This article's purpose is to ask of site visitors whether they prefer the existing Ashland University Archives website, or this more modern web site.  It is understood that not one person can do everything, however concerted the effort.  Mr. Roepke does an admirable job with the tools he has at his command.  Web site development is not a strong point of his.  Mr. Webb has over the years helped where he can and as time has permitted.

This site has been developed by Mr. Webb as a technology demonstration of what can be done with a modern platform.  Other than the differences in the aesthetics throughout of the two sites, the major difference between the two sites is the search engine.  Utilizing the more modern platform the site can be searched extensively.  Anyone who has used the existing site soon learns that the search engine, and its results page, leaves a lot to be desired.  This web site offers a much friendlier results page and actually offers a more in depth search engine.

Additionally, by the use of the modern platform, the images can be better displayed permitting a "Click on me" feature that enlarges the image for easier viewing.  This can be seen in action on the Lost Creek Riverside page — just click on any image for a demonstration.  Another feature that the platform will make available is the direct importing of selected records from the museum software database, with some manipulation, into the platform.  This will literally save hundreds upon hundreds of hours.  Additionally Mr. Roepke will be able to generate reports of the visitors to the site, and the pages thus viewed, which can be passed along to the various archives in place on this site, to better aid in the vision of those archives.

Unfortunately this all takes money.  Budget constraints being what they are, with the more apparent to the masses items taking precedence, little is left over for projects such as this.  Just to get this site more fully developed so that migration from the museum database can be migrated, is expected to cost about $5,000.  It would include 200 records as part of the development.

Once that step is completed, and the site is moved to the AuArchives.Com server, it will take further funding to migrate the remaining database records; over 25,000 by estimation.  A final idea is to digitize the "greens" of the of the John M. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs Archives.  The "greens" are the carbon-copies, you still remember them don't you?, and are the replies by Sen. Ashbrook to letters.  Once the digitization is completed they could be migrated to this site as well.

But again, it all depends on funding.  You can help!  By taking the poll below, each visitor is saying we want to move forward with the development of the base site.  So, consider answering the poll.

jVoteSystem developed and designed by www.joomess.de.