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- Chris, age 70
- A bit about Chris…
- Is not affiliated with the institution, and is limited in what he can access
- Can’t see certain records due to non-affiliation, and can’t get certain information due to privacy laws
- Is not affiliated with the institution, and is limited in what he can access
- Must drive a far distance to campus, so wants the most out of his visits
- Not technology savvy; no e-mail and doesn’t like using computers
- Wants to work with library staff, either in person or on the phone
- Wants physical materials over digital, including print outs of digital representations
- Interested in genealogical research, but no clear idea of what to do
- A bit about Chris…
- What Chris would need…
- Something intuitive, even for someone who is not tech-savvy
- Clear interface and less terminology
- Archive/Institution information: hours and telephone number. He will need staff help In clarifying his search and then executing it
- Clarity over what he can and can’t access – he doesn’t want to waste time searching in collections and requesting materials he can’t ever have
- Clarity over what THIS archive has; Chris is making the drive here and doesn’t want to come all this way for things that belong to a different institution or archive!
- Something intuitive, even for someone who is not tech-savvy
Persona 2: Archive-Specific Researcher “Tech Savvy and Quick”
- Leonard, age 42
- A bit about Leonard…
- Independent scholar looking to apply for a fellowship at the Special Collection library
- Writing up a list of resources he wants to use with regards to his project on early English ballads for his fellowship application
- Comfortable with technology; knows how to use internet searching and uses complex Boolean searches
- Knows what he is looking for, and doesn’t need as much help from library staff
- Interested in digital items or items that he could easy get a digital copy of
- A bit about Leonard…
- What Leonard would need…
- A system that allows for the complex Boolean searching he wants to do, since he is looking for specific items from specific dates
- A way to search only through digitized materials or to easily identify what is digitized
- A way to ‘bookmark’ sources and export a list when he’s done to use with his application
- A clear and easy way to tell what is and is not available to unaffiliated members; this will bolster his case for why he needs that fellowship!
Original Personas
Local Researcher
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