A Comprehensive Approach to Born-Digital Archives

• Authors: Laura Carroll, Emory University; Erika Farr, Emory University; Peter Hornsby, Emory University; Ben Ranker, Emory University
• Journal Title: Archivaria
• Volume: Volume 72
• Publisher: Association of Canadian Archivists | 2011, Pages 61-92
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Subjects: Library Science

Abstract

This paper discusses how the arrival of born-digital content into archives operating systems and complex digital collections, archives must build upon practices developed over recent decades in the handling of electronic records while also radically reconsidering the extent of acquisition and approaches to access. These changes are discussed within the context of the manuscripts and computers that comprise Salman Rushdie’s personal literary “papers,” which are housed in Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL). Early in the development of the Rushdie project, the library made a commitment to approach the material as holistically as possible, to prioritize the integration of paper and digital, and to balance the needs of donors with those of researchers. The paper will outline how the library developed researcher tools that allow concurrent exploration of the paper material and the born-digital material via emulation and item-level, database-driven searches.