Making Dgtl History: Archives, Analysis, and Communication

This is a compact guide to dgtl history for practice and research. It shows not only how sources are captured, preserved, and communicated as dgtl data, but also how these sources are enriched through conversion into dgtl formats which enable new modes of interpretation and presentation.Divided into three parts, this book offers a wide range of topical case studies, introduces cutting-edge methodologies, and provides a closer look at new challenges such as preventing loss by technological obsolescence. Chapter 1 builds a foundational knowledge of dgtl history, including the role of the archive, both dgtl and analogue. It is supported by best practices to manage things like cultural protocols and how archival materials are stored and shared. Chapter 2 explores the common elements of data analysis used in dgtl history, assuming no prior knowledge. This section will develop an understanding of why scholars select one method over another, and how certain types of sources and data lend themselves to different approaches. Chapter 3 discusses how research findings may be applied and communicated to a public audience, including educational curricula, in the heritage industry, in public cultural institutions (GLAM), and through Public History programs. Finally, the role of non-specialist volunteers in crowdsourcing (citizen archivists and citizen historians) is explored as a way of engaging the public in the production of dgtl history through active participation in research projects.With the growth of dgtl sources, from born dgtl data to the dgtl conversion of analogue sources, dgtl history is fast moving towards what all history is. This is therefore a vital guide and core text for undergraduate students of history. It is also important supplementary reading for studies in dgtl humanities, dgtl media and communications, visual studies, and museum and heritage studies.

About the Author

Garritt Van Dyk is Senior Lecturer in History at University of Waikato. He is a regular contributor to The Conversation and has taught at the University of Newcastle, the University of Melbourne, and Macquarie University. His PhD is from the University of Sydney.