From memory to digital record: Personal heritage and archive use in the twenty‐first century

The purpose of this paper is to add a personal commentary on the trends of the archiving industry over the last four years; examine the impact of the internet on archives and archiving activity amongst user groups; and look at applications that could be shaped to match these trends.

The information in this paper is based on the author's own experiences and from the author's perspective as a media researcher, trained historian and former archive employee.

The paper shows that the internet has introduced new challenges to historians and archivists, whose roles are changing rapidly. This can be seen as daunting, intimidating and something to be resisted, but in reality there is a unique opportunity for the historical and archival community to break with its past, embrace the new user trends and find a new place at the heart of cultural activity by supporting offsite and online initiatives. The role of the historian will evolve to encompass an interpretation of contemporary and recent evidence, often user generated, as one moves from paper record keeping and document creation to a digital and online world.

The paper provides a discussion on the changing roles of professional historians and archivists in the twenty‐first century, as the internet makes archived documentation and personal heritage more widely available on the worldwide web.