Q and As for the Trove Private Beta

How do I get to newspapers from the homepage? 

You can narrow down your search directly from the Trove search bar on the homepage or landing pages. To access newspapers: 

  1.  Put your search words into the Trove search bar at the top of the homepage or any landing page. 
  2. Select “Newspapers & Gazettes” from the drop-down menu at the end of the search bar. 
  3. Click the green search icon. 
  4. This takes you straight to search results for that category. You can then use filters or advanced search to begin narrowing your search by place, title and more. 

This is a quicker way to search this category. 

How do I use the new search results pages? 

The search results pages have been redesigned to be easier to read and to better suit mobile and tablet computer responsive layouts.  

When you search using the Trove search bar at the top of the homepage or landing pages and select “All categories” from the drop-down menu at the end of the search bar, you’ll see the following differences on the results page: 

  1. Options to choose a category will be under the Trove search bar as tabs. Selecting a tab will take you to search results for just that category. 
  2. Search results are no longer presented as “boxes” on the page, but as a list. The list presents the first 3 results in each category, beginning with Newspapers & Gazettes. After each result set, there is a button to click to give you the option to go to just that category. 
  3. Filters to narrow down your search, and advanced search, are available once you have selected a category for your search. 

When you search and select a category from the drop-down menu, you’ll see the following differences: 

  1. Options to navigate to a different category will be under the Trove search bar as tabs. Selecting a tab will take you to search results for just that category.  
  2. Advanced search now appears under the green search icon in the Trove search bar. 
  3. Filters to refine your results are now on the right-hand side of the search results list. 

How do I use advanced search? 

Advanced search now contains more filters and options, so is available once you’ve already narrowed your search to a category, making the results more meaningful. To access advanced search: 

  1. Enter your search words into the Trove search bar at the top of the homepage or landing pages. 
  2. Select the category you want to search from the drop-down menu at the end of the search bar. The default setting is “All categories” but you will need to select a category from the list to access Advanced search. 
  3. Click the green search icon. 
  4. On the search results page, you will now see the option for Advanced search under the green search icon. 
  5. Selecting Advanced search will open further search options on your current page. Select “Limit your search results” to access more filters. These will change depending on the category. 
  6. Use the green search icon when you’re ready to start searching. 

Go back to basic search by clicking on “basic search” at the top right of advanced search. 

How do I use the new Works pages? 

The Works pages, or what we also call the item’s record, has been redesigned to prioritise what you’re able to do with the item, i.e. Read, Borrow or Buy. These options appear under the item’s thumbnail image. 

If you can read the item online, the Read button will appear. Selecting this option will reveal a link where the item can be read, either on Trove or on a Trove Partner organisation’s website. 

The Borrow button may have a number next to it, indicating how many organisations hold copies of the item. Selecting this option reveals that list of those organisations. 

Selecting Buy reveals links to online stores where you may be able to purchase a copy. 

The summary, information on different editions, and other information you’d commonly expect to find on a works page is located under the Read, Borrow and Buy buttons. 

How can I find my organisation’s collection? 

The way you find collections your organisation has shared with Trove hasn’t changed in the Trove Private Beta. If your organisation has digitised items in partnership with Trove – these are still available through search and can be viewed online in Trove. 

If your organisation hosts its own content and has set up a harvest linking to records in Trove, you can see the whole content harvest by searching using your National Union Catalogue number (NUC). The NUC, and link to search your collection, will have been provided to you when your content harvest was set up. 

Why did you change the way newspapers look? 

We know our digitised newspapers viewer looks a little different from the way you’re used to seeing it. There have been some changes to colours and branding, but we haven’t made any major changes to the functions. Some of the buttons you use to zoom into pages or to start correcting text are now larger and easier to see. Other than this, the changes we’ve made won’t affect common activities in newspapers. 

Why have you changed the way search results look? 

Our research participants told us that search results in Trove were cluttered, making it hard to tell where items were located, or if they were available freely online.  We’ve simplified the appearance of search results and worked to highlight the information that we were told was the most important for Trove users. 

Why did you choose these colours and this logo? 

The design of the pages in the Trove Private Beta is the result of feedback from over 3,000 people who participated in research activities. We know it looks very different, and this is partly because Trove has not had any major design changes for the last 10 years – we had a lot to catch up on! 

The new design responds to feedback received that Trove should look dynamic, modern and welcoming to all Australians. It should be more responsive to display on tablet computers and mobile phones. It contains more information upfront about what Trove is, how to use it and what you can find. We've used the new logo to convey the popular idea of Trove being a literal “treasure trove” that has unlocked a huge volume of Australian information. And we’ve kept a bit of green in the design as a nod to where we’ve come from. 

What are the pages “Explore”, “Collections” etc. for? Are they like zones? 

During our research, Trove users told us they wanted easily accessible information about what’s in Trove, and what you can do with the service. We created themed landing pages based on popular activities and topics in Trove – Explore, Collections, Research, Community and First Australians. These landing pages contain regularly updated feature articles, collection highlights and tips for getting more out of your Trove visit. They also provide much more space to showcase information helping people get started in Trove and to expand their searches further. 

Why did you change the names for facets and zones? 

The new names in the Trove Private Beta, including “filters” instead of “facets” and “categories” instead of “zones” are the results of research activities that asked people how well they understood the meanings of these words. “Filter” was better understood by more people, compared to “facet”, as something you use to narrow down search results. This was the same when using “category” to describe sets of related materials that you can find in Trove. 

Why is there so much on the homepage? Why do we have to scroll? 

The current Trove homepage has fixed content that hasn’t changed much in the past 10 years. The new homepage in the Trove Private Beta contains more information about how to use Trove and get started exploring the categories and collections. This was in response to feedback we received during research activities that people visiting Trove for the first time were confused about what it was, and how they should begin using the service. The new design prioritises our most popular activity by far – searching. The search bar, and menu to choose which category to search in, is still located at the top of the page. 

Why doesn’t it say what Trove is on the homepage? 

Trove means a lot of different things to different people, so it can be hard to sum it up in a short sentence. We must highlight the collaborative nature of Trove, so you can now see more information about our Trove Partners, and a little about where the items in Trove come from, just under the main search bar on our home page and in our footer. We’ll use feedback from the Trove Private Beta to improve the way we describe Trove. 

Why are there cultural warnings on the homepage? 

We received feedback during our research that Trove was not a culturally safe space for First Australians to visit. The cultural warnings appearing on the Trove Private Beta homepage are the first of a series of measures to provide immediate information about culturally sensitive materials you may come across in Trove. These warnings can be switched off if they are not relevant to you. We are continuing to consult with First Australian communities about how this information will appear in Trove – these sections are still under construction. 

How do I contact Trove? 

If you’re having trouble accessing or using the Trove Private Beta, please check the instructions on your invitation. We also have a contact form where you can ask for further help

If you’d like to share feedback on the Trove Private Beta, take our survey. It has lots of room for additional comments. This is our main channel for feedback from Trove Partners, so the survey is the best way to ensure your feedback makes it directly to the Trove team. 

Will Trove change right after the Private Beta ends? What happens next? 

After Trove Private Beta ends, we’ll be looking at all the feedback and scheduling our remaining development work.  

Our next activity will be the Public Preview, scheduled for mid-February 2020. This will be an opportunity for all Trove patrons, Trove Partners and the general public to preview the redesigned Trove before launch. The launch is planned for mid-2020, so there will be plenty of opportunities before then to get familiar with the upgraded Trove.