The Butter Churn Homepage

Content Evaluation:

1. Audience: The avid collector interested in finding information on particular butter churns as well as the random Internet searcher who stumbles upon the site and becomes interested. For the most part, a high level of knowledge about the mechanics of butter churns is assumed, as no explanatory details are provided.
2. The site functions as a high tech classified advertisement through which the authors hope to:
   • Obtain information about the whereabouts of certain butter churns they wish to add to their collection.
   • Sell churn parts to other collectors.
   • Educate the novice about the different types of churns.
   • Describe certain churns which other collectors might wish to obtain.
3. Points of interest such as the history of the Dazey Butter Churn, recipes for butter, amusing poems, and issues of gender and domesticity are all integrated into the website.

Much of the information, however, is incomplete. The summation of the history of the Dazey Butter Churn, for example, appears to be anecdotal and no sources are provided. Similarly, the survey of different types of butter churns is disjointed and not displayed in any order. A chronological progression of the various designs, or a survey by country, would lend some organization to the site.

Source Evaluation:

1. This page is produced by two private collectors, Butch and Dea of Missouri, who derive their authority from 11 years of collecting butter churns.
2. The date of construction is not mentioned, but the earliest revision appearing on the site is October 15, 1998.
3. The Web Page is frequently revised, most recently on September 3, 2000.
4. Contact information for the authors is contained throughout the document. Indeed, this information is central to the purpose of the website as an interface for the dissemination of information on butter churns and the authors' desire to receive information about the whereabouts of certain churns, or churn parts. Visitors to the site are encouraged to contact the authors either by telephone, by mail, or by signing the guest book.
5. The guest book provides a forum for collectors of churns visiting the site to communicate with each other by exchanging information and collecting tips.
6. Be warned: sources are not cited for advertisements, engravings, and poems that are included in the document. The one exception is a citation from the Scientific American (1873), but it too is improperly quoted making it impossible to differentiate the site designer's comments from the article quoted.

Design and Layout:

1. The design and layout are very simple, if haphazard.
2. A table is used on the homepage to direct site navigation.
3. Each topic and subgroup are listed making it possible to click on the desired information without having to search through the entire site.
4. Internal links, however, are incomplete. When viewing a series of photos the "Next" link often does not function.
5. Documents such as old advertisements of butter churns are extremely small and impossible to read.
6. Photographs are used to provide a visual survey of the different types of churns, but are rarely centered or artfully displayed on the page.
7. From the Home Page navigational links are provided to two web pages, "Ask the Experts", a web site with links to the e-mail addresses of experts in the antique and collectibles field, and "Far N Away Collectible", on which one can buy, sell, trade or find items. No conformation of the authenticity of these sites is available.

Summary: