Collecting in the Twenty-First Century: From Museums to the Web - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1571139702 ISBN 13: 9781571139702

Publisher: Camden House, 2022

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Authors

JOHANNES ENDRES is Professor of Comparative Literature and Art History at the University of California, Riverside.

CHRISTOPH ZELLER is Professor of German and European Studies at Vanderbilt University.

ROLF J. GOEBEL is Distinguished Professor of German, Emeritus, at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Edition details

• Publisher: Camden House
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1571139702
• ISBN 13: 9781571139702
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 242
• Editor: Endres Professor Johannes, Zeller Professor Christoph