Users and our descriptive systems
Archivists have some funny ideas about what researchers do once they creep within our walls — ideas we too seldom share with our researchers. What do we really know about user behavior and what do we know about what users expect? What do we know about how they locate archival materials?
It might be useful this week to give thought to our responsibilities as archivists and what we might do (and not do) to help researchers with collections under our care. What do our researchers really need and how far should we go in meeting those needs? Are all researchers the same and if not, how do we balance the needs of competing types of researchers?
