Reading Between the Lines: A Discussion on Digitization

Over the past few years, the popularity of digital books has greatly increased. Who has not at one point read all or part of a book on a tablet or e-reader? As a history student I have relied on Google Books multiple times during my undergraduate career. According to the graph below, the ownership of E-readers in the U.S. has jumped from 4% in May of 2010 to 24% in September of 2013. With books being increasingly consumed in digital format it is important to examine how digital tools and resources alter how we approach books.

Graph provided by Pew Research

In her article, "Where Material Book Culture Meets Digital Humanities", Sarah Werner examines how the use of digital tools and the digitization of old manuscripts has the potential for new historical interpretation.

One of the most obvious benefits of digitizing a text is remote access. As Werner puts it in her article "if I can sit in my study outside of Washington D.C. and study Erasmus's 1516 translation of the New Testament by looking at a copy currently held in Basel, that's a win". No longer are historians required to make long, and sometimes expensive, trips to visit a library/archive that houses a manuscript that they wish to read. While digitization does allow for greater access, Werner also points out that digital tools can contribute to new interpretations of these artifacts beyond what is written within them.

A densitometer is a tool that is used to measure the levels of dirt on manuscript pages. This has a range of potentials, such as revealing which pages received more use than others. Werner also notes that modern digitization has improved with time, pointing out that the EEBO (Early English Books Online) had created digital facsimiles of not the early books themselves but from microfilm copies of the books. This created unclear digital copies, whereas new digitizing methods provide clearer digital facsimiles.

Opening from a 1557 Primer, as in EBBO.
Image taken from "Where Material Book Culture Meets Digital Humanities"

Same Opening as above, but in a High-Resolution Image from the Folger.
Image taken from "Where Material Book Culture Meets Digital Humanities"

I believe that Werner's article provides great insight into the potentials of digital tools to create better interpretations of these old manuscripts. With that said, I believe that it is also important to preserve the original, physical copies.

In the article, "Why Preserve Books? The New Physical Archive of the Internet Archive"   author Brewster Kahle stresses the importance of keeping the original texts. He states that "a reason to preserve the physical book that has been digitized is that it is the authentic and original version that can be used as a reference in the future [...] if there is ever a controversy about the digital version, the original can be examined". I think Kahle indirectly brings up an important concern regarding digitization which is the possibility of a digital text being doctored either intentionally or unintentionally.

For example, if a historian was digitizing a collection of maps by running them through a scanner it is possible that sections of the map may get cut off and therefore exempt from the digital copy. It is also possible that these maps include markings or text on the back of the document. If the individual scanning them does not recognize these markings or deems them of little significance, they may also be left out of the digital copy. It is therefore important to ensure that the original manuscript is preserved.

After reading both Kahle and Werner's articles I can see both the great potential and the great risks of digitization. Most of these risks though, I believe, can be negated by ensuring that the original copies remain well preserved and accessible. While digitization has the upside of accessibility and the potential to reveal new information, the original copies retain authenticity and accuracy.

Going Digital: An Evaluation of the Role of the Digital World to the Public Historian

How do I see digital tools and approaches affecting my current and future practice of public history?

The question above was thrown out to my colleagues and I to ponder and post about on our various blogs. When I think about digital tools the first things that come to mind are the resources I used during my undergraduate degree. During the beginning of my university education, my digital resources were relatively minimal (I did not regularly bring a laptop to class until fourth year!). I was an avid user of the UWO library catalogue to find books, but that is where my use of the library’s resources ended. I was not aware that the library could provide me access to a variety of databases until the end of my second year (even then it took some time to learn how to use them correctly). By the end of my undergraduate degree I had learned to use online archives, online databases, library catalogues, etc.  

While I still regularly accessed the physical library, these resources proved invaluable and allowed me to conduct research from the comfort of my own home. They also allow historians in general the ability to conduct original research without having to go directly to an archive or library. This can prove handy when, for example, a Canadian historian is conducting research on medieval France. Digital archives save them the expense of making a lengthy overseas trip. In the future, I predict that such online resources will continue to be valuable to historical researchers and that the technology will improve, becoming more user friendly and easily accessible.

With that said, if a historian was to never leave their office again to conduct their research they would be missing out on an important opportunity. Handling materials in their physical forms is an experience every historian should have.

Due to being a public historian, I am constantly interacting with the digital tools of social media. From Facebook to Twitter, from blog sites to Tumblr, a knowledge of how to operate and maintain social media is a must for any public historian. As previously mentioned in my introductory post, it is the responsibility of the public historian to build bridges between the realm of academia and the general public. I believe that these social media sites not only make the construction of these bridges easier but allows a public historian access to a wider audience.

Take for example Twitter. This site, used by millions of people, allows for the transfer of snippets of information. This can be a great way to advertise events and introduce new ideas.

The above Twitter post is an example of how historians
can use social media to advertise historical events.

The 140 character maximum allows the site to distinguish itself from others while ensuring that all information is concise and pointed.

The digital world has become essential to public historians. Not only does it provide convenience when conducting historical research but it emphasizes the “public” part of “public historian”. I foresee the importance of digital technologies to the role of the public historian growing exponentially, providing new historical and social applications.

For additional reading on the role of the digital world please check out these links:

William Turkel's "Going Digital"
History of the Internet

Introductions are in order...

Hello, and thank you for visiting my blog site. As the title of the blog suggests I will be primarily discussing Public History. You may be asking yourself, what is public history?

To put it simply, a public historian is responsible for taking the study and practice of history outside of the academic realm. They strive to separate themselves from the image of the academic in the ivory tower and are concerned with building bridges between historians and the general public. When studying public history you gain a variety of skills that can be applied to job positions that range from archiving to land claims, from heritage site designation to creating genealogies. The possibilities are vast.

In this blog I will write about my experiences and thoughts as I work towards the completion of my Masters in Public History. I will also discuss my position as a research assistant at Eldon House, a popular museum-house in London, Ontario.

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for more posts!