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By: Bill LeFurgy
We write frequently on this blog about the value of personal digital archiving–empowering people to pass on digital memories to their families and others. We’ve always seen public libraries as key allies in promoting personal archiving, and have highlighted libraries that undertake outreach and training in this area. There is a related role for public libraries and …
Posted in: The Signal
By: Trevor Owens
In The Is of the Digital Object and the is of the Artifact I explored the extent to which digital objects confound and complicate some of our conceptions of what exactly digital things are. I’m becoming increasingly convinced that the nature of digital objects offers an important opportunity for the cultural heritage community to consider …
Posted in: The Signal
By: Bill LeFurgy
This is a Guest Post by Abbie Grotke, the Library of Congress Web Archiving Team Lead and Co-Chair of the National Digital Stewardship Alliance Content Working Group. We’re excited to finally announce something a team of Library staff has been involved with for over a year now – a big project to integrate the Library’s web archives …
Posted in: The Signal
By: Jeff Bridgers
Some people contend that great art is distinguished in the attention the artist paid to the most minute details. Artist James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) may be a good case in point in that he even turned his creative energy to the way in which he signed his work. H. Barbara Weinberg of the Department of American …
Posted in: Picture This
By: Abbey Potter
Web archives are unique in digital library collections. They contain numerous formats, versions and content types. Acquiring, preserving and providing access to web archives often required specialized software, processes and skills. These factors can make it difficult for organizations to embark on web archiving and integrate web archiving into existing library departments and services. The …
Posted in: The Signal
By: Butch Lazorchak
A few months back, during the Personal Digital Archiving 2013 conference, I was struck by how much interesting research was being done in the field of digital preservation. Everything from digital forensics to gamification, all of it thoughtful, much of it very practical and applicable. Still, I couldn’t help wishing that there was even more …
Posted in: The Signal
By: Kristi Finefield
The following is a guest post by Gay Colyer, Digital Library Specialist, Prints & Photographs Division. While reviewing Civil War photographs of the Union’s Mississippi River Fleet (LOT 4183), I came across a type of ship that I hadn’t seen before. I’ve long admired the efficient design of the single or double turreted ironclads. In …
Posted in: Picture This
By: Leslie Johnston
My first foray into online communities was in the mid- to late-1980s, when the organization I worked for got some of its online services through UCLA. We got limited access to email and access to the Usenet discussion system. If you’re not familiar with Usenet — which went live in 1980 — surprise! It’s still …
Posted in: The Signal
By: Bill LeFurgy
I started writing before computers were commonly available. But, unlike some who are nostalgic for the era of pen and ink, I feel only joy about relying on machines in my struggle to communicate with written language. My handwriting was inelegant from the start. I never bothered to ask if neatness counted, because it didn’t …
Posted in: The Signal
By: Erin Allen
You know the old saying, “they don’t make them like they used to” – which is perhaps why I’ve always been a fan of classic movies. I’m more prone to get excited about one of them on the television than brand-new ones at the movie theater. The passing of a beloved actress, who I grew …
Posted in: Timeless