#archive #digital #print #artifacts #documents

Blog #1

The relationship between technology and digital archives is linear. As our society modernizes we turn to technology more than ever before. With that being said, our society is now the most efficient it has ever been. Digital artifacts is an example of how much more efficient our society is, in ways we probably never expected.

With one click we can see a variety of data presented in graphs, charts, tables and maps. Digital artifacts can draw conclusions in the form of visuals that physical words cannot. The variety of visuals “help us to perceive patterns in data that we might otherwise miss” (187). As Whitley says, “they challenge us to read texts differently than we otherwise would” (186). Digital artifacts open the door to a lot more than words can and ever will. Although Whitley addresses that some literature scholars may argue that words are considered data, cognitively words cannot conclude the same patterns that visuals can.

Digital artifacts have many advantages as they can reach a much larger population in a short amount of time. The accessibly is increased to anyone who is interested and has internet available. Those who are interested don’t have to travel to these physical artifact sights, they can simply find the information they need in a couple of clicks at most.

However this lowers the value of the physical artifact. The historical value is lost as all the information is taken from it and displayed for anyone interested online. I believe that as our society is advancing we are losing value in physical objects. Is this necessarily good or bad? I am not sure. I believe there should be some value in the physicality of objects and artifacts. Seeing the true artifact is rare and much more moving than seeing the same words typed in the same font online. The general population is starting to lose this attachment to physical objects because of the benefits and normality of having digital copies so accessible.

Having the same information, if not more, available online is much more efficient and productive. This shift towards digital value does shape our interests. There is a bigger focus on developing the skills needed with technology. There are computer sufficiency exams for many jobs and education programs as well as a push towards computer science and technology based skills. Because of the massive amount of jobs that need to be filled, the push towards these majors has increased. Years ago, computer science and digital humanities was not anywhere near the popularity it currently is. These areas of interest are constantly increasing as the need for them is growing.

There are many jobs available to continue to digitize our world. This can be seen as a disadvantage because of the amount of money it costs to change artifacts into accessible digital artifacts. It is an economic investment that will pay off in the long run. After exploring the Moravian Lives website as well as the Old Weather project, a similarity I found was that they both are crowdsourcing. This search for large groups of people to help with a project is an example of how the public is being asked to help modernize our world.

The opportunities that the use of digital artifacts brings to our society seem to outweigh the disadvantages. I believe we should continue to use the technological advantages to benefit us but to keep using printed sources for certain aspects of life.

Carly Pavoni

Carly Pavoni is from Fairfield, CT. She is a freshman at Bucknell University that is undeclared in the arts and sciences school. She is on the track and field team at Bucknell University.

Blog #1

One of the greatest uses of modern technology is the ability to create digital artifacts from archival documents. Archival documents are defined as “ information that serve as evidence of past events. They record information about past activities and act as memory aids that allow its users to recall and relive them or to re-communicate information about those events at some point in the future.” Archival documents are incredibly precious and interesting. They give us important information and keep us conscious of our past. However, it is so incredibly vital to transition these archives into digital artifacts. A digital artifact is defined as “an artifact that is of a digital nature or creation. For example, a gif is such an artifact. Digital artifact can be of any content types including text, audio, video, image, animation or a combination.” Digital material lives on and is stored for forever, whereas archives have the potential to be destroyed in some way or another. It is of the utmost importance that the archives be protected against any potential harm. Therefore, creating digital artifacts is one of the most productive uses of time and resources we have today.

Technology is so beneficial in many ways, however, its ability to create digital artifacts from archival documents is one of its best uses. As a society, we interact with textual material on the screen more than printed material. Therefore, having archives digitized is simply more practical for viewing purposes. Similarly, it seems that our physical and emotional relationships to our objects of study have changed in this digital age. People seem to be less connected to or emotionally invested in things that are digital. There is some type of barrier that comes along with viewing content digitally versus through printed text. While converting archival documents to digitized materials is superior for mass viewing, it does not supplant our need to view the physical originals. Anyone who is serious in studying the matter or understanding it more thoroughly should definitely still view the physical originals due to the innate differences in viewing. I think that digital mediums of viewing cannot replace those of physical nature. There is nothing like viewing something first hand. On the contrast, digital mediums can be helpful in pinpointing details of an archive that may have gone overlooked if otherwise been viewed in printed form. This said, I think that it is important to create online reading interfaces that can more closely approximate the experience of reading physical materials.

Creating digital artifacts from archival documents is a great aspect of many projects such as “Jane Austen’s Manuscripts”. The manuscripts of Austen’s are very important to preserve. Jane Austen’ work is classic and deserves to live on through the digitized form. “Many of the Austen manuscripts are frail; open and sustained access has long been impossible for conservation and location reasons. Digitization at this stage in their lives not only offers the opportunity for the virtual reunification of a key manuscript resource, it will also be accompanied by a record in as complete a form as possible of the conservation history and current material state of these manuscripts to assist their future conservation.” Austen’s work being digitized is a prime example of the importance of conserving works for the future.

Allison Butler

Allison Butler is a sophomore at Bucknell University. She is from New York. She likes fashion and tennis.