Getting to the right place in the hierarchy to view or request something

[pollecuttn]

What is it and who's it for?

This collates a few examples of members wanting to view something online, being very close, but not being able to get to the place in the hierarchy to view it.

User story

As a library user

I need to understand how to get to the relevant place in the hierarchy

So that I can request or view an item online

Examples

• we've had a query from someone who couldn't work out how to view the images for this archive (the solution is to look one level down, but it's not always clear to folks!): https://wellcomecollection.org/works/bhrztrfm

• a reader who wanted to see these letters online: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/gdwr7fav https://wellcomecollection.org/works/y5pw65ca This time she needed to go up a level in the hierarchy from piece-level to item-level, but it's not at all clear. I don't know if it might be possible to mark the item-level records in some way? This is an issue for readers requesting material from the store too, as this needs to be done at item-level.

Source: https://app.slack.com/client/T0442CG7E/C8X9YKM5X/thread/C8X9YKM5X-1647337666.413319

• I was interested in viewing this item: https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ufr3bbsx But I did not see an option to request this, is it available for viewing? Source: email to Library Enquiries

Answer given: To view the item the enquirer has to go to the next level up in the hierarchy, https://wellcomecollection.org/works/w7tq9pkt, and use the ‘View’ button there. They then have to scroll through to find it. As that’s over 900 pages that’s a big ask! The item they want starts at https://wellcomecollection.org/works/w7tq9pkt/items?canvas=245.

More info at https://wellcome.slack.com/archives/C8X9YKM5X/p1649067304491459?thread_ts=1649067007.120109&cid=C8X9YKM5X

Suggestions/questions

Encore does include a note about this in the “arrangement” field, which we don’t currently expose https://search.wellcomelibrary.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1845188?lang=eng

• Can/should we expose the MARC 351 (arrangement) field to tell people to look elsewhere in the hierarchy?
• Will this be enough to help people get to the right place in the hierarchy to view/request the item?
• A much bigger ask: is there a better way to get the user from the place in the hierarchy e.g. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ufr3bbsx, to the correct place in the viewer i.e. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/w7tq9pkt/items?canvas=245 rather than make them scroll through over 200 images? Which I think would involve changes in cataloguing/ingesting...

[pollecuttn]

I think the question about exposing the 351 field would be for @jtweed.

Others would be for @cbowskill.

[pollecuttn]

• https://wellcomecollection.org/works/bhrztrfm Encore 351: https://search.wellcomelibrary.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1983146 OPAC: https://catalogue.wellcomelibrary.org/record=b1983146 MARC: https://catalogue.wellcomelibrary.org/search~S8?/.b1983146/.b1983146/1%2C1%2C1%2CB/marc~b1983146

• https://wellcomecollection.org/works/gdwr7fav Encore 351: https://search.wellcomelibrary.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2063018 OPAC: https://catalogue.wellcomelibrary.org/record=b2063018 MARC: https://catalogue.wellcomelibrary.org/search~S8?/.b2063018/.b2063018/1%2C1%2C1%2CB/marc~b2063018

• https://wellcomecollection.org/works/y5pw65ca Encore 351: https://search.wellcomelibrary.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2061998 OPAC: https://catalogue.wellcomelibrary.org/record=b2061998 MARC: https://catalogue.wellcomelibrary.org/search~S8?/.b2061998/.b2061998/1%2C1%2C1%2CB/marc~b2061998

• https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ufr3bbsx https://search.wellcomelibrary.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1845188 OPAC: https://catalogue.wellcomelibrary.org/record=b1845188 MARC: https://catalogue.wellcomelibrary.org/search~S8?/.b1845188/.b1845188/1%2C1%2C1%2CB/marc~b1845188

[jtweed]

I'm not sure bringing in 351 is the right answer to this. It feels like we shouldn't need to bring in static explanatory text from Sierra to help people navigate an archive.

I'd rather we started at looking at what people are struggling with and how we can change the UX to make it clearer what's going on. I also know that piece records are gradually being removed from Calm, indeed there have even been past conversations about just suppressing on them on the site entirely.

[pollecuttn]

Another example, with a very long hierarchy. The enquirer wanted to get to the images for https://wellcomecollection.org/works/v45epb5e and quoted this URL but couldn't access them. He needed to go down one level in the hierarchy, ie from RAMC/1580/5 https://wellcomecollection.org/works/v45epb5e to: RAMC/1580/5/1 https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ee2r4uct RAMC/1580/5/2 https://wellcomecollection.org/works/kz5q7c5c RAMC/1580/5/3 https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ftut8kd9 etc to get to the 'View' button to access the images online.