A very brief presentation about "catablogs," using blogging software to provide access to collection descriptions for archives materials. Presented at the "Online Presence" meeting of the Delaware Valley Archivists Group on October 18, 2010

1. Catablogs:
Expose your collections
with ease
Matt Herbison
Drexel University College of Medicine
herbison@gmail.com
www.hotbrainstem.org
twitter: @herbison
DVAG Meeting October 18, 2010

2. A catablog does what?
• Uses popular blog software to expose your
resources
• Each collection is entered as a “blog post”
• Provides easy, flexible, and inexpensive setup and
maintenance.
• Readily supports user interaction and other
community features.
• Encourages (but doesn’t require) well-structured
and consistent metadata.
• Gives users multiple access points in a way they
find both simple and familiar.

3. Who’s using a catablog?
• UMass Amherst Special Collections &
University Archives - “UMarmot” [link]
• The “original” catablog and probably the most
mature in its features, content, and slickness
• Drexel University Special Collections &
Archives [link]
• Brooklyn Historical Society “Emma” [link]
• Norwich University Archives & Special
Collections [link]
• Lawrence (MA) Public Library Special
Collections [link] (hosted on wordpress.com)

4. Demo of catablog admin
• Independence Seaport Museum catablog
(under development)
• All thanks to intern Jenny Barr (you should
hire her, by the way...and go to her MARAC
talk in Harrisburg)
• What we started with...a list of abbreviated
call phrases
• Went from 180 WorldCat records and 25
finding aids to 550+ collection-level records
in the catablog

5. Why use a catablog?
• Easy
• Free
• Searchable
• Findable
• Interactive
• Low-maintenance
• Low-tech
Thanks to Audra Eagle, Wake Forest U, librarchivist.wordpress.com

6. Why use a catablog?
• Easy: Startup in 20-60 minutes
• Free: Or low cost ($80-$150 per year)
• Searchable: From inside the catablog
• Findable: From outside, using Google or Bing
• Interactive: Comments, conversations, widgets
• Low-maintenance: But easy to add features
• Low-tech: But looks better than most
• Fun and extremely gratifying!

7. Will a catablog help you?
• Easy to maintain: e.g., If you’ve been manually
maintaining online thematic pathfinders, a catablog
would allow you to edit in a single place and your
changes will show up across the board.
• Really depends on what other tools you’re
currently using to provide access to collection info.
• If you have weak IT support, catablogs are good for
you.
• What about Archivists’ Toolkit and Archon? A
catablog might end up being a redundant system