Through grant funding from a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Pitch-An-Idea grant from the California State Library, L.A. as Subject will launch an online portal for discovery of California Community histories. Built by USC Libraries, the platform will be accessible via the L.A. as Subject website, providing visibility and access to the holdings of over 200 Southern California community archives. The debut of the LA as Subject Portal will debut late summer 2019 and will employ a clean user-friendly visually appealing layout. Users will be able to revel in improved search results as well as appreciate additional offerings from archive members including virtual exhibits, photo galleries, articles, event announcements, and more. Archive members will also benefit from search engine optimization and enhanced findability.
More attractive and informative search results including filter and browse functions will be presented to the user.
Each archive member’s directory entry will function as a micro-site where contact information, collection description, collections access information, websites, finding aid links, and social media links are easily found by the researcher. All with the purpose of creating better access to member collections by users.
Each archive member will have the ability to populate virtual exhibit galleries for digitized materials and the ability to post announcements, easily share organization events, exhibitions, projects, and features.
Specific mobile interface has been designed for ease of use for use on phones and tablets for searching and utilizing found information.
Instructional workshops and webinars will take place after the new portal has gone live. Stay tuned for updates!