New search feature added to archival finding aids
The Special Collections Research Center has recently added to the ways in which users can locate and access archival collections. In addition to standard keyword and title searches, users can now browse archival collections by subject.
We have coded hundreds of finding aids with a specific subject tag that allows users to browse a list of collections under a specific topic. The subjects are now listed on this page of the SCRC website. Topics are wide-ranging and include everything from anthropology and ethnology, to jazz, visual arts, Mathematics, and the Manhattan Project. This process was an invaluable exercise to gain a better understanding of the collection strengths of the Library’s rare and archival material. We were surprised when we finished coding the finding aids to learn that the topic with the most collections is medicine. Next to each subject a number in parenthesis indicates the number of collections categorized under a specific topic.
The links take users to a page that lists collection names and provides a brief abstract on the scope and content of the materials.
Special Collections created an online tutorial demonstrating how to use the new feature, which can be viewed on the Library’s YouTube channel: How to search archival collections by topic
Go directly to the list of topics: http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/scrc/findingaids/topics.php
