ALL HAIL...TROVE

Before I start my post, I thought that it is important to point out that I initially set out to look at how I could collaborate with Wikipedia. However, after I created an account, I came to the realisation that I had no idea what to contribute to. I decided to find out about the collaborative process through Wikipedia's step-by-step process, but even this seemed too complicated. I didn't understand the process of correcting the citations, and I didn't know how to use the HTML-type code that the corrections had to be formatted to. Anyway, after spending a while deciding what to do, I headed to Trove. 

This week I set myself the task of finally exploring the wonders of Trove. What exactly is Trove? I found out through the Trove website in the "About" menu that first and foremost, Trove is a search engine that allows users to access information specifically related to Australia in many forms such as print, audio, maps, newspaper articles etc. It is a free service that is  affiliated with the National Library of Australia in conjunction with other libraries Australia wide.

 

** Trove Home Page **
image taken from: http://trove.nla.gov.au/

 As I had never used Trove to access any material before, I have to admit, I was very impressed with the layout: the clear and concise menu design, the attractive graphic links to its various resources, and its large Google-like search box positioned in the centre of the page. Overall, the aesthetic of Trove is visually enticing: I wanted to linger and experiment by searching the different categories provided. What I was particularly impressed with was the ease of use: I simply typed in a key search term, and behold! I was instantly directed to a wealth of bibliographic information relating to my chosen subject - my surname. The results page was a pleasure to witness: the search term was categorised into its own separate field boxes by format, such as: books, pictures/photos, journals/articles, digitised newspapers, maps, music/sound and video, diaries/letters, people and lists. I also had the option of being alerted to new results for the search via an RSS Feed (more about RSS Feeds in my next post).  

After getting sidetracked by the general search function of Trove, I decided it was time to create an account and make a contribution to their collective resource by correcting the text of digitised newspapers. To do this, I first of all had to create an account by selecting a username and creating a password. Once this was achieved, I could then login and get started. I selected the "Digitised Newspapers" menu and was directed to a results page, which displayed a variety of different articles, where to the left side of the page, I could refine the results by specific newspaper. I chose an uncorrected article in the Sunday Mail paper from Brisbane, dated 1930. I selected the "How to correct this text" link and followed the on-screen instructions, which I found to be rather easy to follow and not too complicated. From here, I then selected the "Fix this text" button and was directed to the editing screen: on the left side of the screen is the corrections box and in the middle of the page is the scanned copy of the original article. I found the process to be fairly straightforward, as the correction of the text is done line-by-line and each word is highlighted in the original so that it makes point of reference easy when navigating one's way around the page. For me, it was an exciting project to be contributing to, as an historical text (in the form of an article) is now searchable and on record for the public to access. 

Trove is a wonderful resource tool that just makes life a lot easier, especially when searching for anything related to Australiana. I found it very user-friendly and easy to search and navigate my way around the site. As far as value is concerned, it's a tool that is not only relevant to the information professional and librarian, but it should be taught at schools and immediately integrated into the curriculum at a national level - indispensable for both the general and professional information seeker.