Website Evaluation

Who Was Martha Ballard. http://www.dohistory.org/. Set up by Film Study Center. Maintained by Harvard University. Consulted September 16, 2004.

I chose to evaluate DoHistory.com because in a past class, Martha Ballard’s diary was an assigned and interesting reading. I thought this site is well presented, easy to use, and well written. The extra links for additional research and navigation is a nice addition to an already interesting topic.
The creators of the site present Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s edition of Martha Ballard’s A Midwifes Tale in an interesting fashion that captures the readers attention. The highlights direct users to additional sources are quite appealing. As a resource for students, it is done very well. This site also has good and current scholarship. The main focus being to educate people about Martha Ballard, her life and her times.

The site form is good. Although some of the text could be considered small and the highlights difficult to read over the images, over all navigation is smooth. The structure is a clear design, without being too simplistic. I have seen similar methods of navigation on other web sites, but not so much that it gives the impression of being over done. The primary source links also add additional information not necessarily practical to print in the book itself.

In terms of educational value, perhaps upper-level undergraduate and graduate students would benefit most. Also, those enthusiasts interested in early to mid nineteenth century social life would find the resources helpful. Perhaps one additional feature that would enhance the site would be to include links to more popular web sites so high school students might also benefit. The teaching hits for the classroom is, I am sure, a welcome tool for teachers.
DoHistory.com has several different media options that enhance the diary and the site. Although not a new media, the searchable chart of Martha’s book is most helpful to those who have are reading, or have been assigned to read her book. The film and behind-the-scenes section shows a difference yet important aspect of history and historical interpretation that can often be considered trivial or unscholarly.

In general, I enjoyed this site and think it is accomplishing its educational aims. DoHistory.com is a balanced and varied site that integrates primary sources with secondary sources as well as popular culture, without loosing any academic status.