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Collecting in the Twenty-First Century
An interdisciplinary volume of essays identifying the impact of
technology on the age-old cultural practice of collecting as well as the opportunities and
pitfalls of collecting in the digital era.Seminal to the rise of human cultures, the
practice of collecting is an expression of individual and societal self-understanding.
Through collections, cultures learn and grow. The introduction of digital technology has
accelerated this process and at the same time changed how, what, and why we collect.
Ever-expanding storage capacities and the accumulation of unprecedented amounts of data are
part of a highly complex information economy in which collecting has become even more
important for the formation of the past, present, and future. Museums, libraries, and
archives have adapted to the requirements of a digital environment, as has anyone who
browses the internet and stores information on hard drives or cloud servers. In turn,
companies follow the digital footprint we leave behind. Today, collecting includes not only
physical objects but also the binary code that allows for their virtual representation on
screen. Collecting in the Twenty-First Century identifies the impact of technology, both new
and old, on the cultural practice of collecting as well as the challenges and opportunities
of collecting in the digital era. Scholars from German Studies, Media Studies, Museum
Studies, Sound Studies, Information Technology, and Art History as well as librarians and
preservationists offer insights into the most recent developments in collecting
practices.
technology on the age-old cultural practice of collecting as well as the opportunities and
pitfalls of collecting in the digital era.Seminal to the rise of human cultures, the
practice of collecting is an expression of individual and societal self-understanding.
Through collections, cultures learn and grow. The introduction of digital technology has
accelerated this process and at the same time changed how, what, and why we collect.
Ever-expanding storage capacities and the accumulation of unprecedented amounts of data are
part of a highly complex information economy in which collecting has become even more
important for the formation of the past, present, and future. Museums, libraries, and
archives have adapted to the requirements of a digital environment, as has anyone who
browses the internet and stores information on hard drives or cloud servers. In turn,
companies follow the digital footprint we leave behind. Today, collecting includes not only
physical objects but also the binary code that allows for their virtual representation on
screen. Collecting in the Twenty-First Century identifies the impact of technology, both new
and old, on the cultural practice of collecting as well as the challenges and opportunities
of collecting in the digital era. Scholars from German Studies, Media Studies, Museum
Studies, Sound Studies, Information Technology, and Art History as well as librarians and
preservationists offer insights into the most recent developments in collecting
practices.
301 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 13, 2022
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