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Neither literature nor object: children’s writings in the digital public realm

Burke, L. and Simpson, K. (2020) Neither literature nor object: children’s writings in the digital public realm. Magazén, 1(2), pp. 249-270. (doi: 10.30687/mag/2724-3923/2020/02/005)

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Publisher's URL: https://doi.org/10.30687/mag/2724-3923/2020/02/005

Abstract

The interpretation of children’s writings has often presented a particular challenge to Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM), as the represented child has historically been deprived of agency, and children’s writings are neither ‘literature’ nor traditional display objects. In this article we will explore the methodologies of representation that are associated with the merging of children’s history and digital humanities. We will lay out an approach for digitally representing children’s writings held in museums. We will demonstrate the possibilities that have been put forward by librarians, archivists and curators internationally, and explore the tools and approaches that have emerged from the field of digital humanities for re-presenting the agency of the child creator and the child visitor within memory institutions. Moreover, in this article we will propose that the digital environment facilitates a critical site of experimentation in displaying children’s collections that allow creator, object, context, critique, and visitor to be equally valued.

Item Type:	Articles
Keywords:	Museums, GLAM, digital humanities, ethics, digitisation, history of childhood, child diaries, youth culture, visitor experience, manuscripts, collections, hybrid digital spaces.
Status:	Published
Refereed:	Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:	Simpson, Dr Kate
Authors:	Burke, L., and Simpson, K.
College/School:	College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Information Studies
Journal Name:	Magazén
Publisher:	Edizioni Ca' Foscari
ISSN:	2724-3923
ISSN (Online):	2724-3923
Published Online:	22 December 2020
Copyright Holders:	Copyright © 2020 The Authors
First Published:	First published in Magazén 1(2): 249-270
Publisher Policy:	Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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References

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Deposit and Record Details

ID Code:	253948
Depositing User:	Dr Kate Simpson
Datestamp:	06 Oct 2021 08:52
Last Modified:	06 Oct 2021 08:52
Date of acceptance:	3 November 2020
Date of first online publication:	22 December 2020
Date Deposited:	5 October 2021
Data Availability Statement:	No