In 2014, the British Library had digitized two percent of the print newspapers in their news archives and they planned to take this digitization effort a few steps further. A seven-year effort began that would greatly advance the amount of digitized content in the news archives, while simultaneously changing what content is considered news. Instead of creating a strict definition of news items for their archives, the British Library has expanded their definition of news related items include, "anything of relevance to a particular community at a particular point in time."[1] This means that the British Library's news archives will accept anything considered linked with news related history such as diaries, maps, oral histories, posters, letters, and more. This is a much larger scope for collecting, and the collections of the British Library will drastically expand as the institution implements this new definition.
Collections policies should be reviewed by institutions, and revised to ensure that the content of their archives furthers their mission and is adequately accessible to the communities that they serve. For many institutions the restriction of what content they collect and maintain is necessary to ensure that their collections are not retaining irrelevant materials or items that are drastically inconsistent with the overall content of the collections. Revisions to a collections policy may expand the scope of what an institution will collection, but the complete revision of the definition of something like news may lead to an overwhelming shift in content for an archive. The British Library's new acceptance of any material with some connection to news could ultimately prove disastrous for many reasons. One, with such a broad concept of what constitutes as news material will lead to an over abundance of content that will be entered into the collections. This could cause a backlog for the archivists to process leading to a delay in digitization which will limit access. Two, donors may choose the British Library news archives for their collections, when the content would be better used in another institution who's mission would better maintain the materials of the donors. Finally, without a concrete understanding of what exactly the news archives will provide, researchers may be confused as to what they may gleam from their collections. Researchers may also not think to look towards the news archives for such items as diaries and letters, given that these are not currently universally viewed as news materials.
[1]Lafrance, Adrienne. "Why the British Library is Spending $55 Million on News Archives." The Atlantic. (April 29, 2014). http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/04/the-british-library-is-spending-55m-on-news-archives/361346/
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Digital Vaults:A Lesson in Less is More
Like all institutions, archives have broken into the digital age and are creating programs to reach new audiences through digital platforms. The digitization of thousands of archives and collections, has allowed for researchers to conduct archival research without the cost of extensive travel. With mapping technology, organizations like the Greater Philadelphia GeoHistory Network, can provide and interactive experience for researchers to understand the evolution of the landscape of Philadelphia. As technology evolves and the expectations of our audiences changes, archives are creating programing with technology in mind. In many instances the use of digital technologies can broaden an institution's audience, and create a new experience for their usual audience. However, too much flashy technology can hinder accessibility for our audiences.
The National Archives created the National Archives Experience:Digital Vaults, in 2008. This tool is intended for the National Archives to better serve its current audience, and to provide an access to a more globalized audience. The Digital Vaults is a collections of over one thousand digitized items from their Washington D.C. collections. These items include documents, correspondence, photographs, and even images of three dimensional items (such as helmets, and furniture). This technology is touted as a great resource for students and teachers working on National History Day projects. [1]
Although the intentions of this digital exhibit are noble, when I explored the site I became overwhelmed by the shear amount of material to access. The intention of the Digital Vault is to allow for a personalized search through the collections by providing a randomized grouping of items that can link the researcher to related items, but instead I felt confusion as I clicked a photo of Albert Einstein and was directed to a new grouping where the items were about New Jersey. Unfortunately, with a lack of instruction and limited time to completely delve into this source, I found it just too flashy and confusing of a collections experience. The Digital Vault is heading in a great direction towards providing a free archival research tool for schools and global audiences, but the use of excess technology distract viewers from the true value of the content in this archive.
[1] http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2008/nr08-108.html
The National Archives created the National Archives Experience:Digital Vaults, in 2008. This tool is intended for the National Archives to better serve its current audience, and to provide an access to a more globalized audience. The Digital Vaults is a collections of over one thousand digitized items from their Washington D.C. collections. These items include documents, correspondence, photographs, and even images of three dimensional items (such as helmets, and furniture). This technology is touted as a great resource for students and teachers working on National History Day projects. [1]
Although the intentions of this digital exhibit are noble, when I explored the site I became overwhelmed by the shear amount of material to access. The intention of the Digital Vault is to allow for a personalized search through the collections by providing a randomized grouping of items that can link the researcher to related items, but instead I felt confusion as I clicked a photo of Albert Einstein and was directed to a new grouping where the items were about New Jersey. Unfortunately, with a lack of instruction and limited time to completely delve into this source, I found it just too flashy and confusing of a collections experience. The Digital Vault is heading in a great direction towards providing a free archival research tool for schools and global audiences, but the use of excess technology distract viewers from the true value of the content in this archive.
[1] http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2008/nr08-108.html
Archivists are Preservationists
This week our class visited the Special Collections Research Center here at Temple University. We were able to get a sense of the span that these collections reach, and it covers a large section of time. Items stored here at these archives dated back from the age of antiquity to the present era. What I found most interesting about our visit were the different paper formats that are maintained in many archives. The rare book collection holds books that are made of various materials, and because of that there are differing ways in which archivists and researcher must handle such materials. For instance, there are books dating to the American colonial era that can be handled fairly easily compared to printed materials from the 19th and 20th centuries which were printed on acidic paper and have become very fragile over time.
With some many different types of items and materials with in each collection, archivists must understand how to maintain and preserve each item. On the surface this seems fairly easy, we all (and by we all I am referring to those who have come into contact with archives or museum collections) grasp that humidity, and light control are major factor in preserving researchable items. However, after walking through the Special Collections Research Center and talking with my fellow class mates the detail in which archivists much work as preservationist is more detailed. Archivists must have a grasp on how all types of archival media deteriorate or react over time, and the list of archival items grows and changes making the need to understand preservation an unending task.
With some many different types of items and materials with in each collection, archivists must understand how to maintain and preserve each item. On the surface this seems fairly easy, we all (and by we all I am referring to those who have come into contact with archives or museum collections) grasp that humidity, and light control are major factor in preserving researchable items. However, after walking through the Special Collections Research Center and talking with my fellow class mates the detail in which archivists much work as preservationist is more detailed. Archivists must have a grasp on how all types of archival media deteriorate or react over time, and the list of archival items grows and changes making the need to understand preservation an unending task.
Friday, September 11, 2015
User vs. Archives
How can archivists and librarians better assist researchers
in a digital era? As we read in some of the articles for class this past week,
researches still have a hard time navigating through archives despite the
creation of finding aides and databases. In the article, The Metadata is the Interface:
Better Description for Better Discovery of Archives and Special Collection,
Synthesized for User Studies, Jennifer Schaffner uncovers that these
disconnects between database (and finding aides) and researchers is due to the
difference in how scholars and archivists sift through collections. As Schaffner outlines, users of archival
databases look at content by subjects and keywords, instead of what the
collection is made up of like archivists. The key to creating a better system
for archives to reach users is by providing as much descriptive metadata as
possible.
Although we understand that providing a database or
finding aide with fantastic descriptions is beneficial to gain relevancy with
users, how does minimal processing hinder or help this discovery? As we talked
about in class, minimal process has and is the way that many archives are
leaning towards when it comes to dealing with their backlog of collections. By
quickly processing collections through the minimal processing outline,
collections will be accessible to users faster. However, in detailed
descriptions of these collections may be missing because the amount of time
that is needed to acquire that level of detail. This many be an issue for providing extremely detailed
finding aides for users, as we have seen with Temple’s own online finding
aides, there is still a great deal of information that is provided to users when
minimal processing is utilized. The
problem then becomes whether a users truly understands that basics of
researching. As we discussed and read this week, there may be a fantastic
finding aid or database available, but lack of understanding how tow research can
greatly hinder a user from navigating an archive.
Friday, September 4, 2015
The Grey Areas of Appraisal
This past week we have read many articles that have helped
to define who archivists are, what their importance is, and the work that they
do within the archives. During class we focused a large part of our discussion
on the archivist's task of appraisal of the collections that they are in charge
of. The Society of American Archivists defines appraisal in three parts. The
first two parts of this definition may give a clear and distinct purpose of the
appraisal process, there are in fact more grey areas that can skew these
concrete concepts. The first is "the process of identifying materials
offered to an archives that have sufficient value to be accessioned," [1] meaning
that the archivist must judge whether an item or collections of
"stuff" adds to their mission. Although this seems fairly black and
white when defined, there are many factors that make this first definition of
appraisal an art rather than a science for archivists. For instance, the item
being appraised may be in extremely poor condition and in need of massive
restoration efforts to stabilize. While this item may fit perfectly within the
institution's collections, the archivist must decide if the item is truly worth
the amount of money and time it would take to stabilize and preserve the
document. Therefore, the archivist must have a keen eye in regards to new items
that are to be added into their collections.
The second definition states that appraisal is "the
process of determining the length of time records should be retained, based on
the legal requirements and on their current and potential usefulness." [2]
Ultimately, the appraisal and reappraisal of items within collections can be
determines based upon a scheduled length of time in which the archive/institute
will maintain certain documents. For example, certain government documents are
only allowed to be preserved for a finite amount of time before they are destroyed.
However, a document or collection may be saved from extraction due to the fact
that they provide information that cannot be accessed elsewhere. If there was a
fire that destroyed the majority of a company’s important collections leaving
only budget records, a grey area within appraisal is created. This company may
have scheduled for these budget records to be destroyed after a certain amount
of time because they did not provide enough important information for the
future or contained duplicate information that was saved elsewhere. However,
now that there is a major hole within their collections these budget records
may be saved from destruction because they are the last pieces of information pertaining
to this company’s history. Therefore an archivist must have a true
comprehensive understanding of their archives in the event that a scheduled
appraisal will result in retention of an item instead of a preconceived
destruction of the item.
As we discussed in class, there may be concrete definitions
of the work of an archivist the execution of these tasks are not as easily
defined. There are many grey areas to such tasks as collection appraisals where
the archivist must at times be fortune teller when determining if an item is
worth adding and retaining within their collections. At other times an
archivist must be the ultimate decision maker, and make the tough decisions in regards to the worth an item has for an institution after factoring in things like preservation and storage of deteriorating items. Although the Society of American Archivists has a definitive definition for the task of appraisal, it is clear that archivists (like many people within the humanities and other fields) have to weave through the grey areas within their work that definitions can not easily define.
[2] Ibid.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Digital Gaming
Gaming may have been heavily stigmatized, in recent years it has become widely accepted past time throughout the nation, and the world. Due to this rise in gaming has been noticed by many, and as a result many companies, educators, and groups have utilized gaming as a way to spread and encourage knowledge and consumption. Gaming can be a great way to get varying audiences involved and interested in history and other areas of the humanities, and this may be attractive to institutions as a way to better connect to them. Although gaming may seem temping to institutions, I think that they would be better suited as collaborators with gaming companies rather than to develop their own gaming platforms. For instance the game Assassins Creed has become vastly popular, with more than three sequels over the last few years, and has sparked historical interest among its audiences. As popular as it is, this video game can lead younger audiences (and even older audiences) to belief in a skewed and inaccurate historical narrative. To remedy this situation, I think it would be fantastic if institutions and gaming companies, like the one that created Assassins Creed, could create a united force to produce fun and historically accurate games.
For this assignment I chose to review the game Oregon Trail, which was a hit in the 1990s and has recently become free to play on the internet. The premise of the game reflects its title, you the player must successfully follow the Oregon Trail of the 19th century. As you and your family travel to the west, there are periodical stops at important and historical and natural landmarks, military forts, and towns. At each stop you can speak to fellow travelers and traders who give you survival tips, and information about the surroundings. Although this game provides some context to the Oregon Trail of the past, I found myself more concerned with hunting for game to make sure that everyone survived, and that my oxen weren't being worked too hard than actually absorbing facts from other areas of the game. Facts, and place names just blurred together. One thing that does stick with you from this game is the hardships faced by those who traveled the trail. Members of your caravan may come under attack from bandits, fall ill from dysentery, become injured, or starve. All of these factors could be difficult to come back from in the game, and in the reality of the 19th century travelers.
Although this was a older game (originally created over twenty years ago), it does reflect well on how gaming could be used to teach. There may not have been many long winded facts, and sometimes the facts that were presented were ignored because of the players need to win, the experience of what it was like to be on the real Oregon Trail did last with the player.
For this assignment I chose to review the game Oregon Trail, which was a hit in the 1990s and has recently become free to play on the internet. The premise of the game reflects its title, you the player must successfully follow the Oregon Trail of the 19th century. As you and your family travel to the west, there are periodical stops at important and historical and natural landmarks, military forts, and towns. At each stop you can speak to fellow travelers and traders who give you survival tips, and information about the surroundings. Although this game provides some context to the Oregon Trail of the past, I found myself more concerned with hunting for game to make sure that everyone survived, and that my oxen weren't being worked too hard than actually absorbing facts from other areas of the game. Facts, and place names just blurred together. One thing that does stick with you from this game is the hardships faced by those who traveled the trail. Members of your caravan may come under attack from bandits, fall ill from dysentery, become injured, or starve. All of these factors could be difficult to come back from in the game, and in the reality of the 19th century travelers.
Although this was a older game (originally created over twenty years ago), it does reflect well on how gaming could be used to teach. There may not have been many long winded facts, and sometimes the facts that were presented were ignored because of the players need to win, the experience of what it was like to be on the real Oregon Trail did last with the player.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Digital Storytelling and New Media
The platform of digital storytelling can provide a interesting interactive experience between creators and audiences. As the project Welcome to Pine Point (http://pinepoint.nfb.ca/#/pinepoint), the history of a particular place can be told through the stories of a close knit group of residents. This project wove personal accounts of living in Pine Point with facts and personal affects like home videos and photos. Despite the fact that this project had a great deal of personal and emotional elements to it, audiences could connect with the story of Pine Point through both the nostalgia of the creators and by tapping into their own memories of growing up. By utilizing multiple levels of digitization and media to create a story telling experience, as the Welcome to Pine Point project did, audiences would be able to experience this story as if they themselves were a part of it.
Although projects like Welcome to Pine Point can provide an enjoyable experience for audiences, the use of various forms of media and fancy visualization can distract the audience. For example, in The National Archives program (http://digitalvaults.org/), the digitized archives are displayed with a rotating display that continues to shift and change as one clicks on the images and documents. While this was a very interesting and interactive experience to the National Archives digitized repositories, the constantly shifting display confused me as to which document was next, and if there was a specific theme that I should have been following. Not only can the visualizations be distracting to audiences, lack of instruction or a clear correlation between the digital platform and the story that should be told can leave an audience confused. While it may seem new and inventive to add high tech or flashy formats to a storytelling or new media projects, these could largely impact negatively on how audiences interact and receive the project.
Overall, digital storytelling and new media provides a new level of interaction that creators can provide for their audiences. As we discussed in class projects like Welcome to Pine Point can blur the lines between art and the humanities. By blurring this line, digital and new media creators can provide amazing interdisciplinary and educational experiences for a wide range of audiences.
Although projects like Welcome to Pine Point can provide an enjoyable experience for audiences, the use of various forms of media and fancy visualization can distract the audience. For example, in The National Archives program (http://digitalvaults.org/), the digitized archives are displayed with a rotating display that continues to shift and change as one clicks on the images and documents. While this was a very interesting and interactive experience to the National Archives digitized repositories, the constantly shifting display confused me as to which document was next, and if there was a specific theme that I should have been following. Not only can the visualizations be distracting to audiences, lack of instruction or a clear correlation between the digital platform and the story that should be told can leave an audience confused. While it may seem new and inventive to add high tech or flashy formats to a storytelling or new media projects, these could largely impact negatively on how audiences interact and receive the project.
Overall, digital storytelling and new media provides a new level of interaction that creators can provide for their audiences. As we discussed in class projects like Welcome to Pine Point can blur the lines between art and the humanities. By blurring this line, digital and new media creators can provide amazing interdisciplinary and educational experiences for a wide range of audiences.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Mapping History
Historic Cold Spring Village (HCSV) is a functioning 19th century village, that demonstrates a national and local historical narrative. The HCSV has interpreters and artisans who help to demonstrate the daily tasks that were typical for American citizens during this period in history. Along with demonstrations, interpreters provide historical context and tours of buildings to provide both national and local historical context to the museum. To achieve the look and authenticity of an original 19th century village, over fifteen historic homes and buildings from Cape May County were relocated and positioned to represent a village of this time period. The relocation of these buildings has served three purposes for the museum. First, this relocation has helped to preserve historic sites from potential harm. Second, these buildings provide originality and authenticity of the time period that is being interpreted for patrons. Finally, the local history of Cape May County is able to be preserved and intertwined with a more national history.[1] Although there are many people from Southern New Jersey who remember the creation of the HCSV and the movement of the historic buildings from their original locations to their new home, many others may find it hard to visualize the distances and effort it would have taken to complete this goal. The map that I have created, called Historic Homes of Cold Spring, helps to provide context to where these buildings originally were located in relation to Historic Cold Spring Village. https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zK-lp0w6TBDg.kwJc_lzsHrMI
In this map the data was split into two layers. The first layer is the location of Historic Cold Spring Village, which is marked as a red pin on the map. The second layer of data is the original locations for a sampling of the historic homes and buildings now at HCSV. This layer a data is represented with yellow house icons, and each location has its original building name, date, and a very quick description of its original use and current use. The two pictures below demonstrate how this data is presented from a very zoomed out view (where NJ as a whole is visible), and a zoomed in view (which shows Cape May County). From the zoomed out view it is very hard to understand and interpret the data that is presented, which can obscure the overall intent of a map project. However, the more zoomed in image better represents the distances between the Village and ten buildings that were relocated. From this vantage point, audiences can see how many towns and their histories have been involved in the creation of the HCSV museum. It also allows views to think critically about the strategies and issues involved when a historic building may be completely relocated to a new sight.
Although there are many advantages to using mapping to visualize data, there are some pitfalls for certain projects. One problem is being able to provide an accurate and current street to adequately represent where a historic building or location would be today. For instance, many of the buildings at Cold Spring could not be included in the mapping data because the locations either do not currently exist, or are in a location that does not have an exact street address. Without an exact or even rough street address it is hard for Google to the location that you are looking for, and therefore can make your data incomplete or the pins inaccurate. Another issue is that style settings are greatly limited. Map layouts, and data tools have a nice range of style options, but if these do not fit the potential mapping project or can not advance the visual effect that the creator is looking for it can be limiting. However, for a free technological tool this is not an end all issue.
In this map the data was split into two layers. The first layer is the location of Historic Cold Spring Village, which is marked as a red pin on the map. The second layer of data is the original locations for a sampling of the historic homes and buildings now at HCSV. This layer a data is represented with yellow house icons, and each location has its original building name, date, and a very quick description of its original use and current use. The two pictures below demonstrate how this data is presented from a very zoomed out view (where NJ as a whole is visible), and a zoomed in view (which shows Cape May County). From the zoomed out view it is very hard to understand and interpret the data that is presented, which can obscure the overall intent of a map project. However, the more zoomed in image better represents the distances between the Village and ten buildings that were relocated. From this vantage point, audiences can see how many towns and their histories have been involved in the creation of the HCSV museum. It also allows views to think critically about the strategies and issues involved when a historic building may be completely relocated to a new sight.
Although there are many advantages to using mapping to visualize data, there are some pitfalls for certain projects. One problem is being able to provide an accurate and current street to adequately represent where a historic building or location would be today. For instance, many of the buildings at Cold Spring could not be included in the mapping data because the locations either do not currently exist, or are in a location that does not have an exact street address. Without an exact or even rough street address it is hard for Google to the location that you are looking for, and therefore can make your data incomplete or the pins inaccurate. Another issue is that style settings are greatly limited. Map layouts, and data tools have a nice range of style options, but if these do not fit the potential mapping project or can not advance the visual effect that the creator is looking for it can be limiting. However, for a free technological tool this is not an end all issue.
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| Zoomed out View of Historic Homes of Cold Spring |
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| Zoomed In View of Historic Homes of Cold Spring |
Thursday, February 19, 2015
History and Visualizations
The Cold War era in America is commonly remembered as a time of fear due to both a potential war with Soviet Russia, and of potential Communist threats from within America's boarders. To illustrate this sense of fear, I chose to create a word cloud from Senator Joseph McCarthy's speech where he detailed the communists who had infiltrated the State Department. It was through this and other speeches, that he was able produce fear within the government and throughout the nation, known as the Red Scare.[1] The word cloud originally contained over one hundred of the most commonly used words in McCarthy's speech. I chose to reduce the number of words to seventy five, which altered to image in a more sinister way. The words as communist, people, state, and time became bolder. The size of these words also create a sense of urgency, which reflects the urgency to protect the nation from a communist threat. The colors chosen for this word cloud also help to portray the Cold War era. The various shades of red reflect the "red scare" that many feared, while the blues can be representative of both America and/or a feeling of coldness. The gray background gives the whole image a somber feeling, which is reflective of the feelings of fear of communist spies. It also represents the fear of being falsely accused of communism, which was common during the Red Scare period of the Cold War.
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Word Cloud of Joseph McCarthy's speech
"Communists in the State Department" 1950
The second word cloud was created with Governor of Illinois, Adlai Stevenson's speech which he had given to Smith College (an all female school) in 1955. In this speech Stevenson encouraged the graduating class to become wives and mothers, who would ensure that America's youth and men would not stray towards communism and maintain Western values (instead of either furthering their education or utilizing their skills outside of the home).[2] Unlike the speech that McCarthy had given in 1950, Stevenson's speech was meant to invoke duty and purpose, instead of fear and dread. To represent this sentiment the colors used are almost cheerful, and the font is slightly collegiate. The blues and yellows in this word cloud represent Smith College's colors, as apposed to the blues in the previous image which reflected a colder style.The yellow background emphasizes the words, but in a less dramatic way than the McCarthy cloud. This softer contrast between the background and the image emphasizes less fearful emotions that the previous speech sparked during the Cold War. The one constant between the two clouds is the use of the color red. Here, like in the previous visual, the red is meant to represent the fear of communism.
The words that stood out the most in this image were society, Western, now, and man. Although these words seem to promote a sense of urgency, when viewed in this format it is not the same type of urgency that could be felt in the McCarthy cloud. Instead of fear fueling these words and urgency, it is more of a sense of duty and confidence. This difference in visualization help to provide added understandings of the Cold War period, by representing both the fear that many felt and the push towards national duty.
These visualizations provide an added element of understanding and interpretation to the Cold War historical narrative. They both help to encourage added sentiment and engagement between the audience and historical narrative, that may not be fully achieved through the reading of literature alone. However, it should be noted that the utilization of this form of visualization can promote one's own historical bias because of the many ways in which the data can be manipulated, and change the original emphasis of the content.
[1] McCarthy, Joseph. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=3633
[2] Stevenson, Adlai. http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/stevenson.html
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Friday, February 13, 2015
Project Idea 1
Brief Description:
Identification, and documentation of five business owners within Atlantic City/County from between the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries, who represent the diversity of the area's history.
Goal(s):
This project would research four members of the Atlantic County community from the period of the later 19th to early 20th century. Along with basic background information, there would also be scanned pictures and documents (leases, land grants, building codes, new paper clippings, and advertisements), to demonstrate the role they played within their community and their impact on the landscape. This would provide a multi-level impact. The first would be the discovery, and preservation of information that may not be widely know from within the community. The second, would be the representation of a more inclusive history, by providing individuals of various genders and ethnicities, as well as from different backgrounds. The third, would be an attempt to connect younger and older audiences who may or may not know local history, and allow them to connect it with their larger concepts of American/International history.
Tools Used:
Scanner
Camera (If there is a need for more Current Images of the areas discussed)
Photoshopping Technology (only to be used for clearing up images)
Omeka (for website building)
All of these tools would be used in the preservation, and digitization of documents, and sources found from the archives. I also would like to present an element of data visualization either through mapping or a timeline, that would help to better convey the changing landscape of the area through these businesses, and the history that connects these individuals with the past. This could be done through the use of Timeline JS, and/or other data visualization tools.
The Intended Audience:
The audience for this project would ideally be a cross section, of adults and students. It provides information that could potentially inspire local educators to connect local history, with their current history curriculum. It also would be useful for certain individuals interested in genealogy, or Atlantic County history itself. While students may ultimately look at the website, at this stage it may be better suited to older students given the lack of interacting components, and simpler wording. If this project would be potentially expanded, there may be the ability to better connect the content to a wider age range of students, and even connect it to programs between schools and the Historical Society, where the large majority of the documents and information would come from.
Identification, and documentation of five business owners within Atlantic City/County from between the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries, who represent the diversity of the area's history.
Goal(s):
This project would research four members of the Atlantic County community from the period of the later 19th to early 20th century. Along with basic background information, there would also be scanned pictures and documents (leases, land grants, building codes, new paper clippings, and advertisements), to demonstrate the role they played within their community and their impact on the landscape. This would provide a multi-level impact. The first would be the discovery, and preservation of information that may not be widely know from within the community. The second, would be the representation of a more inclusive history, by providing individuals of various genders and ethnicities, as well as from different backgrounds. The third, would be an attempt to connect younger and older audiences who may or may not know local history, and allow them to connect it with their larger concepts of American/International history.
Tools Used:
Scanner
Camera (If there is a need for more Current Images of the areas discussed)
Photoshopping Technology (only to be used for clearing up images)
Omeka (for website building)
All of these tools would be used in the preservation, and digitization of documents, and sources found from the archives. I also would like to present an element of data visualization either through mapping or a timeline, that would help to better convey the changing landscape of the area through these businesses, and the history that connects these individuals with the past. This could be done through the use of Timeline JS, and/or other data visualization tools.
The Intended Audience:
The audience for this project would ideally be a cross section, of adults and students. It provides information that could potentially inspire local educators to connect local history, with their current history curriculum. It also would be useful for certain individuals interested in genealogy, or Atlantic County history itself. While students may ultimately look at the website, at this stage it may be better suited to older students given the lack of interacting components, and simpler wording. If this project would be potentially expanded, there may be the ability to better connect the content to a wider age range of students, and even connect it to programs between schools and the Historical Society, where the large majority of the documents and information would come from.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
What is Digital History?
The use of digital technology to further the scope of understanding, and to increase the involvement of those within the academy and the audiences they hope to connect with is a fairly recent phenomenon. It is because of its youth that it has been difficult to create a universally acceptable definition of what exactly digital history or digital humanities is. This debate over what exactly is digital humanities or history is greatly emphasized in Lisa Spiro’ article “This is Why We Fight”:Defining the Values of the Digital Humanities. Despite these debates scholars like Matthew Kirschenbaum have been able to create their own definitions. As Kirchenbaum defines it, “the digital humanities today is about a scholarship (and a pedagogy) that is publicly visible in ways in which we are generally unaccustomed...”.1 Ultimately for me, digital history is the utilization of digital media to further the preservation and understanding of history, and to provide a larger audience with access to such material. It is also through the use of digital technologies to provide a more collaborative effort in completing historical projects, or missions.
Although digital history is being utilized by an ever widening list of historical sites and museums, the Imperial War Museum’s Lives of the First Wold War project helps to provide an example of an ideal digital project (https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org/). This is a crowd sourced project that was created in an effort to document WWI histories and narratives of the United Kingdom. Through citizen assistance, soldiers are remembered, their histories are preserved, and larger connections are being made between the public and museum communities. Not only are all people welcome to record their historical information and memory of the WWI period, but they are encouraged to upload pictures and explore historical records to better understand their personal pasts and the general history of the period. The Imperial War Museum has been able to provide historical information to a wide range of people through the use of this website, while also working collaboratively to preserve the history of the WWI period. This project not only uses the digital medium to connect with audiences, but it also provides an example of how to collect, evaluate, and preserve historical information with the assistance of their audiences and volunteers.
1. Matthew Kirschenbaum, "What is Digital Humanities and What's It Doing In English Departments," Debates in the Digital Humanities, p. 3-11.
The use of digital technology to further the scope of understanding, and to increase the involvement of those within the academy and the audiences they hope to connect with is a fairly recent phenomenon. It is because of its youth that it has been difficult to create a universally acceptable definition of what exactly digital history or digital humanities is. This debate over what exactly is digital humanities or history is greatly emphasized in Lisa Spiro’ article “This is Why We Fight”:Defining the Values of the Digital Humanities. Despite these debates scholars like Matthew Kirschenbaum have been able to create their own definitions. As Kirchenbaum defines it, “the digital humanities today is about a scholarship (and a pedagogy) that is publicly visible in ways in which we are generally unaccustomed...”.1 Ultimately for me, digital history is the utilization of digital media to further the preservation and understanding of history, and to provide a larger audience with access to such material. It is also through the use of digital technologies to provide a more collaborative effort in completing historical projects, or missions.
Although digital history is being utilized by an ever widening list of historical sites and museums, the Imperial War Museum’s Lives of the First Wold War project helps to provide an example of an ideal digital project (https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org/). This is a crowd sourced project that was created in an effort to document WWI histories and narratives of the United Kingdom. Through citizen assistance, soldiers are remembered, their histories are preserved, and larger connections are being made between the public and museum communities. Not only are all people welcome to record their historical information and memory of the WWI period, but they are encouraged to upload pictures and explore historical records to better understand their personal pasts and the general history of the period. The Imperial War Museum has been able to provide historical information to a wide range of people through the use of this website, while also working collaboratively to preserve the history of the WWI period. This project not only uses the digital medium to connect with audiences, but it also provides an example of how to collect, evaluate, and preserve historical information with the assistance of their audiences and volunteers.
1. Matthew Kirschenbaum, "What is Digital Humanities and What's It Doing In English Departments," Debates in the Digital Humanities, p. 3-11.
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