So, not that much data then?

Think again!

The Library of Congress’s digital collections are growing at a rate of 1.5 terabytes per day (that means, by the popular measure, we collect a “Library of Congress” worth of data each week, if anyone’s counting). The Repository Development Center, where we work, builds software and services to help manage and preserve the digital collections of the Library of Congress. What is a digital repository? There are whole books written on this topic, but we understand a digital repository to be software and hardware that:

• Keeps digital material safe from accidental or unauthorized change or destruction;
• Makes it possible to get material in the door, described, managed, preserved and available to the people who will use it.

Read the full post »

This is How the Vatican Will Digitize Millions of its Documents

Digitizing the Vatican’s 40 million pages of library archives will take 50 experts, five scanners and many, many years before the process comes to a close. The Vatican Library was founded in 1451 and has around 82,000 manuscripts, some of which date back about 1,800 years… When workers start handling documents, they’ll wear gloves and have to remove all jewelry so as to avoid scratching the paper. Observers from the Vatican will see to it that the rules are followed.

Read the full post and view the video »

Previously Unknown Warhol Works Discovered on Floppy Disks from 1985

A multi-institutional team of new-media artists, computer experts, and museum professionals have discovered a dozen previously unknown experiments by Andy Warhol (BFA, 1949) on aging floppy disks from 1985.

Read the full post »

Lost cities and found documents: do we ever discover in archives?

Discovery is not about seeing something but about making a connection. Researchers look at documents every single day which might be thrilling if read by someone else but aren’t the thing they personally are looking for and so are passed over. The real myth about discovery in archives is not discovery itself – it happens! – but that the discoverer is solely responsible. But this myth is widely peddled all over the place. The myth of the lone scholar is as tired as that of the lone entrepreneur: research and innovation are collaborative. No one ever does it by themselves nor have they ever. In order to make your discovery you first read quite a lot of books by quite a lot of people, used catalogues and online systems they built, bounced ideas off your colleagues, partner, friends, pets and therapist. Read the full post

19 (legitimately!) astounding photos from the Museum of Natural History’s newly digitized archives

For over a century, the amazing photographs in the American Museum of Natural History’s vast archives were squirreled away in the fourth-floor research library of a museum in Manhattan’s upper West Side. But thanks to a large-scale digitization project begun in 2006, more than 7,000 images went online this week — and they’re just the start of an eclectic, legitimately wonder-inducing collection of 1 million photos the museum eventually wants to put online.

Learn more

What impact have archives had on your life?

A world without records is a world without memory. Archivists, record managers and conservators invite you into the UK and Ireland archives where the records of your life, your community, your business, your nation and your world are collected, kept safe and made accessible. From this page you can begin to explore your own history and your own interests, online or through visiting an archive. You can learn more about the endless variety of records held by archives and how they contribute to education, business, identity and democracy.
Check out this great site

As we commemorate ANZAC Day, a WWI related photographic mystery from the archives.

This studio photograph (NRS 214 c.1914-18), was found amongst old records at 10 Quay Street, Sydney. It had no identifying information accompanying it. The office at this address had been used for many years by meat inspectors employed on the Metropolitan Meat inspection circuit.

Of the two subjects in the photograph one appears to be a member of the Military whilst the other appears to be dressed in a civil uniform, including a cap with insignia.

Can anyone identify what type of military uniform the man on the right is wearing?

Perhaps even more challenging, can anyone identify the uniform worn by the man on the left? Given where the photograph was found, could it be a meat inspectors uniform?

What could be the significance of the two men being photographed together in their uniforms? What could be the relationship between the two men? Perhaps a father and son? So many questions!

Let us know what you think!

Whose up for another round of What’s the bigger picture? our guessing game using photographs from the State Records NSW collection.

Let’s hope this one tests the brain cells!

Where do you think this might be? What’s the bigger picture?!

Ashfield Park, Parramatta Rd, Ashfield

Series: NRS 20224 Photographs of metropolitan, country roads ferries etc., and miscellaneous operations, New South Wales

Digital ID: 20224_a038_001399

Queen’s historic tour heralded a new era for the royal family (via Tim Barlass @ Sydney Morning Herald)

“in 1954 the 27-year-old Queen Elizabeth made the first visit to Australia by a reigning monarch. That visit is now the subject of exhibitions by the Parliament of NSW and soon also State Records NSW.”

• Read more and view some great pictures.

Teaching effectively with primary sources

“Welcome to a new, innovative way to teach in the archives! Based on an award-winning project at Brooklyn Historical Society, TeachArchives.org shares our teaching philosophy and findings with a global audience of instructors, administrators, librarians, archivists, and museum educators.

• Visit the website for exercises, articles and details about the development of the project. “

Approaching Principles for Independent Archives

“…. I’ve collected some basic principles for an independent archiving project. These are some of my thoughts on approaching the project and an open invitation for thoughts from others which I’ll collect and weave in. The more projects support each other to develop their ideas and practices, the more effective we can all be—

• Learn more

When it Comes to Keepsakes, What’s the Difference Between Physical and Digital?

“Now, I affirm that all keepsakes vary in the degree to which they resonate in our hearts. But there is something slippery and uncanny about a digital object as a memory token. First and foremost there’s the question about where and what the object is. Unlike my poster, a digital file can’t sit in plain sight. It requires a machine to view. The object also can be hard to find in the first place because it likely lives with thousands of others in a virtual environment that may be difficult to navigate. There can be multiple copies, some identical, some not.”

• Read the full article

Valuing mud

“Australian Museum mineralogist, Thomas Hodge-Smith was asked to report on a collection of Deep Sea Mud samples.

Later, in 1929, he was asked to put a value on the samples.”

• Find out how he did it

Super sleuthing in The Commons

An exhibition inspired through community engagement

Power to the people!

“…#HoodsHarbour represents the power of our Flickr followers, who have returned each day to our feed to comb through the collection and unlock its secrets…”

Exhibition at Australian National Maritime Museum

• Read more

Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse is no longer in use today but looks to have been in good working order in this photograph.

Can you date this photograph?

Larger version on Flickr

We have many other undated photographs in Photo Investigator and on our Flickr account. If you know the dates or any other interesting facts about these images please let us know.

“Gionni Di Gravio, Archivist of the University of Newcastle and Dr Ann Hardy discuss their recent trip to NSW State Records to photograph three bundles of hitherto lost documents of Newcastle in the late 1820s and early 1830s. The documents relate to an inventory of public buildings in the township that were being readied for what appears to have been the first privatisation prior to the Australian Agricultural Company take over of the Government Mines. They provide a digitised copy and transcription of one of these documents, and the importance of this information to the creation of the 3D early Newcastle model currently being constructed by artist Charles Martin for the University’s Coal River Working Party.”

Sir Thomas Mitchell’s 1828 sketch rendered by Charles Martin 2013

• Learn more about their journey through the archives and this innovative project.

New for 2014, What’s the bigger picture?, is a bit of a guessing / detective game using photographs from the State Records NSW collection.

Below a small section of this photograph is revealed while the rest is blocked out…. Scroll down for a larger version of the revealed section.

Can you guess where we are? Or what the bigger picture might be?

Let’s see what response we get and whether we need to unveil another section of the image to provide another clue to the bigger picture!