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When Old Media Was New: Learning From the Past, Archiving For the Future
Miller, Bayard Louis
Miller, Bayard Louis
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2012
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History
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http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/1910
Abstract
This paper examines recent advances in new media technology and the profound effect that the digital turn has had on the way in which archivists and public historians preserve and present the past. Included is an investigation of the process of digitization, and the creation of digital databases that addresses concerns regarding authenticity in the digital age. As the history consuming public has grown increasingly reliant on digital technology it is essential for public historians to use new media as a way to embrace the public in a historical dialogue. Yet, the public is interested in a history that is far different than that which is produced in the academy and it seems as though historians have drifted away from the public eye. So how should historians connect with a public that finds their work largely inaccessible without having to compromise the integrity of their scholarship? This thesis argues that new media technology can help bridge the gap between the professional history done in the academy and public history that relies on community engagement. Looking to public science at the turn of the twentieth century, this paper shows how including the public in scholarly discourse has been a point of contention for over a century. Understanding how men of science attempted to blend professional and vernacular science in the nineteenth century provides insight for public historians trying to reach out to diverse publics today. Lastly, this paper will show how one institution in particular, the Wagner Free Institute of Science, has used new media throughout its existence as a way to bridge the gap between professional and public science.
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