Since June 2001, the Ohio Memory Project Team has been very busy. They visited more than eighty cultural institutions and had 1310 contacts with current and potential participants. Nearly 450 collection description forms arrived at the Ohio Historical Center. Staff have made significant progress evaluating these potential additions to the Ohio Memory Online Scrapbook and accepting those that meet project selection criteria, although more work remains to be done in this area. A beta version of the online scrapbook, populated with a small number of accepted collections, was made available for testing. Input received from testers informed refinements of the design and functionality. OhioLINK's continuing assistance has been invaluable in efforts to ensure that the site meets the needs of its users.

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

• Akron-Summit County Public Library
• Allen County Museum
• Amherst Historical Society & Sandstone Museum Center
• Athenaeum of Ohio (Cincinnati)
• Auglaize County Historical Society
• Bellevue Public Library
• Brecksville Historical Association
• Briggs-Lawrence County Public Library
• Butler County Museum
• Castle (Marietta)
• Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University
• Cincinnati Art Museum
• Clark County Historical Society
• Clark County Public Library
• Clermont County Historical Society
• Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
• Cleveland Museum of Natural History
• Cleveland Orchestra
• Cleveland Public Library
• Columbus Metropolitan Library
• Defiance Public Library
• Delphos Canal Commission
• Dominican Sisters, St. Mary of the Springs (Columbus)
• Dover Historical Society
• Flesh Public Library and Museum
• Fort Laurens State Memorial
• Garst Museum - Darke County Historical Society
• Geneva Public Library
• Greene County Records Center and Archives
• Herrick Memorial Library (Wellington)
• Highland County District Library
• Highland County Historical Society
• Hiram College
• Hiram Historical Society
• Historic Southwest Ohio
• Jackson Center Historical Society
• Kent State University Library & Media Services
• Kent State University Museum
• Kinsman Free Public Library
• Lake Erie Islands Historical Society
• Lake Township Historical Society
• Lakeside Heritage Society
• Logan County Historical Society
• Madison County Historical Society
• Mechanicsburg Public Library
• Mentor Public Library
• Miami University
• Munroe Falls Historical Society
• National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center
• Noble County Historical Society
• Norwalk Public Library
• Ohio University
• Piqua Historical Area State Memorial
• Portage County Historical Society
• Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County
• Puskarich Public Library (Cadiz)
• Reed Memorial Library (Ravenna)
• Ritter Public Library (Vermilion)
• Ross County Historical Society
• Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center
• Salem Public Library
• Sandusky Library-Follett House Museum
• Sauder Village
• Shelby County Historical Society
• Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (Cincinnati)
• South Euclid Historical Society
• St. John's Episcopal Church of Worthington
• Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library
• Tiffin-Seneca Public Library
• University of Akron
• Upper Sandusky Community Library
• Wadsworth Public Library
• Wayne County Public Library
• Western Reserve Historical Society
• Wilberforce University
• William Howard Taft National Historic Site
• Wyandot County Historical Society
• Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor
• Zoar Village State Memorial

The project team evaluated collections based on established criteria and selected 148 of those submitted for the Aug 15 deadline for inclusion in the Ohio Memory Online Scrapbook as of November 1, 2001, although at least one item from each institution will eventually be included in the scrapbook. As collections have been accepted, staff made arrangements for transfer of materials, digitization, and cataloging. More than 1200 pages from19 collections have been scanned at the Ohio Historical Center.

At each quarterly deadline, submissions increased significantly.

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. Most recently, staff has worked to develop several features, including:

• browsing by subject, contributor, place, or format
• browsing by county, using a clickable Ohio map
• zooming into images to view more detail
• highlighting search terms in item records
• saving users' own selection of images, together with their annotations in a personal online space, "My Scrapbook"
• browsing subject category descriptions with sample images

Usability Testing

The Web Designer conducted usability testing with approximately 25 various potential users of the online scrapbook including advisory group members and staff from participating institutions. 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.

Ohio Memory Project staff gave presentations at Ohio Library Council Annual Meeting in Toledo, the Midwest Archives Conference in Indianapolis, the Ohio Educational Library Media Association's GOTEC conference, and the Ohio State University Library Lecture Series. Staff also updated the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) at their August 2001 meeting and provided information to the OHS Board of Trustees Programs and Publications Committee.

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 Kent State University Special Collections, Massillon Public Library, Jackson Center Historical Society, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Reed Memorial Library, Athenaeum of Cincinnati, Mechanicsburg Public Library, Cincinnati Medical Heritage Center, and Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) to examine collections and discuss scanning options.

Representatives from the Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library, Harbor Topky Library, Williams County Public Library, Massillon Public Library Tuscarawas County Historical Society, and the Lawrence County Public Library visited the Ohio Historical Center to meet with staff and have materials digitized.

One important insight gained through outreach efforts is that institutions are eagerly anticipating the second phase of the project, which has not yet been funded, in which materials from 1903 to the present will be accepted for the scrapbook.

Project staff had 1310 contacts with current and potential participants via phone, fax, and email. Staff also distributed a packet of information about scanning to four various institutions interested in digitizing materials at their own facilities.

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 presented a session on online educational resources at the Ohio Educational Library Media Association's GOTEC conference.

Staff wrote articles for various publications:

• An update appeared in the September/October 2001 issue of the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums (OAHSM) publication The Local Historian that encouraged local historical societies and museums to participate in the project.
• Article appeared in the Fall 2001 Society of Ohio Archivist's Ohio Archivist available at: http://www.ohiojunction.net/soa/oa
• Articles appeared in the following newspapers: the Cincinnati Enquirer, Impact Weekly (alternative Dayton paper), and the local Wapakoneta and Massillon newspapers.
• Information about the project appeared on various Ohio websites including:
  -  http://www.tiffinsen.lib.oh.us/newsarchive/August2001/dimensions_august2001.htm
  -  http://www.infohio.org/ABOUT/Users_Groups/PhotoScrapbook01-05-16.htm
  -  Toledo ABC affiliate web site
• A Jefferson County local television news program included a short segment on the project.

The Ohio Memory Advisory Group, which is composed of twelve members, provides oversight for the project. Advisory group members were asked to test the scrapbook interface. The Advisory Group will meet November 9th to review progress and assist in future planning.

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 final submission deadline of the first phase of the project on November 15, 2001.

Important goals for the coming quarter are to complete the selection process for materials submitted in August 2001 and begin work on November submissions, to add digitized images and descriptions of collections to the online scrapbook database, and to finalize the design of the Ohio Memory Online Scrapbook interface. In addition, the project team and other society staff will strive to secure funding to continue the project and expand its scope to include materials created after 1903.

Ohio Memory Project Participating Institutions

Northwest Ohio

Northeast Ohio

Southwest Ohio

Southeast Ohio

Central Ohio