Running Head: Case Studies of Archives and Technology: A Literature Review
Case Studies of Archives and Technology
A Literature Review
Christina Celona
Drexel University
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Introduction
The future of archives is a subject of great importance to not only those in the field, but to
anyone with an interest in our history and culture. Questions are frequently raised about the
viability of archives as institutions, especially by those who know little about archives and how
they function. Nevertheless, there are many valid questions being asked, including the following:
How will changing technology continue to affect archives and the work that is done within them?
How has it already affected us? Are these changes for the better, or do they represent an
intellectual decline on a national scale? And how will the changes affect those working in the
field?
Fortunately, there has already been some discussion on this topic, and case studies are
readily available. They show that embracing new technology not only increases the quality of
service that an archive can provide, but it can result in being viewed in a new, favorable light by
the general public. However, the process of digitizing an archive is not a straightforward one—
there are many choices to make, none intrinsically right or wrong.
Literature Review
The article written by Van der Merwe, Harris, and Strydom begins by discussing the
expectations that the general public now has of museums—people expect them to be modern and
engaging, much like the technology they’ve become accustomed to using every day (Van der
Merwe, 2012, p. 160). It would seem that there is little time for quiet, dusty, outdated exhibits
anymore. Van der Merwe et al. also discuss how archives can protect themselves from becoming
obsolete and prove their worth to a wider audience by mimicking a museum’s format (2012, p.
163). Since museums and archives are really quite similar, this should not be a difficult task.
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The particular case study described here took place at the University of Pretoria Archives.
The archivists created what they called a Virtual Classroom by giving art students access to the
archives and instructing them to create short animated films on the subject of their choosing. The
end result was a multimedia presentation on various subjects (Van der Merwe, 2012, p. 166).
Although it was not as in-depth or complex as the ideal virtual museum or archive would be, it
was a clear example of archives successfully being presented to the public in a way that they will
find engaging.
The creation of this “virtual classroom”, though small, is still significant when we are
trying to predict what our archives will be like in the future. As it was viewed as a great success
by the members of the University community, we can assume that this style of presentation is to
the liking of modern audiences. Innovation like this, similar to modern museum formats, might
be the way of the future. Perhaps the boundaries between archives and museums will begin to
blur as we progress onward—only time can tell.
The second article centered on the Mannheim City Archives in Germany. Unlike the
archives examined in the previous article, the Mannheim City Archives have made a point to
embrace new technology from the start, stating, “We made use of modern digital technology at a
very early stage, and information technology is now considered to be a pillar of our everyday
archival work.” (Nieß, 2006, p. 201) The archives boast an incredible database, and at the time
the article was written, were in the process of digitizing all of their newspapers photographs, art,
and other visual media. (Nieß, 2006, p. 201) They also frequently reach out to the public with
free publications in both traditional and non-traditional format (Nieß, 2006, p. 202). Curiously,
the German writers constantly compare the Manheim City Archives with various equivalent
organizations located in Great Britain, lamenting that Germany lacks the resources that her
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neighbors have (Nieß, 2006, p. 202). This is ironic, considering how stunning and well-funded
the Mannheim City Archives appear to American eyes.
Overall, this article shows just how complex, yet rewarding, the task of efficiently
creating and maintaining a digital archive is. The authors speak eagerly and optimistically about
the future of archives, and appear to view digitization as not only inevitable, but vital for the
preservation of information, with the added benefit that this information is now far more easily
accessible to the common man. Nieß writes,
Only a few years ago, we would have called the vision of an almost fully digitised
archive an impossibility, but now we could not be so certain. When the first computers
were installed, we were mainly interested in discovering which of their functions could
facilitate our everyday professional duties. […] Today, few could imagine a routine day
of work without it (p. 203).
The third article, authored by A. E. Armstrong, explores the same themes in the unique
setting of an architectural archive. The nature of the field meant that special care must be taken
when converting old records, which are often large and unwieldy drawings, into a digital format
without losing any important details in the process of scaling the pages down. (Armstrong, 2006,
p. 12)
It would seem that no small amount of the difficulties faced by those who work in
architectural archives are due to the fact that it took such a long time to begin modernizing and
standardizing. (Armstrong, 2006, p. 12-13) Still, despite this setback, digital archives have been
created by multiple groups in order to meet the needs of architectural students and professionals
alike. These “electronic libraries”, as the article dubs them, have become an important part of the
field, and are likely to grow even more in the future. It seems that regardless of the field of study,
people are demanding to be able to access information digitally.
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Conclusion
Perhaps most notable is Armstrong’s observation that “Digital technologies have broken
down barriers between libraries, museums, and archives.” (2006, p. 13) And that does seem to be
a recurring theme throughout these articles, though it is seldom addressed head-on. There is no
question that our archives cannot be reluctant to digitize and remake themselves into something
that modern audiences will gravitate to—it is either that, or quietly fade away. And in the process
of becoming modernized, our archives, museums, and libraries all become more similar to one
another than ever before. What this blending and merging means for the future remains to be
seen.
References
Armstrong, A. E. (2006). Architectural Archives/Archiving Architecture: The Digital ERA. Art
Documentation: Bulletin Of The Art Libraries Society Of North America, 25(2), 12-17.
Nieß, U., & Stockert, H. (2006). On the way to a digital archive: The example of Mannheim 1.
Journal Of The Society Of Archivists, 27(2), 201-212. doi:10.1080/00379810601101269
Van der Merwe, R., Harris, K., & Strydom, B. (2012). The University of Pretoria Archives
Virtual Classroom: Connecting the Community’s Past with the Virtual Future. Mousaion,
30(2), 158-170.