Participatory Archives

The rise of digitisation and social media over the past decade has fostered the rise of participatory and DIY digital culture. Likewise, the archival community leveraged these new technologies, aiming to engage users and expand access to collections. This book examines the creation and development of participatory archives, its impact on archival theory, and present case studies of its real world application. Participatory Archives is divided into four sections with each focused on a particular aspect of participatory archives: social tagging and commenting; transcription; crowdfunding; and outreach & activist communities. Each section includes chapters summarizing the existing literature, a discussion of theoretical challenges and benefits, and a series of case studies. The case studies are written by a range of international practitioners and provide a wide range of examples in practice, whilst the remaining chapters are supplied by leading scholars from Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This book will be useful for students on archival studies programs, scholarly researchers in archival studies who could use the book to frame their own research projects, and practitioners who might be most interested in the case studies to see how participatory archives function in practice. The book may also be of interest to other library and information science students, and similar audiences within the broader cultural heritage institution fields of museums, libraries, and galleries.

The media environment of today is characterised by two critical factors: the development and adoption of ubiquitous mobile devices, and the strengthening of connectivity enabled by advances in ICT infrastructure and social media platforms. These developments have changed interactions and relationships between citizens and cultural custodians, as well as the ways archives are developed, kept, and used. Archives are now characterised by greater socialisations and networks that actively contribute to the signification of cultural heritage value. A range of new stakeholders, many of whom include the public, have sought to define what needs to be collectively remembered and forgotten. The world in which one or a few professional archivists worked on the sole mission of shaping how a society remembers is being displaced by a more democratised culture and the new generation of digitally networked archivists that are its natives. Using a range of case studies and perspectives, this book provides insights to the many ways that ubiquitous media have influenced archival practices and research, as well as the social and civic consequences of present-day archives. This book was published as a special issue of Archives and Manuscripts.

The media environment of today is characterised by two critical factors: the development and adoption of ubiquitous mobile devices, and the strengthening of connectivity enabled by advances in ICT infrastructure and social media platforms. These developments have changed interactions and relationships between citizens and cultural custodians, as well as the ways archives are developed, kept, and used. Archives are now characterised by greater socialisations and networks that actively contribute to the signification of cultural heritage value. A range of new stakeholders, many of whom include the public, have sought to define what needs to be collectively remembered and forgotten. The world in which one or a few professional archivists worked on the sole mission of shaping how a society remembers is being displaced by a more democratised culture and the new generation of digitally networked archivists that are its natives. Using a range of case studies and perspectives, this book provides insights to the many ways that ubiquitous media have influenced archival practices and research, as well as the social and civic consequences of present-day archives. This book was published as a special issue of Archives and Manuscripts.

The internet as a platform for facilitating human organization without the need for organizations has, through social media, created new challenges for cultural heritage institutions. Challenges include but are not limited to: how to manage copyright, ownership, orphan works, open data access to heritage representations and artefacts, crowdsourcing, cultural heritage amateurs, information as a commodity or information as public domain, sustainable preservation, attitudes towards openness and much more. Participatory Heritage uses a selection of international case studies to explore these issues and demonstrates that in order for personal and community-based documentation and artefacts to be preserved and included in social and collective histories, individuals and community groups need the technical and knowledge infrastructures of support that formal cultural institutions can provide. In other words, both groups need each other. Divided into three core sections, this book explores: - Participants in the preservation of cultural heritage; exploring heritage institutions and organizations, community archives and group - Challenges; including discussion of giving voices to communities, social inequality, digital archives, data and online sharing - Solutions; discussing open access and APIs, digital postcards, the case for collaboration, digital storytelling and co-designing heritage practice. Readership: This book will be useful reading for individuals working in cultural institutions such as libraries, museums, archives and historical societies. It will also be of interest to students taking library, archive and cultural heritage courses.

Traversing disciplines, A History of Participation in Museums and Archives provides a framework for understanding how participatory modes in natural, cultural, and scientific heritage institutions intersect with practices in citizen science and citizen humanities. Drawing on perspectives in cultural history, science and technology studies, and media and communication theory, the book explores how museums and archives make science and cultural heritage relevant to people’s everyday lives, while soliciting their assistance and participation in research and citizen projects. More specifically, the book critically examines how different forms of engagement are constructed, how concepts of democratization are framed and enacted, and how epistemic practices in science and the humanities are transformed through socio-technological infrastructures. Tracking these central themes across disciplines and research from Europe, Canada, Australia and the United States, the book simultaneously considers their relevance for museum and heritage studies. A History of Participation in Museums and Archives should be essential reading for a broad academic audience, including scholars and students in museum and heritage studies, digital humanities, and the public communication of science and technology. It should also be of great interest to museum professionals working to foster public engagement through collaboration with networks and local community groups.

Here is the first-ever comprehensive guide to archival concepts, principles, and practices. Encyclopedia of Archival Science features 154 entries, which address every aspect of archival professional knowledge. These entries range from traditional ideas (like appraisal and provenance) to today’s challenges (digitization and digital preservation). They present the thoughts of leading luminaries like Ernst Posner, Margaret Cross-Norton, and Philip Brooks as well as those of contemporary authors and rising scholars. Historical and ethical components of practice are infused throughout the work. Edited by Luciana Duranti from the University of British Columbia and Patricia C. Franks from San José State University, this landmark work was overseen by an editorial board comprised of leading archivists and archival educators from every continent: Adrian Cunningham (Queensland State Archives, Australia), Fiorella Foscarini (University of Toronto and University of Amsterdam), Pat Galloway (University of Texas at Austin), Shadrack Katuu (International Atomic Energy Agency), Giovanni Michetti (University of Rome La Sapienza), Ken Thibodeau (National Archives and Records Administration, US), and Geoffrey Yeo (University College London, UK).

The Nordic Model of Digital Archiving explores the roots and strengths of Nordic digital archiving and proposes new directions to guide digital archivists in addressing the challenges posed by ever- changing digital technologies and the datafication of information and records. Digitization and born-digital records promise efficient and cost-effective solutions to everything from preservation of data to easy user access. However, digitization also poses challenges for archival practitioners worldwide. Bringing together contributions from practitioners and academics to offer a range of international case studies, this book offers practical solutions for archivists in terms of governance, technologies and processes. It highlights and analyses the cornerstones of the Nordic model of archiving: reliance on standards; powerful regulatory instruments -, especially in public sector archiving, including legislation; and collaboration between archivists and government agencies, and among different tiers of central and local government. While showcasing work in the Nordic region for the benefit of archivists and record keepers globally, this volume also challenges the limits of the Nordic model with insights drawn from international archival theory. The Nordic Model of Digital Archiving offers a new perspective on archiving that will be of interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students of archiving, digital archives and records management.

With new technologies and additional goals driving their institutions, archives are changing drastically. This book shows how the foundations of archival practice can be brought forward to adapt to new environments—while adhering to the key principles of preservation and access. Archives of all types are experiencing a resurgence, evolving to meet new environments (digital and physical) and new priorities. To meet those changes, professional archivist education programs—now one of the more active segments of LIS schools—are proliferating as well. This book identifies core archival theories and approaches and how those interact with major issues and trends in the field. The essays explore the progression of archival thinking today, discussing the nature of archives in light of present-day roles for archivists and archival institutions in the preservation of documentary heritage. Examining new conceptualizations and emerging frameworks through the lenses of core archival practice and theory, the book covers core foundational topics, such as the nature of archives, the ruling concept of provenance, and the principal functions of archivists, discussing each in the context of current and future environments and priorities. Several new essays on topics of central importance not treated in the first edition are included, such as digital preservation and the influence of new technologies on institutional programs that facilitate archival access, advocacy, and outreach; the changing legal context of archives and archival work; and the archival collections of private persons and organizations. Readers will also learn how communities of various kinds intersect with the archival mission and how other disciplines' perspectives on archives can open new avenues.