries and Wikimedia can collaborate to strengthen shared information access goals and shares success stories from libraires and OCLC working with Wikimedia to connect communities of knowledge.

Topics: Wikimedia

OCLC, Archives, the Research Library Partnership, and You!

OCLC, Archives, the Research Library Partnership, and You!

By Merrilee Proffitt, Chela Scott Weber

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Assembly
virtual

This presentation provides an overview of OCLC’s Membership and Research Division, focusing on how the OCLC Research Library Partnership supports the institutions it serves. Highlights include our Research and Learning Agenda for Archives, Special, and Distinctive Collections in Research Libraries; work to supporting stewardship of rare and unique AV Materials; the Collection Building and Operational Impacts working group; and research work in support of a national archival discovery infrastructure for the National Archival Finding Aid Network (NAFAN).

Topics: Archives and Special Collections, Research Library Partnership

OCLC RLP Roundtable: Art and Architecture Group

OCLC RLP Roundtable: Art and Architecture Group

By Dennis Massie, Chela Scott Weber, Merrilee Proffitt, Mercy Procaccini

OCLC RLP Roundtable: Art and Architecture Group
virtual

This presentation features responses to a special set of Round Robin Questions for 2020, suggested by the Art and Architecture Group community, and a report on a forthcoming OCLC Research Project focused on art and museum libraries.  The Roundtable agenda also included updates on the Art Discovery Group Catalog and on new draft protocols for sharing special collections.

Topics: Libraries, Archives and Museums, Archives and Special Collections