Since the late 1960s, archivists and technologists have developed and implemented innovative standards, practices, and technologies intended to facilitate the description, availability, and use of archival materials. Although people can discover, use, and interpret records and manuscripts in new ways, archivists lack a systematic understanding of how people interact with the descriptive information and digital objects that they create and post online. This article introduces Web analytics as a method that archivists can use to measure user actions, to understand some aspects of user behavior, and to initiate a program that will improve online services. By interpreting Web analytics data in light of repository goals and other information concerning use (such as usability studies), repositories can dramatically improve access, increase use, and heighten user satisfaction.
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Research Article|
July 09 2011
Using Web Analytics to Improve Online Access to Archival Resources
The American Archivist (2011) 74 (1): 158–184.
Citation
Mary Pugh, Christopher Prom; Using Web Analytics to Improve Online Access to Archival Resources. The American Archivist 1 April 2011; 74 (1): 158–184. doi: https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.74.1.h56018515230417v
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