Social Media and Archives: A Survey of Archive Users

In April and May of 2012, the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Research conducted a survey of users of archives to learn more about their habits and preferences. In particular, they focused on the roles that social media, recommendations, reviews, and other forms of user-contributed annotation play in archival research. OCLC surveyed faculty, graduate students, and genealogists across North America and a few in the United Kingdom. Data collected from 695 respondents who completed the survey broadened our knowledge of who uses archives and special collections for research. OCLC also learned how users communicate and share information about systems like OCLC Research's ArchiveGrid, and about the relative importance of social media tools in an archival discovery environment. The following are presented in this report: (1) Survey Methodology; (2) The Role of Social Media in Archival Research; and (3) Key Findings. The following are appended: (1) Survey Questions, Summary of Responses, and Notes; (2) Understanding Special Collections Survey Instrument; (3) About ArchiveGrid; and (4) Survey in Context: Prior User and Usability Studies.