Archive Access and Accessibility: A Progress Report on Social Networking at Work
Authors
Nathan, David
Publication Date
2010-12-10Language
English
Type
Presentation
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Nathan, D. (2010). Archive Access and Accessibility: A Progress Report on Social Networking at Work [Presentation file]. http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/229733
Description
World Oral Literature Project Workshop 2010
Abstract
The Endangered Language Archive (ELAR) at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has taken a social networking approach to archiving and disseminating documentation of endangered languages and cultures (ELC) in order to balance two requirements: the sensitivity of many ELC materials, requiring effective but nuanced access control; and the fluidity of ELC materials and their access permissions over time, requiring multiple ongoing relationships between depositors, users, and the archive. I will report on issues that arose during the system’s development and users’ responses to it following its launch in June 2010.
I will also raise the issue of perceptions of access: access is perceived to be relative to the semiotics of the archive interface, rather than the colder fact of whether a particular file is reachable. More concretely, safe and appropriate access control can be enhanced through implementation of further social networking patterns, such as ‘user reputation’ (Crumlish & Malone 2009).
Keywords
oral literature, archive, social network, SOAS
Identifiers
This record's URL: http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/229733