Abstracts
Abstract
This essay explores how photography and digitization have shaped access to and preservation of key sources of the historical phenomenon of child migration from the UK to Canada, as organized by Barnardo’s charity. It examines two case studies illustrating how stakeholders in the history of Barnardo’s have adopted digital technologies and networks to ensure the continued preservation and dissemination of photographic sources of that history. Focusing on the significance of digital tools in the process of researching case studies, this discussion opens up broader questions of the role of access and preservation technologies in transnational historical research.
Keywords:
- Archives,
- Barnardo’s,
- Child migration,
- Digitization,
- Photography,
- Preservation technologies
Résumé
Ce texte explore la manière dont la photographie et la numérisation ont façonné l’accessibilité et la préservation de sources clés sur l’émigration d’enfants du Royaume-Uni vers le Canada pilotée par l’organisme de bienfaisance Barnardo. Il examine deux études de cas illustrant la manière dont les acteurs de l’histoire de Barnardo ont adopté les technologies et les réseaux numériques pour assurer la préservation et la diffusion pérennes de sources photographiques. En se concentrant sur l’importance des outils numériques dans la démarche de recherche dans les études de cas, le texte soulève des questions plus larges sur le rôle des technologies d’accessibilité et de préservation dans la recherche historique transnationale.
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Appendices
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the three anonymous peer reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions, Joan Schwartz for incisive input at the editing stage, and Will Knight for immense patience in the production process. I also thank Alastair Owens and Claudia Soares for sharing generously of their expertise, and Megan Parker for answering all my questions and showing me around the Barnardo’s archives. Finally, I want to acknowledge the numerous volunteers who have produced and maintained the British Home Children in Canada research website.
Biographical note
Nina Lager Vestberg is Professor of Visual Culture at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Her research focuses on the interactions of photography and digitization across archives, libraries, and museums. She has previously published in journals ranging from the Journal of Visual Culture to Museum Management and Curatorship, and sits on the editorial board of History of Photography.