Pathways to Memory - Accessing Archives on the WWW
Abstract
Archives preserve our public memory. They are a vital resource
in understanding ourselves and our culture, but access to them
can sometimes be difficult. The WWW offers great opportunities
to develop new methods of accessing and interacting with the wealth
of information contained within our country's archival repositories.
What information can be made available and how? This paper summarises
existing initiatives and suggests a few ways of proceeding. It
argues that any national strategy needs to be inclusive, scalable,
and open, but the most important thing is to get started! As the
possibilities reveal themselves we can look to developing an on-line
environment that gives archives back their context, creating an
infinite number of pathways through our public memory.
Keywords
Archives, Archival Repositories, Culture, History, Manuscripts,
Records
AusWeb96 Second Australian
World Wide Web Conference, Southern Cross University, PO Box 157,
Lismore NSW 2480, Australia Email:
"ausweb96@scu.edu.au"