My text in transmission: pros and cons

Because my text currently belongs to one of Harvard’s archival collections in the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at the Radcliffe Institute, one method of transmission would be for it to remain in its original form in the archive. Being in this collection shows that it has value, specifically for those studying women’s history in America, Harvard has successfully preserved it since its creation almost 40 years ago. However, as we saw in our discussion with the University archivists, difficult decisions often need to be made when it comes to what to keep in a collection. Different constraints such as space and maintenance costs could shift the make-up of the current collection in the future. For example, if Schlesinger were to move locations or to acquire a larger collection, it may have to downsize its current collection, which would put my item and others in jeopardy of losing their spots. However, given the fact that it is already being preserved in its physical form tells us that it has enough value to remain in the collection, and that even if it could no longer remain in Schlesinger, it would be moved to another. Furthermore, with Harvard being such a well-resourced institution, it is sure to be able to keep up with maintenance costs of its current collections or to expand physical space for collections as needed. However, it is important to note that unpredictable factors such as natural disasters, floods, or fires have the potential to destroy physical collections, and nature is constantly a threat to paper documents.

            In terms of publishing my text digitally, the Schlesinger Library also has a platform for digitization, and they are currently in the process of expanding it by making more of their collections available online. This makes the text accessible to many more people, as they no longer are required to travel to see the physical documents. Additionally, the fact that these collections are owned by an institution such as Harvard rather than being published using an independent software such as Tropy is an advantage, as institutions generally can afford to put more resources toward its preservation than the individual can. As we learned in class, when it comes to archival documents the question of ownership can be quite complicated, especially when dealing with unpublished materials. However, having an electronic reproduction of my text exist in Harvard’s digitized collections would no doubt help with the preservation of my text and potentially avoid issues of copyright. Seeing that Harvard’s digitized collections are only growing indicates their value, it is safe to say that the University is investing the proper resources into the maintenance of these sites where its documents are published. Once again, our trip to the University Archives showed us that electronic archiving is not so simple, especially as technologies change so rapidly. However, if Harvard continues its commitment to the upkeep of its digital archives and updates their platform with enough frequency so that it remains compatible with contemporary technologies, then I would predict that my text would be available to scholars for generations to come.