At BOA, we are always striving to improve our digital platform, especially in terms of accessibility and usability.
One of the ways in which we achieve this is by working to ensure that all of our 126 primary-source collections can be explored via the Universal Viewer (UV). This is a rich, embeddable interface that supports IIIF images, audio, and video, as well as non-IIIF 3D and PDF viewing experiences.
Perhaps most importantly, our UV-enabled collections offer the “deep zoom” feature, allowing users to examine key details in a document without lowering the quality of the image. Any handwritten script in UV-enabled collections likewise benefits from Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR). This innovative software delivers a significant increase in terms of usability and search term accuracy.
We are happy to report that another of our unique primary source collections, Colonial Law in Africa, 1808–1919, is now UV-enabled!
Drawn from Foreign and Commonwealth Office files held at The National Archives (UK), this comprehensive collection brings together periodicals that were published by successive British governments in ten African countries between January 1808 and December 1919—Kenya, Lagos (Nigeria), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), Nyasaland (Malawi), Sierra Leone, Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), The Gambia, Gold Coast (Ghana), Uganda, and Zanzibar (Tanzania).
It is a rich resource for students and researchers interested in African history, as well as the broader theme of colonialism. Exploring this fascinating resource is even easier via the UV!