Seeing records: remediation in Canadian archival theory & practice
Date
2024-04-28
Authors
Schers, Ashley
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Abstract
This thesis explores the applicability of the media studies’ concept of hypermediacy in archival practices of reformatting – referred to here as remediation. Specifically, it provides a framework of practice which maintains the provenance of records, including the role of archival co-creators whose work impacts historical knowledge production in archives. The thesis grounds the practice of remediation in the history of archival practice in Canada, exploring the ingrained nature of this practice in Canadian archives and signals the need to re-conceptualize the practice in a way that maintains provenance acquired by records after they have arrived at an archive. The thesis analyzes two case studies of remediation through a framework of hypermediacy and demonstrates how thinking of remediation in terms of hypermediacy can inform a practice which maintains provenance and could additionally serve as a step in the right direction for institutional work on reconciliation.
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remediation, archival theory, media studies, Canadian archival history, hypermediacy, history, reformatting, format migration, digitization, archives