Electronic Research Tool: Trailfire

TrailFire is a Web collection and annotation tool that allows trail blazers to string together a set of existing Web resources and mark-up/annotate the pages for trail users that follow their path. A unique URL is generated for each path that can be shared with others. TrailFire includes collaboration features, including the ability for trail users to add comments at any stop along a trail, or the ability to create a "wikitrail" where users can add new stops to a trail started by someone else. This tool could enable students conducting research in digital archives to capture evidence supportive of a theory they are trying to prove (e.g., the eight documents I've marked on this trail provide evidence of racism in the U.S. Supreme Court).