06 December 2010

One week till the NEW U.S. National Archives website debut

Just received this press release from the National Archives. Note that you can click on the link to get a preview. I think that the overall look is less cluttered. I can't wait to work on the full website next week!                                     
December 6, 2010
National Archives Web Site Gets New Look
Archives.gov Site Transformation to go live on December 13, 2010
Washington, DC… The National Archives and Records Administration will launch a redesigned Archives.gov web site on December 13, 2010, as part of its flagship Open Government Initiative.   
An interactive preview of the redesigned Archives.gov is online at:   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  • Historical documents and streamlined access to military service records (81 percent of Archives.gov visitors are looking for this information);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; and
  • 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.
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 explains what has and has not changed and gives you the opportunity to walk through the redesign.  A web site is never done and this is the first step in a number of ongoing changes.  We look forward to your input.  Please contact us at webprogram@nara.gov.
For more information on the Archives.gov web site redesign, see http://www.archives.gov/open/redesign/
For more information on Open Government at the National Archives, see: http://www.archives.gov/open
To submit suggestions and feedback to the National Archives Web Staff, e-mail webprogram@nara.gov

No comments: