Paper Summary
Paperzilla title
Digital Newspaper Archives: Who's Shaping the News We See?
The study reveals that selection criteria for digital newspaper archives are influenced by a complex interplay of governance, institutional strategies, material availability, copyright, and business cases. User engagement is shaped by search functionalities and interface design, highlighting a growing reliance on user analytics and 'thematic' collections. The research recommends increased transparency in selection rationale and documentation to better inform users about the nature and limitations of digital archives.
Possible Conflicts of Interest
None identified
Identified Weaknesses
Difficulty in evaluating the relationship between perceived audience, selection choices, and user engagement
The study acknowledges the difficulty of evaluating the exact relationship between perceived audience, selection choices, and user engagement due to market or commons value influencing material selection and audience. This makes it challenging to isolate the impact of user behavior on digital archive development.
Potential bias due to readily available, digitized materials
The overreliance on easily accessible, digitized materials may introduce bias in historical scholarship, as noted in a study of Canadian newspapers. This can lead to an incomplete understanding of historical events if researchers prioritize digitized sources over those available only in microfilm or print.
Lack of transparency in selection and documentation
The lack of comprehensive documentation about selection criteria, especially in public-private collaborations, can obscure the factors influencing archive development and limit users' understanding of the collection's scope and limitations.
Rating Explanation
This paper provides valuable insights into the complexities of digital newspaper archive creation, offering a nuanced perspective on selection criteria and user engagement. While some limitations exist, the study contributes significantly to understanding the interplay between institutional, commercial, and user-driven factors in shaping digital cultural heritage.
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File Information
Original Title:
Of global reach yet of situated contexts: an examination of the implicit and explicit selection criteria that shape digital archives of historical newspapers
Uploaded:
July 14, 2025 at 10:30 AM
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