Discover Your Digital Archiving Alternatives

 There has been a lot of material produced, paid for, and then only utilised once. Creating a digital archive is a fantastic way to breathe fresh life into old material, and it comes with a slew of advantages that aren't immediately obvious.

But, particularly if you have a lot of material, establishing a digital archive may be intimidating. It's often difficult to know where to begin. To assist you, we're starting a new series of articles on how to revitalise your magazine archive. However, archives aren't always limited to printed materials.

Remember how we spoke about how the performing arts industry is using digital archives to bring previous but important acts to life? On that topic, we've pretty well established that cleaning up archives and putting them online is, without a doubt, a smart idea. In this situation, digital archiving is the way to go.

Consider your target audience.

Holden emphasises the necessity of considering your audience explicitly. ‘ Its target audience is critical. If you're attempting to involve the broader public, remain focused on that goal, since the project may quickly spiral out of hand. Especially if you have a lengthy history. So, since you'll never be able to accomplish everything, remain laser-focused on the items you want to categorise and how you want to list them.

Bring your audience into the conversation.

Holden recommends including your audience in the process. ‘We have volunteers that assist us on a daily basis with a variety of initiatives, and they enjoyed being a part of this process - scanning, data entry, and helping to maintain the archive together.'

Collaborate with an archivist

It's a good idea to hire an expert to help you digitise your archive. Working with an experienced archivist and collecting institutions, according to Holden, is a good idea.

Obtain financing

Holden emphasises that establishing a digital archive may be expensive, thus obtaining financing can help guarantee that the project succeeds.

The Brisbane City Council supported us via a community history grant, not through any arts initiative. And, if an organisation has a significant function to play in the community or state, I believe there is frequently a grant programme to help with development expenses.