not cross-eyed...yet.

An image from a Seoul National University student organization pamphlet on the democratization movement. 

Image from the Seoul National University Archives.

I've been spending more time doing archival research at the Seoul National University Archives (my host institution) these days. As much as I enjoy ethnographic research, I also find work in the archives to be incredibly calming and gratifying. Although many materials that are housed in the collection are now digitized, the ones that I've requested still come in old school boxes and file folders. There is something to be said for the tangible materiality of these items that I'm viewing...the tactile impressions of a makeshift pamphlet with a handwritten manifesto that has passed hands many times over or the student newspapers that were printed on thin paper for low-cost. These are the sorts of sensory experiences that cannot be transmitted when viewing the same materials in a digital format.

In 2004, I served as a rapporteur for a UNESCO workshop on "Digitization of Documentary Heritage for Preservation and Access." By means of preparing the final report, I learned a great deal about the issues in preserving documentary heritage. There was also a practical component to the workshop, where the participants toured the major archival and research institutes in Korea, to see how various digitization efforts were in place. The strongest arguments for the digitization of collections have to do with preserving paper documents that are subject to deterioration over time and fostering the accessibility of documentary heritage to a broader demographic. These reasons are hard to dispute in countries that lack the adequate facilities to safeguard documents or in tech-savvy countries where users expect and demand easy access to resources.

I certainly benefit from the convenience and the 24-hour accessibility of digitized collections, academic journals, and books. Much of my current research is contingent upon it, actually.

But, after spending hours in the archives, I've often stumbled upon surprise finds that would never come up in a keyword search - images either embedded within a text or content that is different from the subject matter or title that it is categorized under. And for me, the physicality of the boxes, file folders, envelopes, and items located within helps me to visualize an organizational structure that is useful for my own purposes of documentation. I derive a small sense of accomplishment after going through a set of boxes that just doesn't occur when I try to search for things online.

Oh, and another perk of working at the archives is that the very kind and easy-going staff members occasionally offer me treats like watermelon or Tteok (Korean rice cake). 

So - until I do manage to lose my vision or wrap up my search, I'll continue to report in...