Author: Dan Cantrall, Archivist

Abstract: In this paper I will discuss the development, promotion and demonstrated results of the Oregon State Archives World Wide Web Server. The server has become a high profile method of introducing our holdings and services to a wide range of customers who do not typically use a research institution such as an archives. It may also help bolster our budget requests in this era of decreasing funding to cultural institutions by documenting the utiltization of services by many new 'virtual' patrons.

Text: Archives exist as the corporate written memory of our civilization. They document the legal rights of citizens, and serve as exclusive repositories of the records of peoples, governments, and educational institutions. Whether they are frequently used or not, does not diminish or negate their purpose.

However, in the competition for scarce public funds, the reality is that each agency competes for a shrinking resource. In Oregon, the passage of Ballot Measure 5 in 1990 set most state government budgets on a downward spiral. Agencies were increasingly forced to examine their services and programs, and prove their effectiveness and utility. Similar funding cuts have been experienced by cultural institutions in other states and countries. In response, archivists are now focusing on improving their communication skills in addition to honing the traditional skills of research, document arrangement, and description.

Thus, promotion of services, or 'outreach' is a frequent and relatively recent topic in archives-related publications and conferences. In this context, outreach may mean demonstrating new uses of records for traditional patrons such as historians and genealogists. It may also encompass introducing new users or groups of users to archival records and services. The main purpose of outreach programs is to build a bigger user base for archival services. Growing programs that serve a wide variety of users are more likely to be funded than are static, single interest concerns.

Over the past several years, staff at Oregon State Archives tried many outreach programs and activities. These initiatives, although not especially innovative, were quite effective. They included curriculum packets for secondary school students; workshops and presentations to a variety of audiences; traveling exhibits; open houses and tours; and various publications and guides.

The most effective outreach program we have instituted to date is our World Wide Web Server which went online January 27, 1994. The public response to the server has exceeded our expectations. We remain excited about its potential as an informational source and goodwill ambassador.

The web server may also help bolster our budget requests in the future. Demonstrating that a particular government service is used by an increasing number of citizens helps retain programs in an agencyÕs budget. Anything that is quantifiable becomes a potential measure of effectiveness.

Server activity is certainly quantifiable. Logins, reference requests, letters, and phone calls relating to the server are recorded. In fact, during the first six months of 1994, the Archives had more online visitors than total on-site reference patrons the previous year. Through the server we have cultivated an entirely new group of patrons, both in-state and out of state, who can be identified and noted .

In addition, and perhaps most importantly, this increase in service via the World Wide Web was accomplished at minimum expense. The time spent to create, update, and maintain the server is minimal. No new staff or additional capital outlay were required.

A final positive outcome of our server, vis-a-vis the budget process, is that it sets a positive tone of high tech utilization and progressive Òinformation highwayÓ involvement. This tends to counter the image of an archives as a little used, dark, old, and backward institution.

The road to the implementation of the server was a study in quick learning and speedy development, spurred by a sense of excitement about the potential of the medium. In late 1993, the Oregon Department of Administrative Services made an Internet connection available to a few pilot state agencies. We had been accessing Internet E-mail and using primitive gopher services through The Well, a small on-line service based in San Francisco. State Archivist Roy Turnbaugh jumped at the opportunity to be one of the first agencies to share a high-speed (T1) Internet connection. In October, 1993 we finally were hooked up and started experimenting with software clients.

Of all the Internet clients we had access to, the one that generated the most excitement was Mosaic. ItÕs hard to express in words the excitement we felt as each new beta version of Mosaic was introduced. It was the feeling that we were witnessing an evolutionary jump in online communications, not simply noticing improvements in a software package.

Mosaic has been aptly described as the first Òkiller appÓ of the Internet. Using a simple point and click interface, it combines hypertext with pictures, sound, and movies (supported in some clients) in a rich document metaphor. Since it also incorporates the capabilities of other clients such gopher, telnet, and ftp, we concluded that the use of Mosaic would grow and that the World Wide Web would soon become the predominate Internet protocol.

Computer interfaces are extremely critical to the success of the application. If the interface requires a high learning curve, most users will quit in frustration and will not return. Archivists generally have emulated the library world and entered their information in the MARC format so that it can be incorporated into library OPACS and national bibliographic utilities such as RLIN and OCLC. But in the battle for the consumerÕs choice, the library world was caught napping in interface technology. Complicated, text-orientated command-line interfaces still unfortunately predominate.

We followed Mosaic through the various beta offerings and by early January, 1994 were exploring the possibility of putting our own web server online. The first step in developing our server was to explore technical requirements to be operational. One of our stipulations was that setup and maintenance could be easily performed by existing staff who were not information systems professionals. This was true because our organizationÕs Information Systems department was occupied in long-term, time consuming projects such as converting mainframe WANG systems to a open systems platform. They simply didnÕt have the time or resources to assist us in a Web server project.

Staff had used Macintosh computers for several years, so we were accustomed to creating our own tools on the fly using software programs such as Filemaker Pro, Microsoft Word, and PageMaker. In fact, setting up the Macintoshes for initial Internet use was equally simple. By simply dropping MacTcp in the system folder, and then configuring it with the correct IP numbers and settings, we were able to immediately download and use all the popular Macintosh clients such as Fetch, Newswatcher, Turbogopher, and later Mosaic.

Getting the server online followed in this hallowed tradition of Òplug and playÓ. We discovered Chuck ShottonÕs MacHTTP, an excellent shareware Macintosh web server program in early January, 1994. The software, along with many excellent examples and links to helper applications, is available at the MacHTTP home page. We downloaded the program, and used the sample documents included in the package to successfully demonstrate that the software would perform as promised.

Once convinced that it would work, we proceeded to plan the server content. There were no other archival institutions on the Web to borrow layout or content ideas from, so we basically created the layout from scratch. The excellent collection of EXPO exhibits by Frans van Hoesel which use Library of Congress records gave us some good ideas.

Probably our first conclusion after viewing the EXPO exhibit was to be extra careful to limit the size of each image we served, and not to use an inordinate amount of text to explain each image. The lessons we learned are incorporated in Fighters on the Farmfront, an exhibit we produced in cooperation with the Oregon State University Archives. It uses concise explanations and GIF thumbnails to allow the user to preview images before downloading.

Of course, no one designing a web server is forced to reinvent the wheel. We looked at many good examples of well designed layouts by other government agencies. Most browsers support the capability of downloading source html from a server. Thus, after understanding the basic rudiments of the HTML language, and after downloading examples demonstrating how certain features are constructed, it was fairly straightforward to develop the various server pages. The simplicity of the HTML language is one of itÕs greatest strengths.

We went online only three weeks after we downloaded our server program. It was quite surprising to both Archives and Secretary of State administration that such a sophisticated presentation could be developed in such a short time. We immediately sent a notice to NCSAÕs 'WhatÕs New' list and in a short time were virtually overwhelmed with logins.

In addition to the 'WhatÕs New' list, we promoted the server through archives-related professional publications and electronic newsgroups in the form of announcements and articles. The articles primarily introduced the technology, described the offerings on our server, and commented on the potential of the medium for archival institutions in general. We experienced another flurry of logins after the publication of each article or announcement.

At this point technical problems emerged. One problem was that the stateÕs Internet connection was up and down. State IS staff blamed the provider; the provider in turn blamed the state. In addition, our router mysteriously crashed several times. Replacement equipment was installed, but the server was down for significant periods of time. Another problem, which we later identified and resolved, was that the connection would work intermittent. The server and boot system was installed on an external hard drive via a SCSI link. Apparently, the Macintosh TCP/IP software, MacTCP, does not always work right in this configuration.

Despite these problems, thousands of logins continued from around the world. We were surprised at the very wide variety of interested parties. We expected interest from other government cultural institutions. We fielded phone calls and responded to e-mail with Òhow toÓ questions from them about requirements and procedures for setting up a similar system. But we also logged in many online visitors from commercial domains other than service providers. Some of these visitors sent in reference requests by e-mail, and later by means of the forms feature on the server.

We continue to add to, and improve the server. Using AppleSearch, a full featured full text searching program, we provide access on the server to the committee minutes of the 1991 and 1993 Oregon legislatures and selected Oregon Administrative Rules. We plan to add other datasets from our holdings as they become available. We are also working on projects with other local historical agencies to present regional historical information.

In summary, there were really no significant negatives to setting up our World Wide Web Server. The server was easy to set up, public response has overwhelmed our expectations, and we will definitely use statistics from its use to bolster budget requests.

Author E-Mail Address: daniel.e.cantrall@state.or.us