tna discovery portal

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Jeremie Charlet

PlanQuick introduction to Discovery Interface

1.Why it was needed

2.What it offers

3.How it was built

Conclusion on key reasons for success and benefits

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/3


1.Why it was needed

2.What it offers

3.How it was built



Quick Introduction to Discovery

What we just saw:

•Search or browse or read research guides •Display record description

download if availableif closed, see when the document will be opened

and if you can in the meantime make a FOI request to open it

•Check details about the archive that holds the record



1.Why it was needed– Prior to Discovery– New policies, business requirements

2.What it offers

3.How it was built



Why it was needed: Prior to Discovery

TNA Records information were provided across many different systems and parts of the website

End users: So many tools to search on TNA teams: So many systems to

manage

We want•1 place for the public to find records information•1 tool to host, maintain, update, contribute to


Why it was needed: new requirements




2.What it offers– Goal– To the end users– Technically– What our users said about it

3.How it was built



What it offers: Goal

Help the users to – Find relevant records– Understand the records– Obtain the records


What it offers to end usersto Researchers, students, public, government, TNA staff

•A single point of entry • to collections from 2500 archives• Records from public bodies but also

private individuals or organisations

•Search•Guides for searching•Browse•View & download records (TNA records only)

•Search for archive contacts

•Collaborate, bookmark pages, save searches, …


What it offers technically• Robust

• handle failures• handle high peaks of traffic• Detection of DOS attacks by firewalls

• Flexible and future proof• 3 tier architecture • Use of shards on databases and search engine indexes

• Secure• Platform highly constrained with (too) many physical

firewalls• Meets government legislation on security• Single Sign On

• keep up with current technologies• From Service Oriented Architecture to micro services• mainly .Net but involves also javascript (front end),

scala and java • Using several open source technologies• Accessible from a very broad range of devices (desktop

tables, smartphones)

• Merged together NRA, A2A, ARCHON, MDR, TNA Catalogue, etc …

• Over 32.4 m ‘records’• Over 233k ‘record creators’• Over 3,300 archive addresses

• 40+ BackEnd services

• 5,595,180 visitors last year


What our users said about it“It is great to have all these resources in one place so you can search across them all easily”

Feedback from a member of staff

“This is brilliant! Being able to reasonably identify genealogical records and order them online from your archives at a reasonable cost is beyond my wildest dreams!”

Feedback from a customer

“The project has succeeded in integrating diverse data and databases from hundreds of archives to create a beautiful and intuitive new resource that provides a greatly enhanced platform for

catalogue information. Discovery will enable archivists to promote their collections more effectively and is certain to attract new users to archives”

Feedback from a Senior Archives Services Manager, King’s College London

“The assessment panel very much enjoyed hearing about this important and fascinating service and its adherence to the Digital by Default service standard, this is a challenge to other

government services to reach the same level of quality and user focus.”From the Discovery assessment by GDS assessment panel





3.How it was built– Work with other archives (a2a, expert contribs)– User centred design– Agile Methodology– Evolution of features– Learnings



How it was built: work with other archives

Access 2 archives•Retrieve contents from 400 archives about 10m documents•One of the biggest works of that scale worldwide at that time (2000 to 2008)

Discovery•1 point of entry to TNA archives then other archives•Schema designed through trial and error•Integration of A2A in 2014

Expert Contributions•Currently in development•provide a back office to other archives so that they can directly update their documents into our database•Start with the British library


ISAD(G)

{ "IAID" : "adb5d9bc-f67b-4e1d-af0a-4d52fb67c923", "PIAID" : "148b7157-ec5e-4c58-8240-c5ebe05a6e25", "LvlId" : 9, "Lang" : "English and French", "HeldBys" : [{"XRefId" : "A13530664"}], "Ref" : "QSP/244/10",

"Ttl" : "Papers relating to Harrow Parish",

"CovDts" : "1879-1932",

"CFrmDt" : "18790101", "CToDt" : "19321231", "PhysDescFrm" : "1 volume", "AcsConds" : "View by appointment only", "RstrOnUse" : "Copyright restrictions apply", "ImmSrcOfAcs" : [{"Desc" : "The papers in this collection were made available by Catherine Stoye, the daughter of Professor G P Wells, in July 2001"}],

"CustHist" : "This collection was first deposited at the United Reformed Church (URC) History Society in 1991",

"LocOfOrigs" : [{"Desc" : "Original in possession of the Hon. Mary Berkeley"}], "CpsInfo" : [{"Desc" : "Microfilm Roll: PB 83"}],

"SC" : {"Desc" : "Including business accounts and photographs"},

"Links" : [{"XRefT" : "Related material","XRefD" : "See also Vestry, accounts and rates"}], "Src" : "A2A"}

<c level="file" langmaterial="eng fre"> <did> <unitid label="Reference" countrycode="GB" repositorycode="55">QSP/244/10</unitid>

<unittitle label="Title">Papers relating to Harrow Parish</unittitle>

<unitdate label="Date" normal="18790101/19321231">1879-1932</unitdate>

<physdesc label="Extent"><extent>1</extent> <genreform>volume</genreform></physdesc> </did> <admininfo> <accessrestrict><head>Conditions of access</head> View by appointment only </accessrestrict> <userestrict><head>Restriction on use</head> Copyright restrictions apply </userestrict> <acqinfo><head>Immediate source of acquisition</head> The papers in this collection were made available by Catherine Stoye, the daughter of Professor G P Wells, in July 2001 </acqinfo>

<custodhist><head>Custodial history</head> This collection was first deposited at the United Reformed Church (URC) History Society in 1991 </custodhist>

<altformavail><head>Location of originals</head> Original in possession of the Hon. Mary Berkeley </altformavail> <altformavail><head>Copies information</head> Microfilm Roll: PB 83 </altformavail> </admininfo>

<scopecontent><head>Description</head> Including business accounts and photographs </scopecontent> <add> <relatedmaterial><head>Related material</head> See also Vestry, accounts and rates </relatedmaterial> </add></c>

Discovery format


EAD

How it was built: User Centred Design


How it was built: Agile Methodology

User Interface

Back end

Database

Browse collections

Search

Find archivesearch on records’ titl

e

search on records’ title

Search on all records’ metadata

Search on all records’ metadata

Search on records’ contents (scanned doc)

Search on records’ contents (scanned doc)


Agile development

Sprint 1 Discover

Design

Develop

Test

Sprint 2 Discover

Design

Develop

Test

Sprint 3 Discover

Design

Develop

Test




How it was built: Evolution of features

How it was built: Learnings

•Use of cutting edge technologies (Mongo DB) paid off

•Moved from proprietary to open source technologies

•Get it right within TNA before reaching other archives

•Work with archives in a more collaborative way





3.How it was built– Work with other archives (a2a, expert contribs)– User centred design– Agile Methodology– Evolution of features– Learnings



Conclusion

Key reasons for success•Focused on user needs

•Iterate throughout and flexible about time scale

•Happy to take risks and redo things if necessary


Conclusion

Key Benefits to TNA•Make savings (retire 16+ systems), invest on the future•Pull all the data + users together •Put us in a position where we lead the sector

Key benefits to archives•Access to a wide audience (6million visitors on Discovery last year)• Added value to their services with more searchable data than ever• Security that their catalogue will stay online, be maintained, improved• All of that regardless of the cuts they may experience


Thank you for listeningAny questions ?

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tna discovery portal

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