Make the Dirt Fly! is an exhibit on the Smithsonian Institution website about the digging of the Panama Canal. Following a brief introduction, viewers enter the main part of the exhibit, which contains both images and text describing the undertaking. The viewer then proceeds linearly through the exhibit, which consists of 10 pages discussing various topics related to the digging of the canal, titled: “Why Dig a Canal?”, “Choosing a Route”, “Making the Dirt Fly” (about the actual digging of the canal), “Waging War on the Mosquitoes” (mosquito-borne illnesses were a major problem that nearly prevented the canal from being dug), “Life in the Canal Zone” (about how workers and their families lived), “Civil Engineering” (about large-scale engineering projects that preceded the canal), “An Engineering Icon”, and “Did You Know?” (featuring trivia about the canal).
Selection Decisions
A wide variety of materials were scanned for the exhibit. Included are photographs, textual material including letters, covers and pages of books, newspapers, postcards, three-dimensional artifacts, and maps. Most of the items chosen came from the vast holdings of the Smithsonian; a few were from private archives, such as those of manufacturers of equipment used to dig the canal. All of the images are used very effectively to supplement the text.
Metadata
Metadata is minimal. It consists of a brief description of the item, its date, the location from which it came (National Museum of American History, Division of the History of Technology; Smithsonian Institution Libraries; etc.), and perhaps the name of the donor.
Object Characteristics
The images appear on the main page as small images. Clicking on them will bring up a larger version that includes the metadata.
Some sloppiness is evident on the site. There is one image, on the “Life in the Canal Zone” page, which does not open a larger image when clicked on. At another place, only part of an image is visible, and the text does not wrap around it completely. One would think that a little more quality control could have been used.
Intended Audience
The site is intended for a general audience interested in the story of how the Panama Canal was dug. School children might find it of interest. A bibliography at the end of the exhibit gives some further resources that might be of use. This site will not be useful for academic researchers, as it is far too basic for any use of that type.
Selection Decisions
A wide variety of materials were scanned for the exhibit. Included are photographs, textual material including letters, covers and pages of books, newspapers, postcards, three-dimensional artifacts, and maps. Most of the items chosen came from the vast holdings of the Smithsonian; a few were from private archives, such as those of manufacturers of equipment used to dig the canal. All of the images are used very effectively to supplement the text.
Metadata
Metadata is minimal. It consists of a brief description of the item, its date, the location from which it came (National Museum of American History, Division of the History of Technology; Smithsonian Institution Libraries; etc.), and perhaps the name of the donor.
Object Characteristics
The images appear on the main page as small images. Clicking on them will bring up a larger version that includes the metadata.
Some sloppiness is evident on the site. There is one image, on the “Life in the Canal Zone” page, which does not open a larger image when clicked on. At another place, only part of an image is visible, and the text does not wrap around it completely. One would think that a little more quality control could have been used.
Intended Audience
The site is intended for a general audience interested in the story of how the Panama Canal was dug. School children might find it of interest. A bibliography at the end of the exhibit gives some further resources that might be of use. This site will not be useful for academic researchers, as it is far too basic for any use of that type.
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