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Editorial Perspective
All content for Indiana Online will relate directly to the heritage and culture of the State of Indiana and its predecessor entities and will explain and illustrate the distinctive character and contributions of the state, its citizens, past and present, and individuals and events that have influenced the development of the state.
Section Headings
Indiana Online will be divided into the following topical sections:
African Americans
Agriculture
Architecture/Built Environment
Business and Industry
Children and Youth
Communications and Media
Counties and Communities
Cultural Institutions
Demography and Ethnicity
Economy
Education
Fine Arts (visual and performing)
Folklore
Government
Labor
Law
Literature
Material Culture
Medicine and Health Care
Military and Veterans’ Affairs
Natural Environment
Native Americans
Performing Arts
Philanthropy
Politics
Popular Culture
Prehistory
Public Safety
Religion
Rural and Small Town Life
Science and Technology
Sports and Recreation
Transportation
Urban Life
Women
Three-tier Entry Schema
Indiana Online will adopt a three-tier schema for its created content, with overview essays, mini-essays, and general entries recommended by section editors and approved by the editorial advisory committee and editor-in-chief.
a. Overview essays: Synthetic and interpretive essays will provide an overview of major subjects, spanning the state’s history and culture with special attention given to the contemporary period. Contributing editors or specialists in the field will draft these pieces. Essays must address the topic and relate the state’s development to broader regional, national, and global trends, as appropriate.
b. Mini-essay: Used for topics that do not require the breadth of an overview essay, but which are sufficiently complex to justify extended treatment. It offers an interpretive overview of a theme or topic within a general category, such as Higher Education as part of the larger category of Education.
c. General entry: General entries are intended to convey basic factual information about people, organizations, events, structures, sites, businesses, etc.
Each essay, mini-essay, and general entry (including statistics, maps, photo essays, etc.) will address a particular person, subject, event, issue, or theme that pertains to the history of Indiana, the development of its society and culture. Each entry should provide an explanation and/or interpretation that defines its relevance first to the state of Indiana and, if appropriate, to the Midwest, the United States, and the world. Entries will have an historical component, conceived in a chronological as well as interpretive framework.
As an electronic resource, Indiana Online will be updated according to a schedule established by the editor-in-chief. New entries will be added according to criteria established by the editorial committee; existing entries will be reviewed annually and updated as appropriate (e.g., death of individual, corporate changes, etc.). The editors and editorial committee will establish guidelines for these procedures.
Biographies
Section editors and their advisory groups will recommend to the editor-in-chief and the editorial advisory board individuals who are eligible for biographical entries in Indiana Online, based upon their contributions to the state and/or its communities, Indiana history and culture, and/or the subject in question. Selection criteria will include, but is not limited to, individuals who have made significant contributions whether historical, political, cultural, educational, economic, etc. to the history and culture of Indiana, as well as historically or culturally important individuals who have an acknowledged or recognizable Indiana connection (e.g., Abraham Lincoln). Emphasis in the treatment will be on the significance of the contribution to the state or the significance of the connection to Indiana, respectively. Mere birth in the state or a fleeting residence in Indiana does not qualify for a separate entry. Indiana Online will include entries on living individuals, judged by the criteria of significance discussed above as applied by the editors and editorial advisory committees. The editors must ensure that biographical entries are objective, not promotional, in nature.
Eligibility for biographical entries in Indiana Online will depend in large measure on what constitutes a connection to the state. We propose a broad standard, to include individuals born in Indiana or its predecessor territories, those who moved to the state, those who lived here for period of time, and those who had a hand in shaping Hoosier society, culture, and history, even if that influence may have occurred from outside the state’s boundaries. In each case, these individuals must meet the previously mentioned criteria of significance.
In other instances, persons may receive recognition in materials relating to an event, organization, movement, or other activity in which they were instrumental, although as individuals their contributions may not be deemed sufficiently significant to warrant a separate biographical entry.
Counties and Communities
Counties and communities will be a central part of Indiana Online since they have been central to the historical development of the state. Also, users with ties to the state are likely to seek information on the communities where they live or have lived, regardless of their other uses of the electronic resource.
Indiana Online will include an entry on each county in the state. In addition, it will include entries on all communities i.e., cities, towns, and other legally bounded populated areas in each county that the editors and contributing editors deem important for their individual contributions to the county, the region, and/or the state. Information about communities will be presented initially in a standard almanac format founding date, name changes, demographic data over time, principal businesses and industries, important events, and the like. The editorial staff will produce this basic statistical, historical, and geographical information to ensure consistency and reliability of information for all entries. Each county entry also will feature a historical narrative written by a scholar or other qualified writer. Cities and towns judged significant by the editors also will receive a narrative treatment in addition to the almanac items. The city, town, and county narratives will trace, in brief, the development of institutions and businesses, the growth/decline of population, the impact of transportation, the role of the community or county in the surrounding area/region, and key events within the community’s or county’s history. The editors will assign a word count for the separate narratives, based upon significance and role in the state. Anticipated ranges are 100 to 2,500 words for cities, towns, and communities, and 2,500 to 5,000 words for counties.
Audio and Visual Materials
Indiana Online will incorporate a wide range of audio and visual materials in digital form, as available and appropriate for the entries. Users will be able to access the audio and visual materials as part of the main subject entries as well as through a search engine, thus allowing the user to create his/her own audio and/or image essays based upon their individualized search parameters. Editors and authors will be asked to identify appropriate images for their assigned entries. Special topics, such as the World War II home front or basketball in Indiana, may also be treated as photographic or audio-visual essays and /or online exhibitions. Both the demand for quick download time and agreements with image providers likely will require that most images be presented in thumbnail or highly compressed form.
Criteria for selecting such items include availability in digital format, appropriateness, significance, and interpretive or illustrative function. Other selection considerations include:
a. Biographies. Photographs or other illustrations should accompany all individual biographies.
b. Counties and communities. Each entry should include appropriate photographs or other illustrations, as well as a basic locator map with x-y coordinates or footprints of contemporary and historical cities, towns, settlements, physical features, parks, major roadways, etc. Base maps and the set of attributes or features will be generated by the editorial staff to ensure consistency and accuracy of information.
c. Maps. Maps constitute a special type of image data and will be a prominent part of Indiana Online, both in static and dynamic form. Three categories of maps will be included:
1. Historic maps that illustrate the history and development of the state and its predecessor entities, including the earliest maps showing the divisions of the Northwest Territory (for which Vincennes, Indiana, served as capital), early gazetteer and traveler maps, etc.
2. Thematic maps that provide information on current and historical political boundaries, natural features, population distribution, transportation routes, etc. These maps normally will be static representations to accompany an entry or to be used in association with other static maps containing similar data for different times (e.g., religious adherence by denomination by county over several decades). Occasionally, these maps may be animated to create a moving image of change over time (e.g., growth and decline of various transportation routes).
3. Dynamic, interactive maps, or geographic information system (GIS) maps, that allow the user to visualize spatial data based upon standard or special queries. These maps will be database-driven, using Internet Map Server technology.
d. Audio and/or visual files. Entries may include audio and/or visual clips, as appropriate and if available. Criteria for selecting such items includes availability in digital format, appropriateness, significance, and interpretive or illustrative function.
Timeline
The editors will create a timeline on Indiana history, focusing on the political, cultural, historical, and economic events of the state. Entries will include key milestones and formative events in the state’s history significant legislation, events, organizational anniversaries, major accomplishments, firsts, etc. This resource will be expanded as the site develops, using a program to capture dates from entries produced for Indiana Online.
The site also will include a randomly generated feature, "This day in Indiana history," which identifies historical event(s) for each month and day throughout the year. This feature will appear on the home page, with a display of selected events for the current date (month and day). Users can also query the site by date to learn of other events that occurred that occurred on the same date.
Statistics
This section will include historical and contemporary statistical data obtained from the federal census, US and Indiana departments and agencies, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indiana State Data Center, and similar sources that systematically maintain reliable state-wide data. As with all elements of the project, the editors will establish a process to ensure regular updates.
Statistical information may be searched separately; it also will be geo-coded whenever possible, thereby allowing the user to create maps containing the desired information.
Statistical specialists from the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, the Indiana Business Research Center of Indiana University, and assorted academic departments, with the assistance of the editorial staff and section editors, will identify statistics that are appropriate to the entries.
Criteria for selecting statistical information include: historical data (population, economic trends, denominational distributions, etc.); current data (employment, economic conditions, business output, etc.); etc. Statistical information selected for inclusion in Indiana Online must be secured from a reputable source and must be verifiable for accuracy.
Almanac
This element initially will contain the various lists sought by users, e.g., creation of counties by date, governors' terms, largest bodies of water, etc. Editors will develop these lists with the aid of teachers and other users who have requested this feature.
Bibliography, Resource Materials, and Links
Entries will not be footnoted; however, entries will include a complete (though not comprehensive) set of citations, resources, and links to related online and/or printed resources. Of principal interest will be links to Indiana-related materials in electronic format, such as those in the Library of Congress or Indiana Historical Society. A statewide links database that includes institutions, agencies, sites, and resources grouped by subject area, all with hot links and/or contact information, will be part of the resources offered by Indiana Online. In this section will be the cultural organizations network and the not-for-profit databases compiled separately or in related projects by the Indiana Humanities Council.
Indiana Online will include internal links (jumps) to related materials on the site. Section editors will suggest external links based upon the appropriateness for entries in their sections. All links must contain additional relevant and appropriate information that adds descriptive or interpretive value to the material in Indiana Online. All referred sites must be stable and created and managed by a reputable source. The editorial staff, with the assistance of the project’s technical support and quality assurance staff, will establish criteria to ensure continued viability and accuracy of all links.
The criteria for including bibliographical and source materials are: principal sources used in researching an entry; important piece of scholarship; literature or collection that contributes to a better understanding of the subject.
Other Digital Resources
In addition to materials commissioned specifically for Indiana Online, the editors will initiate an aggressive strategy to locate appropriate digital materials and to digitize primary and secondary sources that contain materials deemed essential to the content of the site. The first priority will be to digitize information that, with slight modification, is suitable for immediate inclusion in the electronic encyclopedia, for example, the biographical entries on state legislatures that are part of the published history of the state General Assembly. Images will be another high priority, especially photographs and historic maps. As resources permit, Indiana Online will digitize important primary sources, especially by enlisting partners (e.g., the Indiana Digital Library Initiative) to meet this objective. All digitized resources must be fully searchable.
Standards
Indiana Online most resembles a digital library in its form and functionality, and its technical and metadata standards will borrow heavily from the work in this area. Chicago Manual of Style will serve as the basic editorial standard, modified as necessary and abbreviated for use as a style guide for authors and editors. (See Appendix B.2 for a prototype guide for authors.) XML will serve as the basic mark-up language.
In consultation with the standards committee of the Indiana Digital Library Initiative, Indiana Online will adopt open metadata standards appropriate to the content type. All materials likely will use Dublin Core Qualified as basic metadata, with extensions for spatial data that will use modified Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata standards. The project also will use the Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standards (METS) to promote interoperability among data types and between Indiana Online and other digital projects.
The editors will work with the Copyright Management Center of the IU School of Law (IUPUI) to establish a rights management policy and to implement and monitor the policy insofar as possible through the project’s metadata tagging. We will investigate the feasibility of granting permissions on behalf of the owner of the rights and/or provide a web-based template to expedite these requests on behalf of the user.
For a discussion of technical standards, see the Technology Plan.
Search Function
Users will be able to navigate the site for related entries and resources. A search function will allow the user to identify all relevant entries and topics, thereby providing the user with the ability to create a comprehensive reference/reading list. Hot links will direct the user to specific references and resources elsewhere on the site.
Rights Management
The editors will work with the Copyright Management Center of the IU School of Law (IUPUI) to establish a rights management policy and to implement and monitor the policy insofar as possible through the project’s technical infrastructure, especially the metadata tagging. We will investigate the feasibility of granting permissions on behalf of the owner of the rights and/or provide a web-based template to expedite these requests on behalf of the user.
Other Functions and Content
Indiana Online will provide users with the ability to download datasets and other resources, contact the editors with questions, launch e-mail queries to experts who have authorized this practice, initiate requests for permission to use restricted materials, and, resources permitting, to provide moderated chat rooms for online discussions about Indiana heritage and culture.
Editorial Process
The editorial process for an online encyclopedia both parallels and extends the one used for a print encyclopedia. The major difference lies in the status of the information, not in its essential or fundamental characteristics. Once developed, information in a printed volume becomes fixed; by definition, the development cycle for information in an online environment is continuous and dynamic. The static nature of printed information means that quality control and quality assurance, once completed, cease to be issues for editorial oversight. The dynamic nature of information in the electronic environment means that quality control becomes a paramount concern of an online encyclopedia, especially when the information is not developed directly but indirectly through links under the control of an external party.
The Indiana Online editorial process includes five major components selection of entries and materials; assignment of authors and word limits; review, verification, mark-up, and metadata tagging of entries; acceptance testing and publication; and regular maintenance, update, and quality assurance. During the planning year, the editorial team completed a comprehensive search of digital materials and rights policies available from Indiana institutions such as the Indiana State Library and the Indiana Historical Society. A similar search over the Internet located Indiana-related digital resources held elsewhere. In addition, the team identified a large number of print materials suitable for incorporation upon conversion to digital form. (Indiana University Press and the Indiana Historical Society own the copyright on a significant number of these publications e.g., Peopling Indiana: The Ethnic Experience, 1996; Hoosier Faiths: A History of Indiana’s Churches and Religious Groups, 1995 and are willing to consider digitizing them in whole or in part for Indiana Online.)
The planning effort also identified the major subject categories for discussion with the editorial advisory committee. These categories will structure the development of entry lists for the creation and assignment of materials that must be prepared specifically for Indiana Online. During the first year the editor and managing editor will select contributing editors and meet with each one individually to develop an initial entry list for review by the editorial advisory committee (described below). Contributing editors may suggest additional revisions to the list as they gain a better understanding of the topic. The managing editor or his designee will maintain regular contact with each contributing editor to ensure that development of topics proceeds in a timely manner. Concurrently, the contributing editor and managing editor will discuss potential authors and assign word limits for the entries. Upon completion of an entry list with word counts and prospective authors, the Indiana Online staff will contact authors and offer them a contract, specifying deadlines and the honorarium to be paid and providing a guide for manuscript preparation . The editor will give final approval for all steps—selection of contributing editors, preparation of the list of entries, assignment of word limits, and recruitment of authors.
Assignment of authors will receive the same careful consideration as selection of entries and designation of word limits. Whenever possible, authors will have demonstrated some acquaintance with the subject and must possess the research and writing skills to warrant selection for the project. Not every author will be a scholar, nor will they all be professionals in the subject field of the entry. Indiana has a wealth of talented individuals who have considerable knowledge of the state and its heritage and who have the skills and objectivity to make important contributions to the project. Contributors may also come from outside the state.
Once chosen, authors will receive a contract outlining their assignment and appropriate deadlines and a compact style guide (see Appendix B.3 for contract). Both contributing editors and the professional staff will serve as contact with individual authors. The project secretary routinely reminds authors of approaching deadlines. Finally, the managing editor and contributing editor will monitor authors' progress and will reassign entries whenever it becomes apparent that deadlines will not be met.
Verification of information is the initial responsibility of the author, who supplies appropriate bibliographic information in a format to be designated by the managing editor. Contributing editors will read and approve each entry in their area and submit recommendations to the managing editor. Both the managing editor and editor will read all entries for content and style, with the managing editor or his designee responsible for verifying information for which the author does not provide an acceptable source. The managing editor also will ensure consistent style, copy-editing the text and making stylistic revisions when necessary. Submissions that are not acceptable are returned to the author for revision under an abbreviated schedule. If the author cannot meet the deadline, the managing editor will reassign the entry or essay to the contributing editor or to a member of the project staff.
The editorial staff then will mark-up the text and create appropriate metadata. Images, maps, and other associated materials will be linked to the text, with copyright information made part of the metadata. The entry will be made ready for publication by the web developer, who will send it the editor-in-chief for approval prior to posting. The penultimate step in the process is acceptance testing to verify that all links work as outlined and that the entire package is complete and ready for posting. Information about newly posted items will be sent to the editorial team and an announcement made on the IOL home page. The viability of links will be verified automatically, and a cycle for review of linked content will be established. Similarly, an element in the metadata will define the frequency of review for possible updates, with biographical entries on living individuals and other contemporary items checked monthly.
It will be the policy of Indiana Online to accept digital materials only, in a format to be defined by the editorial and technical teams. Private space on the IOL website will allow authors and contributing editors to submit their work, which also will be accepted on disk or as ftp files. Whenever contributors cannot submit their work in the required form, the IOL staff will work with them in hardcopy formats and move the material into a digital file as quickly as possible. The technical plan calls for the creation or purchase of an editing module, as appropriate (e.g., the Diderot editing package developed for the Georgia online encyclopedia). |
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