Articles

Following a Trail of Tin Cans: Archival Engagement, “Tin Can Tourism,” and the Internet Life of Historical Images

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Abstract

Archives routinely mount exhibits to promote collection strengths, to bring attention to newly acquired or processed collections, educational resources, and programs; and to showcase innovative research. The digitized archival objects institutions share online also enhance access to collections. Once released, those objects enter a flow of information beyond the control of the archivists who selected them. This study considers digitized images related to the historical phenomenon of "tin can tourism" to examine how archival objects, digital exhibition and contextualization, and reuse by web-based patrons inform public history discourse. By examining a digital exhibit published by the Florida Memory Program, this study looks at how the archival objects determined by curators to be worth featuring are then understood and utilized by constituents and subsequently interpreted in contexts separate from the collections in which they originated. The study also considers the relevance of social media in promoting archival collections and the role of exhibited objects in discussions by online communities apart from the curatorial oversight of the archives that made them available.

How to Cite:

Youngblood, J. C., (2015) “Following a Trail of Tin Cans: Archival Engagement, “Tin Can Tourism,” and the Internet Life of Historical Images”, Archival Issues 36(2), 36–53. doi: https://doi.org//archivalissues.11006