Dear Forum Members

I hope this post doesn't sound like carping as I know that the new VC is still in the development phase. However, while there are many improvements in the search capability of Victorian Collections, there are a number of aspects that I think are disappointing.

The first two issues are from the perspective of an organisation member.

The first related to the search box on a contributing organisation's page. The search box is below the description of the organisation and its collection, and on our page pushed even further down by the extensive lists on the right hand side. The focus on an organisation page, whether it be a contributing organisation or not, is on the description rather than the results. When the public searches using this search box, three results are displayed. When selecting 'Show More', another three results are displayed! This does not conform to basic useabilty requirements, let alone showcasing a collection.

The browser function on an Organisation page is similarly disappointing. When browsing through the number of items in a collection, six items are displayed. Choose 'Show More' and another three results are displayed, and so on ad infinitum.

The second issue relates to the general Victorian Collections search. Approximately 16 results are returned in a general search. 'Show More' displays another 16 results. In comparison, a general search of Museum Victoria Collections displays 40 items. A general search of the MAAS (Powerhouse Museum) Collections page returns approximately 36 results. Skimming through web pages to find relevant results is basic to the Internet. The old site managed this better than the new one.

The second perspective is from an administrator's or site member's perspective. I think that if one is registered, the search within an organisation's records works well. I also LOVE the way that keywords allow you (if they are thoughtfully added, and I'm getting better at this) to search through the term across organisations. This is a huge plus for VC.

Because I use the VC all the time, I probably manage to discover  items more easily than irregular users, so I will be interested if this resonates with other contributors.

Best wishes

Robert Baker

Collections Manager, Kew Historical Society