http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html
Reviewed: July 9, 2003
Mounted: August 4, 2003
By Gayla Koerting
Born in Slavery, Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers Project, 1936-1938, is part of the American Memory collection sponsored by the Library of Congress. The American Memory project allows access to primary source materials relating to the political, economic, military, and cultural history of the United States. The Born in Slavery site contains 2,300 first hand accounts and 500 black/white photographs of African Americans collected from 1936 to 1938. Those interviewed discuss their childhood, family background, and experiences with racism and slavery. The contents for this collection come from documents housed in the Manuscript Division and the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.
Scope/Content: According to a statement made on the homepage of the Born in Slavery site, the primary mission of the Library of Congress is to increase access to primary materials through digitization efforts. The American Memory project wants “…to make its resources available and useful to Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations.” Benjamin A. Botkin, the head of the Archives of Folk Culture, compiled, edited, and indexed the narratives and photographs for each state represented in the project. In 1941 the Library of Congress published a seventeen volume set entitled Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves. Every volume has been reproduced in digital form on the Born in Slavery site; users, therefore, can peruse the entire seventeen volumes, but since each volume is 350+ pages, eye strain is a possibility for the patrons trying to read all of the text online.
Authority/Bias: Since all of the documents are from Library of Congress collections, there is no question in regards to their authenticity and reliability. Copyright information, “Acknowledgements,” and “Contact Us” pages have also been posted if users have questions regarding the site. However, there are no individual phone numbers or e-mail addresses listed on the site. Users also have access to three electronic forms, one for suggestions and/or comments, an “Error Report Form” if they encounter broken links, typographical errors, etc., and one to ask librarians specific questions about the American Memory collection.
Timeliness/Permanence: The Library of Congress launched this site in April 2001, and there appears to have been no revisions made to it at this time. Every hyperlink on the page works. Since these are primary documents that consist of information vital for researchers, the site should remain as a permanent fixture for the American Memory project.
Value Added Features: A major advantage to the site is that it offers a variety of search techniques depending upon patron preference. One can search using keyword, subject, or state for finding text; separate searches can be utilized to access photographic images. However, there is one error in the subject headings in the photographs search. “Afro-Americans--Punishment & torture- -Alabama” has not been changed to the current Library of Congress subject heading of “African-American”, as indicated in the LC Subject Headings, 24th edition, published in 2001. Yet, with all of these search options available, the user can quickly find relevant documents that are 3-10 pages in length. The keyword feature returns record results quickly, and the drop down menus allows the viewer to limit or broaden the searches by exact word(s), word variants, phrases, or core fields. The “Collection Finder,” located at the bottom of the page has links to the other American Memory projects, and the “Related Resources” links are very helpful since the page provides an excellent bibliography for electronic and print materials.
Technical Aspects: The Born in Slavery site works well on both browsers, Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, and the pages do not take a long time to load. Documents did print quickly, but the quality of the images depended upon the type of printer being used, bubble jet, dot matrix, or a laser jet. The laser jet printer yielded a much better printed copy of the interviews. Furthermore, the entire web page prints out rather than just the scanned image of the document, resulting in three printed pages. The user ends up throwing away two of the sheets. On the other hand, the main weaknesses of the site are navigational in origin. In the Library of Congress’s zeal to address a variety of search techniques and informational access, the user can quickly get lost in the myriad of links and hyperlinks. “Born to Slavery” can quickly become a confusing site for the novice or general researcher. There is a redundancy in the links provided and these could be streamlined for more efficient navigation from the main homepage. For example, the links to educational materials such as curriculum guides, activities, and lesson plans found under “The Learning Page” are confusing. 
One hyperlink listed in the menu under “Understanding the Collection” leads the patron to “collections connections” which then has to be clicked before getting to tools that teachers can use in the classroom. However, when the user clicks the “Learning Page” link, found at the bottom of the main page, the page for instructors instantly appears.
Aesthetics/Visual Clarity and Appeal: The layout of the main homepage is simple in design, a dark beige background with black print and hyperlinks are in royal blue in color. A large graphic photograph of three interview participants (two female and one male) is used at the very top of the page. When the graphic is clicked, the names and ages for each individual is revealed to the user. The page is then broken down into five sections that are divided by a gray bar: 1) Search Capabilities, 2) Brief Introduction, 3) Special Presentations, 4) Understanding the Collection, and 5) Working with the Collection. One downside to the aesthetic appeal of the site is that the hyperlink turns into a dark brown color once the user has clicked it. With the beige background, the links become very difficult to read.
Overall Impression of the Site: The strengths of this site offset its weaknesses. Viewers will be able to gain an understanding of the impact of slavery and the oral history traditions of African-Americans from first hand accounts. The site is also an excellent resource for scholars and anyone who has a general interest in this topic. Patrons no longer have to make a special trip to Washington, D. C., in order to gain access to these primary source materials. The searchable database for scanned text and photographs also allows users to pinpoint specific documents and images in a short period of time.
Interpretation of Materials: The “Introduction to the WPA Slave Narratives” by Norman K. Yetman, a noted authority on the subject, includes historical background information that every person should be required to read before proceeding to conduct searches. Yetman provides a balanced view of the topic, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of using materials from this particular collection. He cautions users that the transcripts must be scrutinized in order to distinguish between preconceptions and stereotypes. White interviewers with black subjects resulted in language barriers, and other problems arise from selective memories on the part of the interviewees. For these reasons, the “Special Presentations” section should be displayed before the search features on the web page.
Primary Source Documents: The scanned text of the original typewritten pages is very clear, discernable, and readable; patrons can even click on a high quality image is so desired. Moreover, the resolutions for the photographic images are also excellent in quality. Detailed technical requirements and formats (TIFF, GIF, and JPEG for compressed and uncompressed images, OCR for text conversion, dpi for resolution) are readily available from “Building the Digital Collection” found under “Working with the Collection.” The user can search the OCR text, but one is not able to view the re-keyed version , only the scanned image, so it is difficult to determine whether there are inaccuracies or errors within the document.
Education: There is a link to “The Learning Page” which does provide lesson plans and activities for teachers from the American Memory project. There are also interactive online games that can be used by instructors in the classroom. However, the lesson plans and curriculum are geared toward elementary and junior high students. Unfortunately, the links to educational materials for the Born in Slavery site are still under construction.
Promotion of a Community of Interest: Currently, there is no interactive component that encourages social networks for The Born in Slavery site. A “community center” page is available under “The Learning Page”. Users are encouraged to have “live chats” with Library of Congress staff on various topics at a specified day/time. Those listed include War and Peace, Civil Rights, America the Beautiful, Holidays, and Immigration. Professional development is another element that the Library of Congress encourages through video conferences, workshops, and an in-house Learning Center. Promotion of a community of interest is an area the Library of Congress should explore further in their digitization projects.
Point Assessment for Review of Born in Slavery, Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers Project, 1936-1938
(more information on PHRC's rating system is available)
Basic Criteria
| Scope/Content | 15/15 |
| Authority/Bias | 15/15 |
| Permanence and Timeliness | 14/15 |
| Value Added Features | 10/15 |
| Technical Aspects | 10/15 |
| Aesthetics/Clarity | 10/15 |
| Overall Impression | 7/10 |
Public History Specific Criteria
| Interpretation of Materials | 30/40 |
| Primary Source Documents | 20/20 |
| Education | 7/20 |
| Promotion of a Community of Interest | 4/20 |
Total: 142 points -- 4 Earths
Gayla Koerting (gkoertin@usd.edu) has a Ph. D. in nineteenth century U. S. History from Kent State University and recently received a MLS from Indiana University, Bloomington. Dr. Koerting was an instructor of history at the University of Missouri-Rolla and is currently the Special Collections librarian at the University of South Dakota.
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