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: Theory and practice 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 enormous task of preserving the world's heritage in the face of war, natural disaster, vandalism, neglect, and technical obsolescence. The monuments-movable, immovable, tangible, and intangible-of the world's shared cultural heritage are at risk. War, terrorism, natural disaster, vandalism, and neglect make the work of preservation a greater challenge than it has been since World War II. In The Monumental Challenge of Preservation Michele Cloonan makes the case that, at this critical juncture, we must consider preservation in the broadest possible contexts. Preservation requires the efforts of an increasing number of stakeholders. In order to explore the cultural, political, technological, economic, and ethical dimensions of preservation, Cloonan examines particular monuments and their preservation dilemmas. The massive Bamiyan Buddhas, blown up by the Taliban in 2001, are still the subject of debates over how, or whether, to preserve what remains, and the U. S. National Park Service has undertaken the complex task of preserving the symbolic and often ephemeral objects that visitors leave at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial-to take just two of the many examples described in the book. Cloonan also considers the ongoing genocide and cultural genocide in Syria; the challenges of preserving our digital heritage; the dynamic between original and copy; efforts to preserve the papers and architectural fragments of the architect Louis Sullivan; and the possibility of sustainable preservation. In the end, Cloonan suggests, we are what we preserve-and don't preserve. Every day we make preservation decisions, individually and collectively, that have longer-term ramifications than we might expect.

The Annual Review of Cultural Heritage Informatics (ARCHI) is a pivotal resource for cultural heritage scholars, professionals and students providing a compendium of current research, educational initiatives and best practices. Featuring sixteen original works selected by the distinguished editorial board of international scholars, ARCHI presents a broad spectrum of the cultural heritage informatics field. Whether you are interested in cultural heritage preservation, digitization, digital humanities, user behaviour, technology or educational practices, this edited collection is the central source for current and emerging trends in the rapidly expanding cultural heritage informatics field. The major sections include: - Best Practices: contributors explore the increasingly converging, distributed and pluralistic nature of digital cultural heritage and suggest new perspectives on traditional preservation and access methodologies - Digital Communities: authors emphasize the role of cultural maps in interpreting digital representations and advocate for the preservation of digital cultural discourse - Education: offerings include an exploration of a current cultural heritage informatics educational program and an analysis of educational resources available to local history and genealogy collection librarians - Field Reports: case studies include active digitization programs, cultural heritage preservation initiatives and developing cultural heritage research agendas in Ethiopia, Pennsylvania (USA), Australia and Romania - Technology: chapters explore specific uses of technology for promoting the accessibility and preservation of cultural heritage ranging from a digital humanities virtual reality application, to folksonomies and other social networking tools as finding aid extensions, and a review of digital collection user studies - Reviews: this new section is introduced and the vision charted for its expansion in future volumes. ARCHI is the polestar publication for cultural heritage informatics scholars, practitioners, and students. By challenging readers to explore a variety of contexts and offering critical evaluation of conventional practices, ARCHI promotes new ideas and offers new pathways of development for the cultural heritage informatics field.

Research Data Management (RDM) has become a hot professional topic internationally because of changes in scholarship and governmental policies about the sharing of research data. This book provides an introduction to RDM for librarians and other support professionals. Starting by exploring the nature of research and the importance of data in the research process, the book reviews how RDM has developed over time, what typical research data services are, and how they relate to other research support services. It considers how a multi-professional support service can be created then examines the decisions that need to be made in designing different types of research data service from local policy creation, training, through to creating a data repository. Exploring Research Data Management is an accessible introduction to RDM with engaging tasks for the reader to follow and build their knowledge. It will be useful reading for all students studying librarianship and information management, and librarians who are interested in learning more about RDM and developing Research Data Services in their own institution.

This book highlights the present status of manuscript collection in the different repositories of India, and also suggests some remedial measures which are required to be adopted for the proper conservation, care and management of manuscripts. It showcases the nature of base material, ink, pigments, binding materials, writing and illustration techniques used in different manuscripts, given the importance of having thorough knowledge about the chemical composition of different materials before adopting any kind of conservation practice.As dating of manuscript is a very difficult task, a great variety of techniques and methodology such as palaeography, style of writing, illustration and terminology, colophon, spectrometric methods, and radio carbon dating, among others, are discussed here. Furthermore, as prevention is better than cure, different preventive measures, including indigenous methods practiced during the ancient period for preservation of manuscripts, are also outlined, as are the hazards of using different chemicals for conservation of manuscripts.

How digital networks and services bring the issues of archives out of the realm of institutions and into the lives of everyday users Archives have become a nexus in the wake of the digital turn. Electronic files, search engines, video sites, and media player libraries make the concepts of "archival" and "retrieval" practically synonymous with the experience of interconnected computing. Archives today are the center of much attention but few agendas. Can archives inform the redistribution of power and resources when the concept of the public library as an institution makes knowledge and culture accessible to all members of society regardless of social or economic status? This book sets out to show that archives need our active support and continuing engagement. This volume offers three distinct perspectives on the present status of archives that are at once in disagreement and solidarity with each other, from contributors whose backgrounds cut across the theory-practice divide. Is the increasing digital storage of knowledge pushing us toward a turning point in its democratization? Can archives fulfill their paradoxical potential as utopian sites in which the analog and the digital, the past and future, and remembrance and forgetting commingle? Is there a downside to the present-day impulse toward total preservation?

An up-to-date examination of the evolving field of digital curation and its important place in libraries, covering the major technical, social, and organizational issues surrounding curation for libraries, archives, and other information-based organizations. This book addresses the evolving field of digital curation and its important place in libraries, covering the myriad issues surrounding curation for libraries, archives, and other information-based organizations. Balancing research, theory, and practice in curation, this book is a valuable resource for students, librarians, and archivists that will help them understand the technology infrastructure that supports curation, develop effective curation plans, and make the best choices when digitizing collections that aid in the long term preservation and curation of their materials. The book can serve as a textbook for graduate courses in digital curation, digital libraries, and informatics as well as be useful to librarians and archivists for individual continuing professional education. Supplies a practical and much-needed guide on an emerging and dynamic field for librarians Gives librarians the skills they need to help patrons and fellow librarians deal with the data deluge Addresses a current and highly relevant topic in library and information science and fills a gap in the existing literature on preservation

Keeping Chronicles is the latest book by Rosemary Sassoon. It intends to show the many ways handwritten and other documents from family archives and other sources are so valuable, not only to the family concerned, but to local as well as national museums. The many examples within the book illustrate different categories such as letters, diaries, travel records, business and legal ones, personal scrapbooks, school books and cookery books etc. Also included is practical advice from professionals in the field about how to preserve such items and present them for safekeeping to museums. Rosemary discusses her own memorabilia collection and shows how she has preserved these historical items. After giving talks on the matter of preserving written items, Rosemary was saddened to hear that so many people discarded such memorabilia, destroying family history in a minute, because they were unsure of how to preserve these items to keep. This book will inspire readers to start their own memorabilia collection.

Everyone needs assistance and guidance on managing their personal digital information and library and information professionals are in a unique position to help. This book will help them pass on critical skills and simple principles for how to store, share, and preserve digital objects. Personal Digital Archiving (PDA) is the collection, management, and preservation of personal materials created in digital media. These materials can include digital photographs and videos, documents, e-mail, websites, and social media content. For information professionals, PDA encourages collaboration with users, with the goals of supporting digital information fluency and assisting individuals in their efforts to preserve their personal and family digital records. Featuring expert contributors working in a variety of contexts, this practical resource will help librarians empower their users to take charge of their personal digital materials. Coverage includes: explanations of common terms in plain language quick, non-technical solutions to the most frequent user requests guidance on how to archive social media posts, digital photographs and web content an exploration of data, privacy and ethical concerns that must be considered when archiving and curating personal data ways to help plan digital estates as heirlooms and memory objects perspective on balancing core library values with the business goals of Google, Amazon, Facebook, and other dominant platforms additional resources and bibliographies for digging deeper. This book will be useful reading for library and information professionals working in all sectors, archivists and LIS students.

Follow the blueprint in this book to launch a library DIY community history digitization program-one that provides the access and fosters engagement with patrons to sustain the program over time. Internet technologies have enabled anyone to tell their story-and to find out their own unknown story. Libraries are seeing increased interest in community and family history and in genealogy, as well as heightened demand for access to personal and community history materials in digital format. The opportunity exists for libraries to benefit their communities by providing these in-demand, digitized historical materials optimized for researchers at the individual level. Digitizing Your Community's History: The Innovative Librarian's Guide provides you with step-by-step directions for launching a DIY digitization program for personal and community historical materials. It covers the process of setting up a digitization program, training customers to use the equipment, best practices for storing digitized material, and tips for engaging the community in local history, such as ideas for exhibiting materials and programs for genealogy and family history. Just as importantly, the author addresses how to explain the benefits of programs like these to library stakeholders and supplies recommendations on sustaining library community history programs through access and engagement. The book also provides supplemental materials that include templates and programming ideas, lists of recommended software and apps, and recommended specifications for equipment and for file storage. Takes readers through establishing local history digitization projects at the community level from start to finish, providing guidance on how to set up, maintain, and sustain ongoing digitization projects Describes how to train library users for digitization-instructions that are also applicable for including volunteers in digitization projects Explains how creating a DIY history digitization project can provide a community benefit and serve as a form of outreach that also enriches a library's local history collection

Drawing on historical texts, this all-encompassing, accessible volume provides a comprehensive understanding of preservation for librarians, archivists, and museum specialists. By grounding key readings in context, Michele V. Cloonan offers students and professionals an overview of longevity, reversibility, enduring value, and authenticity of information preservation. In considering the history and context of preservation, she provides significant insight into conservation, historic preservation, moving images, and other cultural heritage institutions. The text is divided into eight themes designed to provide specific readings in context with this broad subject: History and context Collections Risks to cultural heritage Conservation Frameworks for digital preservation Preservation policy Ethics and values Multicultural issues Sustainability Each section includes historical works that form the basis of contemporary thinking and practices, readings from a variety of fields that are primarily concerned with the preservation of cultural heritage, and hard-to-find publications that shed new light on how to approach contemporary problems. The author's selections and insightful commentary on each comprise a truly global and current view of preservation. Readership: Students and researchers in archives, museums and libraries courses around the world. Drawing on historical texts, this all-encompassing, accessible volume provides a comprehensive understanding of preservation for librarians, archivists, and museum specialists. By grounding key readings in context, Michele V. Cloonan offers students and professionals an overview of longevity, reversibility, enduring value, and authenticity of information preservation. In considering the history and context of preservation, she provides significant insight into conservation, historic preservation, moving images, and other cultural heritage institutions. The text is divided into eight themes designed to provide specific readings in context with this broad subject: * History and context * Collections * Risks to cultural heritage * Conservation * Frameworks for digital preservation * Preservation policy * Ethics and values * Multicultural issues * Sustainability. Each section includes historical works that form the basis of contemporary thinking and practices, readings from a variety of fields that are primarily concerned with the preservation of cultural heritage, and hard-to-find publications that shed new light on how to approach contemporary problems. The author's selections and insightful commentary on each comprise a truly global and current view of preservation. Readership: Students and researchers in archives, museums and libraries courses around the world.

In-House Bookbinding and Repair is a working document that contains information on setting up both a basic bookbindery and repair lab (i.e. the design, equipment, tools, and supplies needed) and instructions on rebinding and repairing cloth-bound books. Highly illustrated to greater enhance its usefulness, this manual also covers various aspects of book repair and conservation, and contains appendixes on manufacturers and suppliers of materials and products discussed in the text, an extensive Glossary of terms, a separate section on World Wide Web Resources, and a helpful bibliography. This manual will prove valuable to libraries of all sizes and locations. Library managers and administrators will find it a worthwhile resource as they contemplate the utility of an in-house lab. Library staff charged with various aspects of bookbinding and book repair will find the manual to be a practical reference tool. The volume is also designed to be used as a primer for related courses in Library and Information Science Studies programs and may be of interest to individuals interested in private practice.

Text in English & German. This volume contains articles of relevance for books, manuscripts and libraries, for example new acquisitions in the National and University Library of Iceland, Icelandic manuscripts in the British Library, types of medieval bindings in the University Library of Uppsala and marks of previous ownership on books in the Royal Library in Copenhagen, a digital exhibition resulting from the great theft of books from the library that has been described in Care and conservation 9, on the binding structures of medieval Armenian manuscripts, and on a method employed for the examination of the tools used in the cover decoration of Byzantine manuscripts. There are also articles on plaited silk strings found on medieval documents, on vegetable dyes in English medieval manuscripts, on paper manufacture in Denmark in the 17th century, and on traditional methods of paper production in Nepal. In connection with storage conditions there are presentations of an investigation of the air quality in the new archive at the Arnamagnaean Collection in Copenhagen with passive climate control, of considerations in connection with the planning of new book stores in the Royal Library there, and a report of a Russian-Dutch project on methods for assessing damage in large collections. On conservation in general there are accounts of developments in the conservation of parchment in Hungary, of the treatment of damage to paper manuscripts caused by iron-gall ink corrosion and of the use of synthetic polymers and various types of glue in paper conservation. On the conservation of individual manuscripts there are accounts of the conservation of the section of the 4th-century bible manuscript Codex Sinaiticus that is kept in the British Library, of the 16th-century paper manuscript known as the Fish Book which is kept in the Royal Library in the Hague, and of a group of Turkish Quran-manuscripts kept in the Mevlana Musum in Konya. Finally there are descriptions of the procedures involved in the digital registration of the manuscript collection in St Catherine's monastery in Mount Sinai, and of a considerate method for photographing medieval manuscripts prior to digitisation.

A practical guide to the development and operation of digital preservations services for organizations of any size Practical Digital Preservation offers a comprehensive overview of best practice and is aimed at the non-specialist, assuming only a basic understanding of IT. The book provides guidance as to how to implement strategies with minimal time and resources. Digital preservation has become a critical issue for institutions of all sizes but until recently has mostly been the preserve of national archives and libraries with the resources, time and specialist knowledge available to experiment. As the discipline matures and practical tools and information are increasingly available the barriers to entry are falling for smaller organizations which can realistically start to take active steps towards a preservation strategy. However, the sheer volume of technical information now available on the subject is becoming a significant obstacle and a straightforward guide is required to offer clear and practical solutions. Each chapter in Practical Digital Preservation covers the essential building blocks of digital preservation strategy and implementation, leading the reader through the process. International case studies from organizations such as the Wellcome Library, Central Connecticut State University Library in the USA and Gloucestershire Archives in the UK illustrate how real organizations have approached the challenges of digital preservation. Key topics include: • Making the case for digital preservation • Understanding your requirements • Models for implementing a digital preservation service • Selecting and acquiring digital objects • Accessioning and ingesting digital objects • Describing digital objects • Preserving digital objects • Providing access to users • Future trends. Readership: Anyone involved in digital preservation and those wanting to get a better understanding of the process, students studying library and information science (LIS), archives and records management courses and academics getting to grips with practical issues.

This book explores the analysis and interpretation, discovery and retrieval of a variety of non-textual objects, including image, music and moving image. Bringing together chapters written by leading experts in the field, this book provides an overview of the theoretical and academic aspects of digital cultural documentation and considers both technical and strategic issues relating to cultural heritage projects, digital asset management and sustainability. Managing Digital Cultural Objects: Analysis, discovery and retrieval draws from disciplines including information retrieval, library and information science (LIS), digital preservation, digital humanities, cultural theory, digital media studies and art history. It's argued that this multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach is both necessary and useful in the age of the ubiquitous and mobile Web. Key topics covered include: Managing, searching and finding digital cultural objects Data modelling for analysis, discovery and retrieval Social media data as a historical source Visual digital humanities Digital preservation of audio content Searching and creating affinities in web music collections Film retrieval on the web. Readership: The book will provide inspiration for students seeking to develop creative and innovative research projects at Masters and PhD levels and will be essential reading for those studying digital cultural object management as well as practitioners in the field.