The Ontario Time Machine

OLA Super Conference 2008February 1, 2008

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AGENDA

• Introduction• Collection content• Educational content• Technology• Awesome demo• Marketing• Stay tuned…

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What is OTM?• Educational website that showcases Ontario

history for students and teachers• Fun and interactive site – really old books• Provides curriculum support• Opportunities to explore and learn• Partnership among TPL, HPL and KFPL• Funding support from Ministry of Culture LSDF• Support for digital conversion – CCOP/DCH and

LAC and CCA, and WOW Document Mgment Services (KFPL materials)

• Ed consultant, web developer

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Why OTM?• Meet identified need of teachers for

access to collections content and educational activities

• Enhance accessibility to heritage resources

• Reach and build new audiences• Leverage/build upon existing

expertise• Develop new collaboration, build

capacity• Contribute sustainable content to

the Internet

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OTM Objectives• Promote awareness of educational value of primary

source materials• Provide opportunities for students that build personal

connection to the past• Provide teachers with engaging tool to help them support

the curriculum and computer use• Promote student achievement in the development of

inquiry, research and communication skills

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Build student skills

Read, analyze and use information• Engage, challenge and

encourage students • Provide self-discovery

and guided paths• Offer ways to examine causes, events and

results of Ontario history

Through the stories, build• Awareness and understanding of new concepts,

theories and views• Knowledge of people, places and times• Connections to the past, present and future

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Partnership and collaboration

• Rich collections and history• Leverage expertise• Share technology• Leverage funding • Enhance the project• MORE BOOKS

• Better result, efficiencies, enhanced partner learning

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COLLECTION CONTENT

• Intended to support the Ontario History curriculum– Grade 7: Conflict and Change

British North America– Grade 8: Confederation

• “Lays the foundation for the compulsory secondary school course in Canadian history”

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438 years of collecting…

Three partners have:

• Comprehensive

and specialized collections

• Overlapping and complementary strengths

• Variety of resources and formats

• Specialized staff expertise

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Selection criteria• Diverse subject areas• Circa 1800 to WWI• Materials representative of the time• Languages – majority English, French,

First Nations• Printed or handwritten• Pan Ontario content, urban and rural• Balance between local focus and broader

provincial coverage• Compelling in some way

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Selection criteria continued

• Size - maximum 8.5 x 11”, 10-60 pages• Good enough physical condition to be

digitized without undue risk • Be digitized in its entirety; the goal being

to represent the whole item• Interesting text, illustrations, diagrams or

drawings to engage the user• Public domain or copyright cleared

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Selection and review process

• First selection

• “Show and tell” meetings, review and discussion– common understanding – partners, ed consultant and web

developer

• Final choices for the project

• Resource-sharing and multi-tasking

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Collections

Almanacs, yearbooks, recipe books, settler’s guides, historical accounts, town guides, farming and other manuals, school readers, biographies and so much more…

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Enhancing the book

Links:

Text, image, sound or video• Places, people or things• Archaic or unfamiliar

terminology• Geographic references• Text passages (interesting

to be read aloud)• Unusual sounds, music

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ResearchEach item contains three to four types of links (text, image, sound and video)

• Text links– historically accurate, required original research

• Image, sound and video links– public domain,

copyright-held,

copyright-cleared

or created inhouse

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EDUCATIONAL CONTENT

• Primary and secondary sources plus stimulating learning activities • Libraries lack skills of trained teachers• Hired educational consultant to develop learning activities plus teacher’s guide• Grade 7-8 teacher-librarian a good fit• Development of learning content a collaborative process

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Books and categories

• Showcase collections from three partners covering over 150 years of Ontario history

• 31 books produced 1810-1918

• 1300 pages, over 1000 links

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Student activities and teacher’s guide

Research Tips• Fundamentals of research, academic honesty pre-taught by teachers

Student Activities• Webquest format, 10 subject categories with 3-4 books each• Three questions per category, optional classroom “magazine”

Teacher’s Guide• Recommendations for use in the classroom

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TECHNOLOGYVirtual Bookbuilder (developed 2006)• Software tool custom-built for TPL by external web developer• Showcases digitized books with realistic page turning action• Adds value with supporting links (text, image, sound, video)• Flash interface, easy to use, clean layout• Leveraged as key technology for OTM• Three partners scanned materials to specifications• TPL built books and hosts OTM website

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Web DevelopmentSame developer for Bookbuilder and website• Integration of existing book viewer with web design• Web design: fun and modern with historic elements• Successful team collaboration among partners• January 2008 – beta site• Next – load all content, usability testing, finalize site

DEMO

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MARKETING

Ontario Time Machine meets the world…

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Key Audiences

Primary• Ontario students in Grades 7 and 8

• Ontario teachers of Grades 7 and 8

• Youth librarians and teacher librarians

• Home-schoolers

Secondary• Administrators, instructional leaders, consultants in

Ontario schools

• Ontario researchers

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Messages to Students

• OTM is a fun way to learn about Ontario history

• OTM lets you see what things were really like back then

• OTM lets you “virtually touch” really old books

• OTM is like having a virtual librarian at your side

• OTM is awesome

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Messages to Teachers

• OTM is a fun way to learn

about Ontario history

• OTM has value-added

and curated content

• OTM was created to

support the Ontario

curriculum

• OTM is a great way to

teach research skills and

support homework

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Communications Plan

• Focus on teachers, librarians and homeschoolers who will inform and engage students

• Go directly to students using existing/new channels, like library youth websites and outreach programs, i.e., classroom demonstrations by library staff

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Strategies and Tactics

• Targeted emails to existing lists, e.g., school boards, SOLS, NOLS

• Canned downloadable presentation on website

• RAMP and other library youth sites• School outreach and in service programs• Links on homework help and parenting

sites• Reveal during Ontario Heritage Week

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Specifics

• Cross-Ontario contest with a quiz derived from OTM and prizes

• Add OTM outreach to schools and teacher in-service days

• Promote in relevant publications • Targeted mailings• Target Faculties of Education

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Stay tuned…

• Ontario Heritage Week, Hamilton Feb. 15, 2008

• Summer institutes for teachers

• Conferences• Big push for September

2008 school year

And where to find OTM • TPL, HPL and KFPL

websites

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Thank you….questions?• Margaret Houghton, Archivist, Hamilton Public Library

mhoughto@hpl.ca• Lester Webb, Manager, Systems and Technical Services,

Kingston Frontenac Public Library

lwebb@kfpl.ca• Andrew Lofft, Dept. Head, Preservation and Digitization

Services, Toronto Public Library alofft@torontopubliclibrary.ca

• Johanna Wellheiser, Manager, Preservation and Digitization Services, Toronto Public Library and Project Manager, Ontario Time Machine jwellheiser@torontopubliclibrary.ca