National Archives of Australia is now providing a new format link to digital items

Question

Frequent users of the National Archives of Australia RecordSearch will have noticed it was offline for maintenance for a couple of weeks recently. (The Discovering ANZACs site is still offline).

I noticed the other day that the link to a digital record provided by NAA is now in a different format to what was provided previously. The new link launches the digital item. The old format still works and takes you to (as it did in the past) the item metadata, with another click to launch the digital item. The old format is the format supported by the Wikitree template.

There has been no info provided about the change.

I've asked NAA if they plan to make any announcement about the change and whether it will be a persistent link, not just something that stops working the next time they refresh their technology - I've only just asked, so no response expected for a few days.

Old format was (which still works)- http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I& Number=[Item ID number]

New format is - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=[Item ID number]

Personally, I strongly recommend holding off on using the new format until NAA make a formal announcement of intentions. I was personally bitten by them a few years back when they withdrew the previously supported direct link to a digital item without consultation or announcement. (I had about 2000 profiles to replace broken links on).

Comments

Mark, I don't think

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=

is a new format. I've found a profile where I added a link in that format in August 2021. The link still works today.

Rather than old and new formats, I think as you say the two are for different things: one to the metadata and the other to the digital copy. The first one has a WikiTree template.

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I previously had advice from NAA (when a previous alternative format was suddenly dropped) that the only supported format was the scripts/AutoSearch one. The SearchNRetrieve format worked, but they would not commit to supporting it. I'll be interested to see if they are prepared to commit to supporting it now.

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I noted today that discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au was gone — again.  Last time this happened it disappeared for months until I wrote to them and asked where it had gone.

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Hi Melanie - I suspect the 2 issues are part of a technology refresh at NAA. Oz records are on RecordSearch. I asked them about an alternative free source for NZ service records - they are available from archives.govt.nz site.

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The alternate for the discoveringanzacs part of the NAA is the NAA.  Any image records that are on the one, are usually on the other.  It's just been much easier to search (and navigate) the discoveringanzacs sub-site.  I do have the NZ archives on bookmark, but rarely need to look up ANZACs from across the water.
I've had direct to image links for parts of certain records (medals page, or note re marriage), but find that more difficult using the NAA pages.

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Jim - the SearchNRetrieve format has the option to go to a specific page on a digitised file - after the [Item ID Number], include &S=[page no]  (no spaces)... very handy when a file deals with lots of different stuff unrelated to a profile, but I've never seen an NAA commitment to the format - and I did ask.

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Thanks Mark. Did they ever commit to permanent support for the other format

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=

?

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Jim - as far as I know, no. The "commitment" to the Scripts/AutoSearch format a few years back was pretty low level (I suspect a standard answer from a help desk). Well over a decade ago I did work for NAA for a while and there was only the sound of crickets whenever I broached the subject. If anything has changed I haven't heard a whisper.

Answer 1

I did get a response from Nation Archives of Australia (from a Reference Officer) - in addition to some info about link structure they said:

"These are not permanent links, as future upgrades or changes in the website or database could lead to changes in the way the links work, as can happen with any website. However if this happens you can contact us for advice on the best way to link."

So, NAA have no current intention of moving to persistent links.

Comments

It is not correct to say this "can happen with any website". Well-designed archives use permalinks. I wish the NAA people would do some reading, e.g.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistent_identifier
• https://www.doi.org/
• https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/PID

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This lack of a permalink is probably why it might be better to use the external link template because we were assured the ID# would not change.

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@ Jim. You assume that folks in NAA can read?

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To see an example of a site that does have good practice, Libraries Tasmania, try this link:

https://stors.tas.gov.au/NI/2085468

You'll see that it redirects to a much more complicated URL. But the one I've quoted is guaranteed to continue to work. They make it easy to get hold of: if you click "Permalink" on the right hand side just under the header bar, there's a popup which allows you to copy it.

Melanie: you're right about the template we have for the metadata pages. It would be a good idea if we introduced a second template leading directly to the digital copies of the record images.

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Jim - I know they know that too. (I had a number of conversations with their IT management about it around 14 years ago.) I think it is in their "too hard" bin.

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Well if they can't do it in 14 years clearly it is too hard...for them. Maybe they should contract Libraries Tasmania as consultants.

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Jim, I think the problem with the image pages is that they are on the non-permalink urls.
If I recall correctly, the template was designed, and set up, to take the viewer to what you call the metadata page where there was no image link, and people had been using a search results link - which was session set and thus timed out causing url not found errors.
As a fallback, if we use the template for even those results where there are image links, at least they can click to the images from there.
This is a problem generated from the NAA end that, apparently, they have no wish to correct.  Maybe it's a funding issue, as with Trove.  Maybe we need another petition.  (I agree with the suggestion that they contract out to Libraries Tasmania!)