Are you a genealogist? Are you interested in history, photographs, or public documents? Do you search the Internet? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you would be a great candidate to help make our Washington State Digital Archives even better.

Digital Archives (see the Web site here) is the nation’s first archives dedicated specifically to the preservation of electronic records from both state and local agencies that have permanent legal, visual or historical value. Online collections currently include birth, death and marriage records, audio recordings of legislative meetings, and historic photographs.

In order for DA to ensure that these various types of media are easy for people to use, we need volunteers for usability testing. Volunteers will participate in a videotaped, computer-based search on the Digital Archives site, and be asked a few questions about the experience afterward. This will take place during the month of May at the Washington State Archives in Olympia, and will take about an hour. Gift cards to local establishments will be given in exchange for volunteer help. Volunteers must be over 21.

For more information, please contact the Digital Archives’ Mary Hammer at (360) 664-8790 or [email protected].