Archives of the People, by the People, for the People

Archivists today are caught between an expanding volume of records and a growing public expectation that every page in every document is online and indexed. With so many records and so few resources to provide on-demand access to them, the problem seems intractable. More money alone is not the answer; larger appropriations or donations cannot solve this problem. Instead, archivists must fundamentally shift the way they think about their roles and develop alternative means and methods for doing archival work.

This paper introduces the concept of commons-based peer-production as a means of turning collections inside out. It encourages archival institutions to reinvent themselves, and, in collaboration with other archives and with other types of organizations, to organize archival work in concert with a curious and interested public.