OAC

By providing online access to archival finding aids, images and other media, the Online Archive of California (OAC) is a prime example of attempts to break down the hierarchical structure of archives and archival access. Prior to resources like OAC, archival description for many collections was scattered and unwieldy; typically meaning a scholar or researcher had to travel to an institute just to gain preliminary information regarding a collection. The OAC provides researchers with not only this preliminary data (in the form of a finding aid), but also digitized objects pulled from the archive. Obviously, these traits signify the potential for successful user retrieval for scholars and researchers. Yet within the framework of our readings, I wonder whether digitized collections and finding aids will actually extend the reach of archival holdings to new users and communities.

A great example of embedded digitized media on OAC (and one that I worked on as an archivist) is UCLA’s Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Although certain limitations are necessary due to the sheer size of the collection, this previously unseen archive (composed of entirely of negatives) is now available to any user with online access.