William Sims Bainbridge Family History Digital Libraries Human–Computer Interaction Series
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Human–Computer Interaction Series William Sims Bainbridge Family History Digital Libraries Human–Computer Interaction Series Editors-in-chief Desney Tan Microsoft Research, Redmond, WA, USA Jean Vanderdonckt Louvain School of Management, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium The Human-Computer Interaction Series, launched in 2004, publishes books that advance the science and technology of developing systems which are effective and satisfying for people in a wide variety of contexts. Titles focus on theoretical perspectives (such as formal approaches drawn from a variety of behavioural sciences), practical approaches (such as techniques for effectively integrating user needs in system development), and social issues (such as the determinants of utility, usability and acceptability). HCI is a multidisciplinary field and focuses on the human aspects in the development of computer technology. As technology becomes increasingly more pervasive the need to take a human-centred approach in the design and development of computer-based systems becomes ever more important. Titles published within the Human–Computer Interaction Series are included in Thomson Reuters’ Book Citation Index, The DBLP Computer Science Bibliography and The HCI Bibliography. More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/6033 William Sims Bainbridge Family History Digital Libraries 123 William Sims Bainbridge Independent historian Chantilly, VA, USA ISSN 1571-5035 ISSN 2524-4477 (electronic) Human–Computer Interaction Series ISBN 978-3-030-01062-1 ISBN 978-3-030-01063-8 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01063-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018956268 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Contents 1 Connections Between Family Data and Wider Meanings ........ 1 1.1 The Digital Library Initiative .......................... 2 1.2 An Historical Trapper ............................... 6 1.3 Connections to Nature ............................... 11 1.4 A Professional Genealogist ........................... 19 1.5 Applying Technology to Human History ................. 24 1.6 Conclusion ....................................... 29 References ............................................ 29 2 Documenting and Digitally Presenting Family Photographs ...... 31 2.1 Accuracy and Completeness .......................... 32 2.2 Identifying the Subject .............................. 34 2.3 The HTML Approach to Documentation and Connection ..... 42 2.4 Adapting Conventional Software ....................... 49 2.5 The Death of Children .............................. 52 2.6 Conclusion ....................................... 63 References ............................................ 64 3 Evolution from Home Movies to Videos in Social Media ........ 67 3.1 Documenting Old Home Movie Travelogues .............. 68 3.2 Understanding Home Movies that Did Not Involve Oneself ......................................... 75 3.3 Contemporary Videos ............................... 79 3.4 Innovative Video Technologies ........................ 87 3.5 The Game of Life .................................. 93 3.6 Conclusion ....................................... 98 References ............................................ 98 v vi Contents 4 Producing Coherent Narratives from Family Diaries and Memoirs .......................................... 101 4.1 Expansion of Narratives from Diaries .................... 102 4.2 Controversy About an Explorer’s Diary .................. 105 4.3 The Mysterious Plane Crash .......................... 109 4.4 Correspondence ................................... 114 4.5 Episodic Memories ................................. 121 4.6 A Family Narrative Example .......................... 126 4.7 Conclusion ....................................... 131 References ............................................ 132 5 Exploratory Oral History Interviews of Family Members ........ 135 5.1 The History of Interviewing .......................... 136 5.2 Finding the Appropriate Conceptual Framework ............ 141 5.3 Open-Ended Questions .............................. 147 5.4 The Process of Interviewing .......................... 155 5.5 Conclusion ....................................... 160 References ............................................ 161 6 Information Technologies for Cultivating Domestic Artifacts ..... 165 6.1 Documenting Artifacts In Situ ......................... 166 6.2 A Brief In Situ Example of Preservation ................. 172 6.3 Toys, Play, and Reality .............................. 175 6.4 Scanning and Searching ............................. 178 6.5 Scanning Basics ................................... 182 6.6 Free Camera Functional Preservation .................... 186 6.7 Conclusion ....................................... 197 References ............................................ 197 7 Virtual World Representation of Family Homes ............... 199 7.1 Gramercy Park .................................... 200 7.2 Bailiwick in 3-D ................................... 206 7.3 Historic Virtual Reality .............................. 215 7.4 Historical Virtual Worlds ............................ 222 7.5 Conclusion ....................................... 230 References ............................................ 231 8 Applications of Online Censuses and Other Official Records ..... 233 8.1 Human Factors in Family History ...................... 234 8.2 Sociology of the Census ............................. 243 8.3 Personal Reflections on Legal Records ................... 249 8.4 Medical Records ................................... 253 8.5 Church Records ................................... 258 8.6 Conclusion ....................................... 262 References ............................................ 263 Contents vii 9 Recording Contemporary Family History Through Social Media ............................................... 267 9.1 Creating a Family Archive in Facebook .................. 268 9.2 The Content of a Family History Archive ................ 272 9.3 Seeking Green Hollow Farm in Facebook ................ 278 9.4 A Family of Homes ................................ 286 9.5 Wikis of Fictional Families ........................... 293 9.6 Conclusion ....................................... 298 References ............................................ 299 10 Integration of Family Records into Community History ......... 301 10.1 The Valley of the Shadow ............................ 302 10.2 The Greenwich History Projects ....................... 309 10.3 Durability of Communities ........................... 320 10.4 Teaching a Profession ............................... 325 10.5 Conclusion: A Research Agenda ....................... 331 References ............................................ 333 Chapter 1 Connections Between Family Data and Wider Meanings Abstract Popular computer technologies may be used effectively today to assem- ble historical data about families into accurate and meaningful narratives, whether by family members themselves or by professional historians. A major technology development effort was the Digital Library Initiative of the 1990s, led by the National Science Foundation, that set the stage for several aspects of current family his- tory archiving. To provide contrast with this vast collective effort, and prepare for consideration of family data challenges, the distinctive life of trapper and utopian Sewell Newhouse (1806–1888) is summarized, highlighting the fact that human fame is capricious and can distort historical records. The next example of connec- tions between kinds of data and human meanings, one activity of a rural family in the early 1940s, links to general principles of the relationship between humans and nature, and between individuals and world events. Consideration of the career of genealogist Louis Effingham de Forest (1891–1952) suggests how the profession of family historian may evolve, while raising questions about how families may handle uncomfortable facts that may be discovered. The conclusion combines photographs and census data to show how the structure of a nuclear family may be delineated for the period