Anderson Archival Joins Digital Stewardship Association
By Farica Chang, Managing Principal Anderson Archival continues our focus on digital preservation by becoming a member of the prestigious National Digital Stewardship Association (NDSA) in March 2024. This move marks a pivotal moment for us as we now join other esteemed members of the association to actively engage in shaping the future of digital […]
The Dow Foundation Archives: Cultivating Historical Context
Archivists are often eager to illustrate the one-of-a-kind perspective their collection presents. Artifacts like postcards, candid photos, and personal correspondence offer a way to tell previously untold stories about our origins. However, historical archives not only provide a peek into the past, but they also offer new context around the histories we think we know. […]
[Watch] Preserving Family Legacy Through Digitization
In this portion of our latest webinar, Protecting Family Legacy Through Digitization: A Conversation, Director of Operations Hadley Grow talks with Anderson Archival client Kelly Donovan about how her collection came to be digitized. If video isn’t for you, the transcript for this portion of the talk is below. To view the full webinar and transcript, […]
What Is Metadata?
In our data-driven society, metadata has become a frequently used term, but do you know what it actually is? The process of weeding out the differences between data and metadata can be confusing. Bruce Schneier explains it best in his book Data and Goliath, “Data is content, and metadata is context.” Think about the photos […]
Finding Harmony in the Past
Imagine discovering boxes of your loved one’s manuscripts and documents you never knew about until after they passed. Going through a late loved one’s belongings can be a daunting and emotional task. It stirs up memories and feelings long forgotten. Finding items you never knew about, like boxes filled with a life’s journey on paper, […]
Reduce, Reuse, ReFADGI: Updates to FADGI Standards for 2023
By Archives Technician Shana Scott Every industry has its own “language” or commonly understood terminology and shorthand to expedite communication. If you’ve ever overheard a business call in the airport or watched baristas signal to each other to help one another when service gets hectic, then you’ve probably seen this in action. The archival community […]
Crashing Through the Surface
At Anderson Archival, the term surface has a slightly different meaning than it does in most industries. The word surface is typically defined as “the outer layer of something.” While that remains true, in the archival community, it also refers specifically to the number of surfaces requiring a scan or capture to fully digitize a […]
Why Outsource? Digitizing In-House vs. Outsourcing
It can be tempting to see the photocopier in the corner of your office and imagine digitizing your collection over time, if only to avoid the costs associated with finding a vendor to handle it. However, in-house digitization is rarely that simple. Digital preservation is no longer the future of archiving but the current standard […]
Digitization Standards and Practices
By Archives Technician Shana Scott What value does an archive or historical collection provide if it can’t be shared? Access and useability help bring a collection to life, allowing visitors and patrons to discover history that otherwise would be lost to them. But how do you provide that access and sharing while still preserving and […]
Case Study: Guarantee Electrical Company
By Operations Manager Marcia Spicer We’re looking back on the work we did with Guarantee Electrical Company’s 100-year history, starting with the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Check out this fascinating project and how Anderson Archival helped them bring their company’s history back to them. Download the Case Study