Historical+Directories

The reference tool I have chosen to review for use in the Rothwell Arts and Heritage Centre (RAHC) is the //Historical Directories// searchable digital library [|(www.historicaldirectories.org)], a tool provided by the University of Leicester. I shall review this tool using the criteria recommended in Cassell and Hiremath's text, //Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction// (Cassell and Hiremath, 2011, p.341). My reason for selecting this tool is that as a collection of historical directories it provides information relating to the lives of the people within certain areas and time periods, as such it could help improve the genealogy service as provided by the RAHC.

Considering the nature of the RAHC it is of course vital that the //Historical Directories// library contains information specific to Rothwell and the surrounding area. While the library concerns itself with the entirety of England and Wales, it thankfully includes a number of directories concerning Northamptonshire. One potential difficulty is due not to any flaw with the library, but rather due to the nature of Rothwell itself as, in a sample directory, it was not considered large enough to warrant its own section. However, the library itself is searchable and as such relevant information can easily be found despite the difficulties that may arise during a manual search. On top of this the library contains directories with information specific to Rothwell ranging from 1841-1914, which is relevant to the centre's interests.

With regard to content and currency, these criteria are not particularly relevant to this tool, as it is intended to provide access to existing historical documents rather than original content. Mention is made however of the fact that they were unable to include certain documents due to their fragile nature (About our project, n.d.) as such it could be considered lacking in this area. Despite this as long as the site is maintained the existing content can be considered exempt from questions of currency. As for the site itself, it appears to have been last updated in January 2005 (News and publicity, 2005), therefore while its services are adequate, it seems unlikely that it will be further improved upon.

As above questions of authority are perhaps less than relevant as the purpose of this site is to provide access to the directories. However, the //Historical Directories// site is owned and run by the University of Leicester (About our project, n.d.) and as such has the backing of an established educational institution. Adding to this is the fact that it was and is a group project which collaborated with a number of libraries and record offices (About our project, n.d), lending credibility to both the project and the documents themselves.

The site itself is easily accessible and quick to respond, using a simple layout and self-explanatory headings to help the user navigate the site. With regard to search the //Historical Directories// provides three options: location, decade and keyword. Of the three I found the keyword search to be the most useful, again due to the nature of Rothwell. The search by location allows the user to sort by county and while this may be of use to those with a wider focus, it is not as useful for use in the RAHC as it would provide only a general location. By comparison the keyword search highlights every instance of the appropriate term. The site also includes clear step-by-step instructions as to how the user may seach, browse and print the material provided (How to use this site, n.d.). Overall the information is presented in a way that is readily accessible and suitable for casual use, requiring little more than basic information literacy.

The format of the directories themselves is potentially problematic, as the text within the documents is in fact quite small. While it is possible to zoom in, the text remains quite small even at the maximum size, therefore the site may not be suitable for use by those with impaired vision. Due to the electronic format of the site it is of course possible to zoom in further using the in-browser tools, however this would require greater knowledge on the part of the user. The directories as they are initially presented are part of the webpage itself, with each page being represented individually, this is obviously less convenient than being able to view multiple pages at once and unfortunately carries over to the PDF version of the directories. However, while inconvenient, this is a relatively minor issue.

Finally and perhaps most importantly, there are the questions of cost and appropriateness. Cost in fact is not such an issue with this particular tool as the information is freely available. Where problems might arise would be with regard to copyright as the RAHC would be unable to provide their users with a printed copy of the information available. It would however be permissable for them to provide printing facilities and allow the individual users to print for their own use (Legal statement, n.d.). As such once staff are made aware of these restrictions, cost and copyright will not be an issue. Most important however is the tool's appropriateness for use in the RAHC. However, as mentioned above, the directories include information relevant to the lives of people including former residents of Rothwell and therefore include information relevant to the heritage of Rothwell.

Having considered all of the above I feel that this particular tool would prove to be of great use in the RAHC with its few shortcomings doing little to detract from its overall quality.



__**References:**__ About our project (n.d.) //Historical Directories.// Retrieved 19th November 2011 from [|http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/about.as] Cassell, K.A. and Hiremath, U. (2011) //Reference and Information Service in the 21st Century: An Introduction.// London: Facet Publishing. How to use this cite (n.d.) //Historical Directories.// Retrieved 19th November 2011 from [] Legal statement (n.d.) //Historical Directories.// Retrieved 19th November 2011 from [] News and publicity (2005) //Historical Directories.// Retrieved 19th November 2011 from []