Our project launches with a 2-day workshop entitled Exploring User Needs around Digital Heritage, which will take place January 23-24, 2009 at the School of Information at UC Berkeley. The workshop is aimed at developing specific strategies and methods to enhance access to and usability of primary archaeological research content. It brings together 12 Community Liaisons, participants on the grant who represent a variety of archaeological communities. Discussions during these two days will focus on primary content, which we see as a promising but overlooked area of scholarly communications. Primary content is the data produced by researchers, before they are distilled into published syntheses. It typically includes “raw data”, field notes, drawings, maps, photographs, and results of scientific analyses; that is, any content that is at an early stage of the interpretive process.

During the workshop, we will explore how different communities communicate and collaborate and how they are (or are not) using digital resources in their work. We will review primary content each participant brings and discuss the challenges of sharing diverse content. We will also discuss how better access to research might help address new questions in each arena. The workshop will conclude with each Community Liaison identifying a research question that they think could be better addressed collaboratively and with easier ways to share and manipulate primary content.

Some general topics to be addressed during this workshop are:

1. Archaeological communities and collaboration: How does your community currently communicate and collaborate? What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of making collaboration more open, public and transparent?
2. Dealing with diverse content / Using specific tools to deal with diverse content
3. Defining the perfect resource: What is the ideal solution for managing and using important content in your community?
4. Standards, interoperability, and reporting requirements

More specific topics and outcomes will be posted on this blog upon the workshop’s completion, so please stay tuned!