Special Collections 2.0: Using New Technologies to Collect Describe Promote and Preserve Rare Books Manuscripts and Archival Collections

by Beth M. Whittaker, Lynne M. Thomas

Overview

A critical examination of Web 2.0 tools used in special collections, archives, and museums, with an emphasis on using interactive technology to create and preserve content.

Based on surveys and firsthand research across the archivist's profession, Special Collections 2.0: New Technologies for Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Archival Collections offers essential advice and practical ideas for creating, collecting, and preserving born-digital materials for optimal long-term access—using the best of what the new Web has to offer.

Special Collections 2.0 surveys the web's new options for interconnectivity and interactivity tool by tool, exploring the benefits and shortcomings of applying each to the special collection and archives profession. It combines expert analysis of the pros and cons of Web 2.0 with numerous reports of how wikis, blogs, photosharing, social networks, and more are already being put to work in this essential field. Creators, researchers, and caretakers of the historic record—even those anxious about using the Internet—will understand the best ways to put Web 2.0 to work in the service of our cultural heritage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591587200
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/23/2009
Pages:	150
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Beth M. Whittaker, MA, MLIS, is associate professor and head of special collections cataloging at The Ohio State University Libraries in Columbus, OH.

Lynne M. Thomas, MS, MA, is head of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library and Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Rare Book and Manuscript Professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Editorial Reviews

This is a valuable introduction to any library with special or cultural heritage collections seeking to reach out to users via these new technologies.” —ARBAonline

“Of all library programs, the Special Collections department might seem the least likely to jump onto the 2.0 bandwagon. Not so says Beth M. Whittaker and Lynne M. Thomas in Special Collections. . . . They conducted a survey among 'cultural heritage professionals' and discovered that, despite concern that new technologies are a distraction, many in the field are already finding ways in which Web 2.0 supports the traditional mission to collect and preserve.” —American Libraries

“This is not a how-to manual for working with digital records but instead provides a good conceptual overview of the impact these applications have on special collections. Whittaker and Thomas partner here to promote the use of Web 2.0 applications and technologies within the cultural heritage communities of libraries, archives, and museums. The work provides insight on and examples of how institutions can use a wide variety of 2.0 applications for internal work processes and to promote their collections to a wider public. Chapters devoted to the opportunities and challenges these technologies present to collection description and access, preservation, copyright, and use are particularly thought-provoking. . . . Verdict: Recommended as professional literature for special collections professionals.” —Library Jourbanal

“Whittaker and Thomas present collection and archives professionals with an examination of the use of Web 2.0 applications and related technologies in the creation, promotion, and management of special collections resources,
particularly as a strategy for reaching new audiences. The text incorporates findings from 300-plus responses to a survey gauging the knowledge of and interest in Web 2.0 applications among cultural heritage professionals. The authors discuss the use of specific applications—wikis, blogs, social networking, photo-sharing sites—as a gateway to special collections material, and examine how these technologies may affect digitization projects, preservation of born-digital materials, and funding agency response.” —Reference & Research Book News

“well-organised and engaging book will have serious credibility with specialised practitioners.” —The Australian Library Jourbanal

From the Publisher

This is not a how-to manual for working with digital records but instead provides a good conceptual overview of the impact these applications have on special collections. Whittaker (head, special collections cataloging, Ohio State Univ.) and Thomas (head, rare books & special collections, Northern Illinois Univ.) partner here to promote the use of Web 2.0 applications and technologies within the cultural heritage communities of libraries, archives, and museums. The work provides insight on and examples of how institutions can use a wide variety of 2.0 applications for internal work processes and to promote their collections to a wider public. Chapters devoted to the opportunities and challenges these technologies present to collection description and access, preservation, copyright, and use are particularly thought-provoking. The greatest disappointment of the work is that the impact of these technologies on collection development is never given an in-depth examination. VERDICT Recommended as professional literature for special collections professionals.—Kate Farley, Armstrong Atlantic State Univ. Lib., Savannah, GA

Library Journal