Ethics, Technology and the Challenges of Documenting History in Real Time

Abstract

New technologies including mobile phones and use of social media software have made available a plethora of new sources for news and information that both complement and contrast with traditional news sources. This content is relevant to research libraries and archives around the world. Yet most of it does not get deposited into library and archival collections in traditional ways. Libraries and archives need to be innovative and proactive about seeking it out from numerous participants and scraping it off social network sites in real time to insure authenticity and reliability. At UCLA and NYU we have been collecting both digital and physical materials from the front lines of conflict and war-ravaged areas of the world. We’ve partnered with political activists to develop unique assemblages of ephemera collected on the front lines of social media revolutions. This paper will present two case studies that illustrate the challenges and opportunities for collaboration and community engagement and utilizing new technologies including social media to capture and preserve history in real time.