Surveys about the Impact of Computer Networks on Record Keeping Practices

by Richard V. Hollinger, Head of Special Collections at Folger Library, doctoral student in Archival Science at the University of Amsterdam

Note from the Editor:
In this introduction Hollinger explains the background and purpose of the series of Internet surveys he is conducting. He will document the results of the survey in a forthcoming issue of KnowMap. We hope you will help him and add to our knowledge in this previously untapped area by completing the survey(s) appropriate to you. All those who complete one or more surveys will be able to access the results for free. See below for links to the survey and the website.

The introduction and use of new forms of communication have always resulted in changes in the documentary record of society. For example, the advent of motion pictures and sound recordings broadened the dimensions of the historical record, the typewriter contributed to the growth and systematic organization of corporate records, while the use of the telephone diminished the volume and altered the nature of personal correspondence resulting in a loss of documentation concerning personal views and private lives.

How have computer-mediated media, such as email, Internet Relay Chat, and websites affected the documentary record? I am trying to answer these questions through a series of surveys about the availability and use of computer networks in organizational settings and about individual use of communications media in both the work place and the home.

While there have been numerous surveys about computer and internet use, these surveys seek to answer new questions about the use of internet media and the subsequent use of documents generated by these media. For example, they include questions about what medium one would normally use for different types of communications; what percentage of various types of digital documents one retains; and where one first looks for different types of documents and information. Ultimately, I am hoping to identify not just patterns in the retention and use of digital documents, but also in their meaning. It is clear, for example, that a very different message might be conveyed by the exact same words circulated by an e-mail and by a memorandum, because there are different rules of discourse for each type of document and because they are thought to have different functions. I hope to identify similar patterns in the significance of digital documents in various social contexts.

You may participate in several of these surveys by visiting this website. If you are in a position to circulate a survey form to all (or a random sample of) the staff of your organization, please e-mail me at richard.hollinger@umit.maine.edu.


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