Free Namecourseinstitution Essay Example

The global village is a term that can describe the world today technology has taken over by storm. Most of the services are now available by just a click from shopping to the most basic ones like learning if services like transport were available online 99%would be travelling online. Smooth, fast and effective are the words curtailing the digital age. our archives and museums are some of the places that are left out in this digital error. The availability of internet makes it necessary to digitize nearly everything making it a requirement to do the same for museums.
The public view these places as areas which are supposed to remain the epitome of our history. The most crucial benefit of museum digitalization is ease for accessibility, retrieval, transfer and broadcasting on print media. Digitization has very successful in the film industry and its significantly spreading to nearly all the other fields museums included Should that also embrace technology and become digitized is a discussion that will not be solved anytime soon. There any advantages to digitizing the materials found in the archives and museums? Are there any disadvantages and is it appropriate to digitize these materials? is digitization the most appropriate tool for archive institutions and for museums? These are just some of the question that this discussion will attempt to cover.
This goes hand in hand with helping schools and institutions save their history for the younger generations and save space that could have been used to store the same physically. There are various issues ranging from legal matters to ethical matters that affect the digitalization of the materials found in museums and archives. The conclusion of the discussion will look at the various ways that can be used to make people more aware of the digitized materials and to make them more attractive to the general public. Our museums and archives are some of the places that have been forgotten even by the government .the staff working in these places are being underpaid and the places are in desolate conditions which need to be improved.
They lack funds as many people do not visit these places except for the historians and young children who are forced to go because they have to complete a term paper in history. It s therefore not surprising that many archives are seeking to generate revenue from their ownership of archival materials.
The most sensible source of their revenue at these desperate times is from licensing of the archival materials for commercial use. Most archives are also following the footsteps of museums in reproductions. This brings in the first question, is digitization a reasonable tool for archival an institutions and for museums? Do determine an appropriate answer to this question it is only fair to look at both the advantages and disadvantages of digitizing archival material. As a philosopher, I would like to critically analyze both sides of the coin before jumping into a conclusion.
The advantages of digitization include the following; first the materials are preserved from environmental conditions like rain, sun and the wind. If they are digitized therefore they are preserved for longer, for example, if photographs for George Washington are collected in flash disc climatic conditions will not affect them. Similarly, if museum artifacts like bones from dinosaurs are preserved in a digitized form they will not be affected by climatic conditions. This archives will still remain relevant to people. Digitization as a preservation method has been rapidly gaining popularity among the people in the world. The world is moving digital and digitalized museums is the way to adopt the changes too .This is the information age and the only way is to go digital for ease communication in the current world.
The Preservation Reformatting Division of Library of Congress considers digital reformatting as the best way for at-risk archival materials among other options, such as microfilm and paper facsimiles copies. (Gorman 25).
Digitization of the materials will also cut on the overheads used to run the commodities holding these materials fewer labor costs, general administrative and expenses will be reduced. This will save on funds and the extra money can be used to rebuild the places and carry out marketing campaigns to attract more members of the community to buy and visit these places.
The 3-CAD will help in making the archival materials look realer when they are digitized. More people from all over the world will be able to view various museums and archives and what is contained in them these will attract people to go to various museums world wide. The countries with the most artifacts will receive tourists and this will generate more income as the heritage of a nation lies in its history.
However, there are some disadvantages that should not be overlooked when it comes to digitization. Does the digitization make the museum and artifacts materials loss their originality? It is true it does, this is because as soon as something is made digital like an article on the life history of a great hero, the publisher of such information might be left out as the archives claim ownership over such property while in the real sense the person who wrote such an article should be recognized the archive that material was generated bears all the honor. Another example is if a documentary is run about a skeleton of the skull of a man in such a case the person viewing such a documentary will lack a first hand experience on what it really looks like. They might not get the names right of the person who discovered them.
Digital materials are also at the risk of being obsolete as technology changes form time to time therefore it is necessary to maintain physical support inform of hard copy records, logical formats as well as software’s for displaying the information. The materials preserved in a digitized form face a risk of distortion from malicious people who might corrupt it if they find the information online mishandled he records in the digitized records might be mishandled and if proper plans are not laid out the objectives of digitizing such materials might not be met.
There are also some legal issues with the ownership of the intellectual property found in the museums and archives. The notion of the public domain mostly affect digitization, ownership of the materials found in museums and archives is not like the ownership of land or a car, it is the public who owns these materials and therefore they should be used for the good of the public. This brings the fourth question under what circumstances is digitization inappropriate? The archives in seeking revenues are at the people risk of turning it into a monopolistic business. It would be a great disservice to the public if the museums and archives use the materials to bring a monopolistic like effect to the use of these materials. Complaints after complaints of people are found in the websites that hold museum materials as they are asked for encryptions to use the materials which belong to them. It is not for the archives to use for their own good only but it is for everyone.
Museums have had a fair share of criticisms over their attempt to control collections and monopolies it for their own gain. Archives however can avoid running down the same road if the respect the public interest in the public domain materials. According to the law there is a very major distinction between having a right to ownership of an asset and the copyright to that asset. This does not mean that just because you have the right to ownership of the letter, photograph or an article you have the copyright to it.
There are three ways that the ownership of the property to an archive might be viewed one if the archive does not own the physical part neither the intellectual part of an item for example when an item is placed on deposit. Any action that such be taken against such an item is based on the terms that are outlined in the deposit contract and most of the times the terms are very stringent. The second type of ownership that an archive might actually own the item either from a transfer from the parent institution, purchase or from donation. In this case ownership might be through a third party, the work might be in the public domain or the property might belong to the archive. Copyright in the public domain belongs to the public or to no one so the archives and museums have no rights whatsoever to produce digital material and claim them as their property.
The use of archival holdings and museums to raise revenues might be eroding the ethical morals and values that our society is based upon. Our history is for everyone to use it should not be manipulated to earn some cash for a few people. Our children and our grandchildren have a right to learn about their great nations without being exploited.rhe materials that are contributed mostly should not be reproduced without the permission of the owners. a curator might have spent so much time looking for donations and then he /she finds that the material has been reproduced. This will make his or her morale drop also the donor of the collection might not donate another piece. The archives have some more control over purchased materials and they may exploit them to their advantage.
The Canadian laws however, have affected some laws and guidelines on how the process of digitization should take place. The Canadian Council of Archives in their October 2002 report they have outlined the laws and even a decision tree which shows how the digitization process should take place. In summary the process should be taken like a long term project and the first step is to set the objectives that are to be achieved by the project they should be systematic, measurable, attainable, and realistic and time bound. The second process is to determine the information to digitized and if it can be done safely. The third consideration is determining if digitizing the information will preserve it if yes there are some analogue methods like microfilming that can be used and if no the institution might consider access as the only objective of the project. The fourth determinant is if the records are highly demanded by customers, it is advisable to digitize the materials that are on high demand unless digitalization will act as a prevention measure to avoid circulation of the original records or of certain records. (Hughes 79).
The institution should also consider if the materials are available in another format already. For example if they are uploaded in the website they should not do it again, the institution should produce preservation copies at the same time when digitization is taking place. The institution should understand all the legal laws about the ownership of property and the copyright laws that govern a certain country before going on with the process of digitization. These should document their observance to these laws and offer the necessary compensation where they are required to do so. This will help to a very much great extent to avoid litigation costs. There should be an efficient level of control to access digitized copies to make sure that the information contained in them is not distorted as they are save on digital archives unlike any other form of storage. The final step is to determine if the necessary technical procedures in meeting the specified objectives has been met. Therefore where the impact to the budget has to be analyzed using the cost benefits analysis like in any other project. If the costs exceed the benefits other alternative technological procedure should be searched for. The ultimate objective for any digitization project of archival holdings is to ensure that materials and records are preserved and are used by the general public. (Stanard 67)
The reasons for digitizing museum collections and archival holdings are not different at all. Both aim at gaining some revenues from these materials. This is a very big boost to economy when tourist comes to museums and others buy the electronic films generating revenue. This also is a source of employment to thousands of the youth in the communities as many get income in one way or another. This has contributed to the livelihood of many people in many parts of the word and it’s an important economical activity in the current world .Lesley Helen Harris, a lawyer who writes intellectual materials for libraries and archives confesses that the digital property is “the currency of the 21st century.” Most archivists are aware of digital photographs collections for example at New York Times and Corbis and they are also hopeful of generating great revenues from archived materials. The notion of archiving materials has a great economic benefits id increasing gradually and it has been adopted in all parts of the modern society. The old scrap paper in our archives might actually generate some money if it was to be sold at eBay. Therefore nothing is a waste there is a lot of knowledge in archival holdings and in museum collections. Therefore there is hope that the fixed assets can be converted into liquid cash.
Works CitedGorman, G. E., and Sydney J. Shep. Preservation Management for Libraries, Archives and Museums. London: Facet, 2006. Print.Hughes, Lorna M. Evaluating and Measuring the Value, Use and Impact of Digital Collections. London: Facet, 2012. Print.Stanard, Lorna Michelle. Creating a Sustainable Preservation Hybrid in Post-Katrina New Orleans. N.p.: n.p., 2009. Print.Stanard, Lorna Michelle. Creating a Sustainable Preservation Hybrid in Post-Katrina New Orleans. N.p.: n.p., 2009. Print.