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I am a lecturer in the Department of Information Studies, University College London, and specialise in the digitization of cultural and heritage material. I’m currently carrying out a small study regarding non-institutional digitization: that is, digital resources such as online museums created by amateurs, enthusiasts and specialists. The study aims to look at the range of material created by amateur enthusiasts, the motivation for doing so, and the level of interaction these resources have with their intended audience.

My reasons for undertaking this study is that, during writing my last book on digital images and cultural and heritage institutions, I became aware that there is a great deal of digitization being undertaking outwith memory institutions, and there are many high quality resources being created which the current library and information science literature does not acknowledge or accommodate.

Any responses I get from this brief survey – I’m looking to survey fifty or so high quality resources that are not part of any established memory institution – would be kept anonymous, although you would be credited in acknowledgements, should the results be written up. I aim to present the results at an academic conference such as Digital Humanities, or Museums and the Web, but depending on the quality of the results I may also write up the results for an academic journal.

If you are interested in participating, please contact me.