Computers and History

When speaking of the digitization of the past it seems appropriate to have a discussion about computers. After all, the advent of personal and user-friendly computers has been the main vehicle used to access digitized history thus far. The video above inspired this post because it brought up several great points about computer technology.

First off, though there are skeptics out there who believe that technology can have a detrimental effect on the preservation and quality of historical data available to the public, technology still relies on human instruction. Though there is a plethora of questionable historical resources on the web, learning to filter through websites - and possibly even glean helpful information from less-than-outstanding sites - is part of becoming computer literate these days. Just as in a conventional library students learn to reach for books with reputable authors, they can (and do) learn to use computers to find reputable sites with legitimate information.

As said in the videos, computers can share "what's good about humanity, and what isn't." Sharing is really the key to the success of computers today - especially for the digital historian. Having the ability to access thousands of sites and mine them for data with a few keystrokes is a dream come true for anyone who has ever spent hours pouring through stacks of books to compile historical information. More than that, computers allow historians to interface with some of these sites directly - changing them, improving them, or merely leaving their personal marks in comments. But, as the quote above suggests, sharing can also has its negative side.

Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web really does an awesome job of explaining the finer details of history on the web. Composed by Daniel J. Cohen and Roy Rozenweig, the site is an excellent example of historians using computer technology to create a helpful resource for history students and enthusiasts. Like the video, Cohen and Rozenweig recognize both the good and the bad that the "information age" of computers has brought to historical preservation, but they also embrace the medium with open - yet cautious - arms. Understanding the pivotal role technology can play in the modern historian's arsenal of tools will prove to be one the defining aspects of today's students and tomorrow's professional historians.