Harvester and jhove compete for the most mind-numbing software documentation. One long web page of sections and subsections are a hurdle to overcome. Yes the information is there, but most readers do not enjoy a long wall of text. When other software offer at least some screen shots or even video tutorials, these two are falling behind. Omeka is slightly better off in the textual department, dividing documentation into ‘getting started,’ ‘working with Omeka,’ and ‘advanced topics.’ Then there are screencasts that cover approximately the same information, but offers another way to find it for users that might learn better from audio & video. Eprints went the wiki route and features sections colorfully chunked into ‘getting started,’ ‘configuration,’ ‘customization,’ or ‘how-to guides’ and ‘technical reference.’ It is an environment which most users will find familiar and useful. DSpace and Drupal documentation and training are easy to navigate because they generally use a linear list of nodes that can be worked through in order or referenced individually. Drupal’s follows the familiar pattern of guides from installation to theme customization. I appreciate omeka, eprints, dspace, and drupal for all using screen shots that help identify what/where on the software the user is working on. Nearly all of them have mailing lists, discussion forums, or both. I do believe that the usability and currency of all these resources should weigh heavily on the users’ choice of software so they know how quickly or easily they will find answers to the inevitable bumps in the road.
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