Reflecting back on one of the digital projects Papers of the War department. One aspect that I like that the front page was very clear about what the topic was, introducing what the website was for and how a person can be involved. Their purpose is to bring past historical text and try to transcribe into eligible writing for today’s standard.
On the other hand, some of the links or the sections were difficult to navigate. For example, the transcribed text were all under the same link. If there were different groups or sections to put them in to make it a bit organized. Let’s say if they are hospital records, they should’ve been put in their own category. Making it easier to navigate for the reader. Here is an example of that
The transcribe text being different topics can feel lost for the user. I believe if it was a bit more organized, it would be better to navigate
Their choice of organizing their website in some ways are sitll helpful. The do have an advanced search, but looking through it can be quite difficult to figure what you are looking. As an archive website the main point is to look at past primary data and I think they did that well.
Under the OAH guidelines, this digital project made sure to credit those who were involved in the project or funded the project. This digital project is to information to educators and historians. I think they did a well enough job for the time and make it comprehensible of the topic.
Gives indication of those who were involved in the project.
For each source that Papers of War Deparment all cited their information. Including the who, where ,and year. Gives information of what the document is and where they attained it.
My plan for my digital history project is to have it more interactive website. For my project I believe it won’t be that great to use archives. In my projects there are a couple of art works and readings that I would like to make more interactive for the audience. I would also like my project to be visual pleasing for the audience.With the OAH guidelines, I believe for my project it will fall under the Essay, Exhibit, Digital Narrative.
Citations
George Mason University Center for History & New Media, 2006,, “The War Department office was established in 1790. It burned in 1800.”, Papers of War Department, https://wardepartmentpapers.org/s/home/page/home
2 Responses
Hi, Vera! I totally agree with your analysis of the webpage! I think they did a great job with showing the original war documents, especially because with older artifacts it can be hard to keep them in good condition. I also agree with the fact that they could’ve organized the documents a little better, especially for a researcher looking for a specific document.
Hi Vera,
I completely agree about how the transcribe text being confusing. I love the use of archives, it also makes it seem like the user is back in time, and everything seems more organized. It’s great that you want the project to be visually pleasing, just make sure it’s color-blind friendly! Great job!