Making Deposits easier to explore
One of the great advantages of publishing Deposits online is that an article does not disappear once the next issue comes along. Everything we publish remains available on the website, creating an ever-growing archive of articles, covering geology, palaeontology and the wider Earth sciences.
However, as that archive grows, there is an obvious challenge: how do we make sure that readers can find what interests them?
Therefore, over recent months, we have begun an ongoing programme of improvements to the Deposits website. Some of the changes are relatively small, while others involve reorganising substantial parts of the archive, but they share the same objective: to make the hundreds of articles already published by Deposits easier to find, explore and enjoy.
One of the most important changes has been the expansion of our subject categories. A new Minerals section has been added to our Interest categories, while Glaciers and Plate Tectonics now have their own sections within Earth Sciences. These are not simply places for new articles. We have brought together articles on these subjects from across the entire Deposits archive, so that material published at very different times can now be found from single pages.
This is something we hope to develop further. As the archive continues to grow, there will inevitably be other subjects where bringing related articles together will make the website more useful.
We have also introduced a new Coming Soon page. We usually have a considerable number of articles at various stages of preparation, and this page allows readers to see what has already been scheduled for publication. The articles are listed in publication order, together with their intended publication dates, providing a preview of what will be appearing in Deposits over the coming months.
Another area receiving particular attention is our coverage of geology and natural history museums. We have substantially expanded the museum section to include many more museums in Britain and mainland Europe, with further articles planned. This is very much an ongoing project. Museums large and small contain remarkable geological and palaeontological collections, and we want Deposits to introduce readers not only to the famous institutions, but also to some of the less familiar collections that are well worth discovering.
To make these articles easier to explore as a group, links to our other museum articles are now provided at the bottom of each individual museum article. A reader arriving at an article about one museum can therefore move directly on to others.
We have also strengthened the links between Deposits and our friends at the related UK Fossils website. UK Fossils contains a wealth of practical information, particularly for anyone interested in finding fossils in Britain, including guides to fossil-collecting locations around the country. It is also home to the UK Fossils Shop, where geological tools, equipment, fossils and other geological items can be purchased. Improved links between the two websites should, therefore, make it much easier to move between the background geology and palaeontology covered by Deposits and the more practical resources available through UK Fossils.
There is another, rather simpler, change on the Deposits home page that helps illustrate just how large the archive has become. At the top of the page, you will now find a running total of the number of articles published on the website. Every one of those articles remains searchable and free to read. As new material is published, the number will continue to rise.
None of these changes should be regarded as the end of the process. They are part of a continuing programme to improve Deposits and, in particular, to make better use of the very substantial archive that has accumulated over the years. There is little point in having hundreds of articles online, if readers cannot easily discover that an article relevant to their interests is already there.
And this is an area where we would very much like readers to become involved.
If there is a subject you think Deposits should cover, please tell us. If there is a geological site, museum, fossil group, mineral, landscape or aspect of Earth science that you would particularly like to see featured, we welcome suggestions. Equally, if there is something about the website that you think could be improved – or a new way in which the archive could be organised or made easier to use – we would be pleased to hear from you.
Most importantly, Deposits has always depended upon people who are prepared to share their own knowledge and enthusiasm. We therefore continue to welcome articles submitted by readers. You do not have to be a professional geologist or palaeontologist. If you know a subject well and think it would interest other readers, please get in touch.
Deposits is both a magazine and an archive. We want to continue publishing new material, but we also want to make the best possible use of everything that has already been published. The recent changes to the website are another step in that process – and there is plenty more still to come.
Jon Trevelyan (Editor)