Making collections more accessible and inclusive digitally during the COVID-19 pandemic

Emma Hetrick
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Emma Hetrick: Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin, 300 W 21st St, Austin, TX 78712, USA

Journal of Digital Media Management, 2022, vol. 10, issue 4, 368-384

Abstract: This paper considers the possibilities of searching and visualising collection materials at the Harry Ransom Center (HRC). In doing so, it argues that digital archival engagement is not a replacement for in-person reading room experiences, but rather enables an altogether different type of engagement with such materials. Following an analysis of the accuracy of searches in the HRC’s digital collections, the article identifies areas for improvement in increasing digital access to the HRC’s collections. Further, they reveal the misrepresentation or underrepresentation of historically oppressed groups (particularly in archives), including women, Black Americans and non-English speakers. The article concludes with recommendations for the more accurate and ethical representation of these groups in online archives.

Keywords: digital collections; search; digitisation; data visualisation; bias (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M11 M15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aza:jdmm00:y:2022:v:10:i:4:p:368-384

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