Like
the term public history, “digital history” is not easily defined. Digital
history falls under the umbrella term “digital humanities” which, of course, is
also tricky to define. Both fields (yes, I’ve decided digital history is a
field rather than an approach), are ever-changing, with recently acceptable
practices quickly becoming obsolete. Digital history is also interdisciplinary
and often collaborative, as with most public history work. And so, if I must
define digital history, I will stick to a broad understanding of the field:
Historical research, interpretation, presentation, and study completed using
digital tools, widely accessible for interaction with the public. Good digital
history, like public history, must cause one to pose new questions and consider
topics in a fresh way. As you can see from my attempt at defining the field, I
believe identifying aspects of digital history work that make it successful is
more important than defining digital history at this time.
Here are a few of the characteristics
I identified (after the first class and three batches of readings…I’m sure I
will identify many more throughout the semester!) for “good” digital history
work:
- · Permeable
- · Interdisciplinary/Collaborative
- · Widely Accessible
- · Thought-Provoking
- · Risky (In the sense that it has not been done before)
- · Authentic
Many digital history projects
include these characteristics, including Virtual Watervliet http://virtual.shakerheritage.org/.
The Shaker Heritage Society of Albany, New York created Virtual Watervliet as a
digital representation of the first Shaker settlement in the United States. Much
of the Shaker settlement no longer exists and creating a digital model allowed
the organization to share the former settlement with both on-site and digital
visitors.
The
site and mobile site allow you to experience Watervliet at different points in
history through 3-D maps, images, music, and biographies. The mobile website
offers an on-site audio tour, while the web version offers map tours divided by
theme, historic maps overlays (taking advantage of Google Earth), and guided
3-D tours. The site includes a section on building typology and 3-D views of
several of the former structures.
Virtual
Watervliet allows a wide audience to experience and interact with the first
Shaker settlement in a unique way. It offers different ways of considering the
evolution of the town and the relationships between townspeople. The project
used new forms of technology to promote the history of the Shaker Heritage
Society and is an example of successful digital history work.
