This paper presents an investigation into plans to build an archives to preserve the history and identity of academic department community and promote its development. In records management at the university level, academic department records are outs...
This paper presents an investigation into plans to build an archives to preserve the history and identity of academic department community and promote its development. In records management at the university level, academic department records are outside the scope of management. The present study thus set out to build a community archives for a department to manage its records based on the sense of belonging among its members as a community. The study proposed a photographic archives to induce participation from members since photographic records were easy to document, intuitive to understand content, and had public-friendly nature and were thus accepted as valuable means of memory.
The Department of History at D University was examined as a case of photographic archives in academic department community as it continued to produce and preserve its photographic records at the academic department level. It was examined in its management system of photographic records, current possession, environment of usage, and perceptions of academic department members. Based on the results, the study looked into what should be taken into consideration to build an archives including the supplementation of a management system for photographic records, subjects of participation, their roles, portrait rights, and open source software selection.
After putting these together, the study built a photographic archives as an example for the Department of History at D University based on Omeka. Once it was built, the members of the academic department were asked to use and participate in it for themselves for follow-up evaluation.
A photographic archives for the community of academic department offers an optimal web space to provide and appreciate the academic department's photos, space for the systematic management of its photographic records, and space to produce and utilize various types of content to highlight the history and academic characteristics of the academic department based on its photographic records. Such utilizations will help to activate memories via the records, which will add further value to the space for participation and communication. The sharing of memories and the formation of identity based on records will contribute to the development and maintenance of academic department community.