University of Oregon

Archives and special collections have developed shared standards for describing their materials. However, these descriptions or “finding aids” are often difficult to combine in a shared searchable system because of the complex descriptions of groupings and items in each archive’s various collections. Building upon previous work in other institutions and consortia, the University of Oregon Libraries will build, evaluate, and demonstrate a new tool for searching across large numbers of collection descriptions from 36 different archives, and will link to other regional and national efforts. Partner institutions in this effort are the Orbis Cascade Alliance, Lewis & Clark College, Oregon State University, Pacific University, Seattle Municipal Archives, Western Washington University, Washington State University, and the University of Montana.