Sneak Peek: New Interactive Preview of NARA website

The National Archives and Records Administration just announced that it will launch a redesigned Archives.gov web site on December 13, 2010, as part of its Open Government Initiative.  But you can get an interactive preview of the redesigned Archives.gov right now at http://www.archives.gov/open/redesign/preview/

 

"It's essential for the National Archives to have a user-friendly online presence,” said Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero, (the first Archivist to blog, tweet, and launch a Facebook page). “We hope to reach new audiences while still engaging our long-time users, researchers and visitors. This redesign – part of the National Archives flagship Open Government Initiative – reflects the ongoing effort to engage the public and make records of the National Archives easier to find and use."

 

The new Archives.gov web site will feature:

• A brand new home page voted by the public in July 2010
• A new interactive “Our Locations” map of NARA’s facilities nationwide
• Historical documents and streamlined access to military service records (81 percent of Archives.gov visitors are looking for this information)
• Single topically organized sections focused on the needs of both casual browsers and professional researchers
• Easy links to National Archives’ social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and both the Archivist's AOTUS blog and other National Archives blogs.

According to NARA the public and National Archives staff participated in the redesign process. A multi-faceted participatory approach, including online card sorts, voting on home page designs, and usability testing was used to gather input to create content organization on Archives.gov.

 

The interactive preview will explain what has and has not changed and give you the opportunity to walk through the redesign. NARA recognizes that a web site is never done and acknowledges that this is the first step in a number of ongoing changes.

They are looking for your input. You can contact us at webprogram@nara.gov.