Since March 2001, the Ohio Memory Project has made great progress. Staff visited numerous cultural institutions, responded to requests for information, and selected collections submitted by Ohio institutions for inclusion in the Ohio Memory Online Scrapbook. With the assistance of the Ohio Library Council (OLC), the staff presented a series of six workshops to publicize the project. The project team updated the project web site to make more information about Ohio Memory available and encourage participation. They conducted usability testing of the web interface to refine and finalize the design of the site, making sure that it meets the needs of its users. In addition, staff worked closely with OhioLINK in developing the online scrapbook.

For the May 2001 deadline, the following institutions submitted collections (a complete list of participating institutions is attached as an appendix):

• Akron-Summit County Public Library
• Ashland County Historical Society & Museum
• Athenaeum of Ohio Historical Society
• Athens County Historical Society & Museum
• Carillon Historical Park
• Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library
• Cincinnati Museum Center
• Cleveland Institute of Art
• Cuyahoga County Archives
• Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park
• Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library
• Gahanna Historical Society
• Harbor Topky Memorial Library
• Hayes Presidential Center
• Henderson Memorial Public Library
• Hiram College
• Historic Southwest Ohio
• Hudson Library and Historical Society
• Huron Historical Society
• Kelton House Museum & Gardens
• Kent Historical Society
• Kent State University
• Knox County Historical Museum
• Lorain Public Library System
• Massillon Public Library
• McComb Public Library
• Miami University
• Oberlin College
• Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center
• Ohio State University (Archives, Cartoon, Music, and Theatre Libraries)
• Ohio University
• Portsmouth Public Library
• Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County
• Reed Memorial Library
• Richland County Historical Society
• Ross C. Purdy Museum
• Sandusky Library - Follett House Museum
• Shaker Heights Public Library
• Sisters of Notre Dame
• Southern Ohio Museum
• Tuscarawas Historical Society
• Waterville Historical Society
• Williams Public Library
• Wood County District Public Library

The project team evaluated collections based on established criteria and selected 128 for inclusion in the Ohio Memory Online Scrapbook. At least one item from each institution will be included in the scrapbook. Staff then made arrangements for transfer of materials, digitization, and cataloging. More than 1,700 pages from 65 collections have been scanned at the Ohio Historical Center.

Currently, the Ohio Memory web site (http://www.ohiomemory.org) features project information, such as the history of the project, frequently asked questions, staff and contact information, links to digitization resources, and listserv subscription information. Also available for downloading in multiple formats are presentations, handouts, and forms. Online submission is possible via this site.

The following statistics summarize web site usage over the past four months:

Project staff worked closely with OhioLINK staff to develop the online scrapbook search interface functionality, an image preview and transcript functions. Most recently, staff has worked to develop several features including:

• browsing by subject, contributor, place, or format
• zooming into images to view more detail
• saving users’ own selection of images, together with their annotations in a personal online space, "My Scrapbook"

Usability Testing

The Web Designer conducted usability testing with various potential users of the online scrapbook. Findings were generally positive, particularly in regard to the browse and My Scrapbook features, but also indicated some areas where modifications would improve usability. Appropriate changes were made to the online scrapbook interface.

The Ohio Library Council (OLC) provided assistance in organizing a second series of six workshops that were held throughout the state in spring 2001. The workshops explained the Ohio Memory Project and encouraged participation. They covered the same information as the fall 2000 workshops, but were shorter and more focused. Workshops were held at:

• Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Cincinnati
• Campus Martius Museum, Marietta
• Hayes Presidential Center, Fremont
• Kent State University Library, Kent
• Ross County Historical Society, Chillicothe
• Worthington Public Library, Northwest Branch, Columbus

OLC distributed more than a thousand brochures advertising the workshops to a wide array of cultural heritage organizations. All public libraries, OLC directors, regional library system directors, members of the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums (OAHSM), selected art museums, and OLC Subject and Special Collections Division members received the workshop brochure. Project staff sent workshop notices to six listservs: Ohio Memory Project, Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO), Society of Ohio Archivists (SOA), OPLINList, OhioLINK, and H-Ohio. Workshop information was also posted on the Ohio Memory project and the Ohio Library Council web sites. In addition, brochures were distributed to academic librarians at the ALAO March conference and to OAHSM members at regional meetings. Finally, the Greater Cincinnati Library Consortium (GCLC), Southeastern Ohio Library Organization (SOLO), Cleveland Area Metropolitan Library System (CAMLS), and the Mideastern Ohio Library Organization (MOLO) have included workshop information on their local listservs and in regional publications.

Workshop sessions included:

• Project Overview
• How to Decide What to Submit
• How to Submit Materials
• Demonstration of the Ohio Memory Online Scrapbook

An additional workshop was given to the Ohio Theological Librarians Association in May 2001. Staff members participating in the workshops include Laurie Gemmill, Mary Alice Mairose, Shawn Martin, Angela O’Neal, and Phil Sager. Mechanical pencils and "post-it" notes with the Ohio Memory URL were distributed to workshop participants. More than 200 people from museums, libraries, historical societies, and archives attended the workshops, the majority of whom represented institutions that had not yet submitted materials to the project.

Ohio Memory Project staff gave presentations at Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums (OAHSM) chapter meeting in Archbold, the Society of Ohio Archivists spring meeting, and INFOhio Users’ Group Meeting. Phil Sager demonstrated a prototype of the scrapbook at OhioLINK’s Digital Media Center. Staff also presented the project to the Ohio Bicentennial Commission’s Presidents and Politics Advisory Council Web Subcommittee, which includes representatives from the Warren G. Harding Home and Memorial, the National First Ladies Library, and McKinley Museum.

Project staff met with staff from the following institutions to encourage project participation and review potential submissions:

Staff also made follow-up visits to the Kinsman Free Public Library, Flesh Public Library and Museum, Gahanna Historical Society, Mansfield-Richland County Public Library, Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society, Lake View Cemetery, Lillian Jones Museum, and Cincinnati Medical Heritage Center to examine collections and discuss scanning options.

Staff from Ashland University, Ashland County Historical Society, Hiram College, Kelton Home and Garden and the Ross C. Purdy Museum visited the Ohio Historical Center to meet with staff and have materials digitized.

Project staff had 1,187 contacts with current and potential participants via phone, fax, and email. Staff also distributed a packet of information about scanning to five institutions interested in digitizing materials at their own facilities.

Project staff used the listserv to send out monthly messages, focusing on one of the subject categories and providing examples of potential submissions. This has proved very successful, as numerous people have responded to the subject specific messages.

Project staff met with other society employees from the Local History Office, Research and Publications, and the Collections and Curatorial Group to discuss collections to target for future submission cycles.

Project staff met with INFOhio Users, which includes the Lakeshore Northeast Ohio Computer Association, INFOhio, OhioLINK, and Ohio Department of Education, to explore correlating learning materials to proficiency objectives and learner outcomes.

Project staff met with library staff from Campbell High School to discuss potential submissions and future planning and testing of educational features of the scrapbook.

Staff wrote articles for various publications:

• An article appeared in the May/June 2001 issue of the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums (OAHSM) publication The Local Historian that discussed local historical societies and museums participating in the project and collections submitted.
• Project and workshop information appeared in the March 2001 issue of the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) newsletter.
• The Ohio Museums Association newsletter will also include information on the Ohio Memory Project and the workshops.
• A project update was given at each of the ten Spring 2001 OAHSM chapter meetings.
• Staff provided information for articles in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cincinnati Enquirer.

The Ohio Memory Advisory Group, which is composed of twelve members, provides oversight for the project. Advisory group members will be asked to test the scrapbook interface in July. This will be the final testing before a sample database is released to the public.

The second round of workshops generated significant interest in the project and inspired participants to submit historical materials for inclusion in the Ohio Memory Online Scrapbook. Project staff have enjoyed working with the staff at the submitting institutions and look forward to the next submission deadline of August 15, 2001.

In the coming months, the project team will continue to select and digitize collections for the scrapbook. They will continue to meet with individuals and organizations interested in being part of the Ohio Memory Project. Together with other society staff, the Ohio Memory team will create educational materials that help students, teachers, and lifelong learners use the primary source materials in the Ohio Memory Online Scrapbook. They will finalize the design of the site, making sure that it meets the needs of its users and release a prototype to the public. Finally, the society will continue to seek additional resources to continue the project, identifying and digitizing materials that relate to twentieth-century Ohio history.

The Ohio Memory Project

The following cultural institutions are participating in the Ohio Memory Project: