Digital Sources of History

The rapid growth of information technology based on computers and the internet produced several new types of sources of historical research. These sources are collectively known as digital sources and it is varied in its type, content, and form. The important categories of digital sources are:

• Digitised copies of books and other rare documents
• Web Resources
• Digital images, Audio, and Visual Recordings

Digitisation of the printed documents gave way to a new method of its preservation. All the modern libraries and archives now have digitalised copies of their rare books and other documents. There is a number of online digital collections of books that are easily accessible from all over the world. Further, a number of online archives share a rare collection of primary documents. Digital libraries and archives provide valuable resources for historical reconstruction.

The internet-based knowledge-sharing system has produced numerous academic websites. These websites provide access to online journals, newspapers, books, popular articles, and other academic resources. Often websites are created as the depositories of rare documents. Web resources are of various types and include written words, images, audio, and visual files.

Digital images and audio and visual files are the important categories of digital sources. The widespread use of digital cameras enabled to visualization document almost everything. These visual sources provide a better understanding of different aspects of people’s life.     

Advantages of Digital Sources

The important advantage of digital sources are the three 'S' - Easy to Store, Search and Share  

• Digitization has made it possible for libraries, archives, historical societies, museums, and individuals to easily share their collections with the world.  
• Most of the web resources can be simply accessed through the ‘search’ option provided by various search engines.
• Digital sources are easy to access and share. Internet resources can be accessed from anywhere at any time.
• Digital files can be stored in digital devices, which can be easily carried.
• Digital sources like images and audio-visual sources can reflect reality more than written words. Access to images of primary source materials with descriptive data is an important feature of the digital era.
• Digital sources like maps, graphs, and statistical records are easy to verify and analyse as compared to text form.
• Digital sources help the researcher to analyse different perspectives on a particular historical event.

Problems with Digital Sources

• The bulk of online resources creates difficulty in the selection of sources.
• The researcher should have a thorough knowledge of the technological aspects of making digital sources for its analysis.
• The web resources are undergoing frequent corrections, editions, and modifications. Therefore it is difficult to find out the original version.
• Digital sources can be easily manipulated. There are several free tools for modification and alternation of digital files. Hence, establishing the authenticity and credibility of the digital source is a difficult task.