Digital sources offer convenience by being able to gather multiple sources at once in a matter of seconds. This current era allows us to gather sources from our phones or computers at an accessible rate from any location desired. However, primary sources offer authenticity by preserving a source in its natural, ‘almost’ original state. The majority of primary sources are kept in museums, libraries or historical sites. The effort to preserve items such as photographs, journals, diaries, and past historical objects has been a race against time. Overall, being able to gather primary digital sources is difficult because keywords and relevant searches prohibit authentic responses. Digital sources need to be extracted from libraries or archives to uphold the authentic experience.
While analyzing the conversation with Thomas Padilla and Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez in Bias, Perception, and Archival Praxis, Arroyo-Ramirez discusses the nature that goes into archiving primary sources and the effort to preserve them as well as digitize them. Arroyo also discusses the difficulties that come with archives in being unable to protect or include data without having proper resources. Arroyo states that “Acquisition of entire hard drives makes appraisal for donors a lot more difficult and places the responsibility of protecting sensitive or personal data on archivists, who, on the whole are not nearly paid enough; not equipped with the necessary tools and infrastructure; and do not have enough hours of the day to devote the labor necessary to peruse every file”. 1 This line indicates the amount of time and effort it takes to archive sources and also examines why these sources are often difficult to gather or find by the internet.
In The Artifactual Elements of Born- Digital Records Part 2, Jefferson Bailey discusses the hardships that can go into emulating a primary source and recreating them without tainting their value. The recreation of Thomas Jeffersons Library contains “original cataloging system and also recreates the unique circular construction of his bookcases. Clearly, how Jefferson arranged his books and shelves adds meaning to the collection. The artifactuality of his library itself, not just its content, influences our interpretation and understanding of him as a historic figure.” 2 Bailey states that being able to recreate sources gives a new meaning to the source by gaining a new interpretation. Overall, both readings offer the pros and the cons of digitizing sources. Arroyo- Ramirez demonstrates the intensive labor that goes into archiving and how these sources can be selective based off of sponsors. Bailey discusses how emulating sources with the technology given may give new incite on our understanding of the source. Overall, digitizing sources and finding authentic sources online will continue to be a hardship unless an easier process can be obtained. Emulating sources may be a great alternative to gaining new understanding, however misinterpretation may occur because of technological advancements such as editing or altering specific pieces.
- Padilla, Thomas. “Bias, Perception, and Archival Praxis.” Dh+lib. Last modified October 24, 2017. https://acrl.ala.org/dh/2017/09/13/archivalpraxis/.
- Bailey, Jefferson. “The Artifactual Elements of Born-Digital Records, Part 2.” Library of Congress Blogs. Last modified December 5, 2011. https://blogs.loc.gov/thesignal/2011/12/the-artifactual-elements-of-born-digital-records-part-2/.
