Reducing barriers to archival research: A research navigation framework for the Library of Virginia

This practice-based column describes the development of a Research Navigation Toolkit during my overlapping work as a Virginia Humanities Fellow and a Master of Library and Information Studies intern at the Library of Virginia. Drawing on my experiences navigating catalogs, finding aids, digital collections, microfilm, and archival materials, I developed a toolkit consisting of a Research Intake Worksheet, a Research Workflow Map, and a Quick-Start Guide. I used the toolkit in my own research and introduced it through guided walkthroughs to two undergraduate interns. I also drew on the toolkit during a presentation for Virginia Humanities HBCU fellows, although no formal usage data were collected from that presentation. The column discusses preliminary observations, assessment limitations, and practical considerations for libraries interested in developing similar user-centered navigation tools.