Archive

The traditional definition of //archive// draws from the Greek word “arkhe,” meaning both a beginning and a commanding. This root links //archive//, in the work of theorists such as Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault, to the power structure of government. That is, //archives// are places separate from the public (at times accessible to them readily, at times not) where the choices of what to include are determined by those in power. These //archival// choices become both recorders of history as well as producers of it, as influenced by the motive of the choice (see Purpose/Purposing). This traditional view of //archive// is particularly focused on written texts, although certainly //archives// of film and photographs also exist. The common aspect of all of these traditional //archives// is their physical nature – the chosen items physically exist in a chosen place.
 * Definition of Archive:**

There are also personal //archives// that follow most of the same stipulations as formal //archives//, that is specifically chosen materials that exist in a specific place. The key deviation of these archives from traditional ones is that they are not created by societal power, and as such, they have been used in social history research to uncover history beyond what a formal archive has recorded. Informal archives are collections created by a person for his or her own use, either intimate use such as family history (a diary, personal papers) or more external use such as an academic research archive (collecting papers such as receipts, letters, etc from everyday use to examine for research). //Working in the Archives: Practical Research Methods for Rhetoric and Composition// offers great lessons in constructing and managing an academic archive.

The Internet is the competing definition. Rather than being a physical location for items selected for preservation by those in power, the Internet is a communal and individual //archive// accessible in ways far beyond traditional //archives.// The internet throws off the control by those in power while also blending public and private archives. The main differences in this definition of //archive// are:
 * Competing Definition of Archive:**
 * The new media //archive// is created by everyday users.
 * The new media //archive// contains materials previously not included, such as cell phone videos, blogs and vlogs, and personal digital photos.
 * The new media //archive// can now be described as “mass archiving of the everyday” (Gane and Beer). That is, this //archive// is both communal and personal. For example, groups form the //archive// of Wikipedia, but individuals form the //archives// of their lives. However, much of this individual //archiving// is available through hyperlinks between the personal and communal.

Believers in traditional //archives// decry the lack of a gatekeeper to new media //archiving//, and here rest the competing notions. Traditional //archives// preserve (and play a hand in creating) history through careful choice. Individual/informal //archives//, in their pre-digital forms, were not widely available due to their physical nature. New media //archives// open the door to “new forms of popular memory which operate through the storage of everyday and quite ordinary phenomena” and are the responsibility of the users (Gane and Beer) while also being widely available through digital means. A possible “third way” is to study how traditional, informal, and new media //archives// enhance each other in the ultimate task of preserving a broad lens into civilization’s history.

Gane, Nicholas, and David Beer. //New Media: The Key Concepts//. Oxford: Berg, 2008. Print.
 * Source:**

Ramsey, Alexis E., Wendy B. Sharer, Barbara L'Eplattenier, and Lisa S. Mastrangelo, eds. //Working in the Archives: Practical Research Methods for Rhetoric and Composition, 1st Edition.// Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2009. Print.