CREW - Research : Access and Accessibility to Primary Sources

	Investigators Elizabeth Yakel

	Interns/Students Jihyun Kim, Christie Peterson, Rebecca Tremaglio, Elizabeth Harrington

	Sponsors National Historical Publications and Records Commission



	The advent of the Internet has increased the amount of information concerning archival agencies and records that is publicly available. Whether that has made primary sources more accessible is debatable. Accessibility in this case refers not only to physical issues of availability of descriptions or even digital copies of materials, but also to the intellectual and cognitive accessibility that is required to make adequate use of primary sources. The goals of this project are to provide a research base that archives and manuscript collections can use to create more accessible and transparent access tools to enhance the usability and accessibility of primary sources.