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Electronic ephemera: collection, storage and access in Tate Library

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Holly Callaghan
Holly Callaghan*
Affiliation:
Tate Library, Millbank, London, SE24 9JU, UK
*
Email: holly.callaghan@tate.org.uk
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Abstract

The Tate Library holds an extensive collection of print ephemera that includes private invitation cards, press releases, postcards, and promotional material from artists and galleries. In 2006, library staff began to notice a trend for an increasing amount of born-digital ephemera, circulated via email and vulnerable to loss, deletion and disintegration. In 2011, they undertook an internal research project to develop a strategy for collecting, storing and providing access to born-digital ephemera. As the creation and dissemination of electronic ephemera continues to grow rapidly, we need to ask how we can bridge the gap in our technical knowledge and apply current digital preservation research to our library collections. How can we establish a low-cost working best practice for collection, storage and access? And is there future potential to create external partnerships with other institutions facing the same issues?

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Art Libraries Journal , Volume 38 , Issue 1 , 2013, pp. 27 - 31
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 2013

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