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joshuatj@twitter
Why are archives important? |
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| Archives tell the stories of the people who wrote them or made them. At one level, a receipt for a new radio in a house in Bootle in 1936 tells us that that family got a new radio. However, it also makes us wonder whether the lucky family with the new radio was typical, or whether every family in Bootle had a radio in 1936. We might then go and look at the accounts of the radio shop and see how many radios were being sold. In this way archives can give us a pathway into the little stories and the big stories which make up the past. The archives on Merseyside can tell us the stories of individuals and how they fitted into Britain’s trading history. They can tell us about a single African slave but also about how the sale of that slave helped to build the wealth of Liverpool. | |
Simple and SOLID article.
“…archives can give us a pathway into the little stories and the big stories which make up the past.“
When I see these words, I get a sensational feeling of “This is what I believe in, this is my believe and they are now in WORDS”
Maybe that’s the reason why I’m so obsessed of archives is because I would really like to look into the little stories and the big stories of the Eusoff Hall ancestors.
Somehow, for some reason, the institutional memory was lost. Lost in transition I would say. It feels to me that we have to start everything from scratch the moment I got more involved in hall.
Of course, knowing the importance of archives and the “left no stones unturn” intrinsic nature of myself pushes me forward in this lone-archiving-adventure.
I envisioned a Digital Archive System where people can pull media contents out of the system in a way that’s as simple as google-ing.
I started off the project alone.
It started off with a simple file naming system, to some simple folder structures, to a more detailed dated folder structures and WhereIsIt Catalog (abandonned), to Adobe Lightroom (photos) and the yet-to-be-implemented CatDV DMM system. My plans are delayed this year due to the unforeseen circumstances of me having to be the Director of EusoffWorks for the second-year. Next year, happy me, finally get to sit down and work on my personal pet project.
I am happy when people benefitted from the usage of a proper organised media resources system. Maybe it’s my personal philosiphy “If no one wants to do it, I’ll do it” or in EunTaek’s word “Joshua is always doing things that he don’t need to do!” ^^. But I strongly believe in the HIGH benefit of a proper media archival system, especially for an institution like Eusoff Hall, where the institutional memories are crucial for its daily operations.
It is only through these archives that we are able to create a pathway that links the present and the past for the future!
Another thought just strike me, maybe it’s because I just couldn’t stand the waste-of-time where the wheel are reinvented again and again, mistakes are repeated year-after-year. Some may look for external sources to help solve the problem, But I have chosen to look into the past, praying that others would join me on the way once they see the light.
Actually it may just be the innate feeling of trying to salvage lost knowledge. So many stories, so juicy, so “mind blasting”, yet forgotten, left in a corner, left in a mess. Just couldn’t take it. So many people will benefit from the knowledge, they are just a stone throw away, the information is just lying next to them. But because it’s so disorganised, nobody wants to access it, nobody wants to draw information from a messy pool. If only there’s a proper archival system, if only… It drives me on.
An institution is matured if one day it realises the importance of keeping a proper archive.
what an exciting adventure, join me, anyone?
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