Archival informatics is the

theory A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...

and application of

informatics Informatics is the study of computational systems. According to the Association for Computing Machinery, ACM Europe Council and Informatics Europe, informatics is synonymous with computer science and computing as a profession, in which the centra ...

in and around the realm of

archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organ ...

and record keeping. More specifically, it refers to the proper understanding and use of emerging technologies, techniques, and theories such as linguistic analysis,

heuristics A heuristic or heuristic technique (''problem solving'', '' mental shortcut'', ''rule of thumb'') is any approach to problem solving that employs a pragmatic method that is not fully optimized, perfected, or rationalized, but is nevertheless ...

, and

automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...

in the storage, manipulation and retrieval of archives and

databases In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and ana ...

. An ''Archival Informatics Newsletter'' was started in 1987.

Etymology

The first use of ''informatics'' specifically within the field of

archival science Archival science, or archival studies, is the study and theory of building and Curator, curating archives, which are collections of documents, Sound recording and reproduction, recordings, photographs and various other materials in physical or di ...

dates back to 1986 with the formation of Archives & Museum Informatics by David Bearman. He indicated that he borrowed the term from the field of

biomedicine Biomedicine (also referred to as Western medicine, mainstream medicine or conventional medicine)

where "the importance of information technologies (like computers), information techniques (like full-text retrieval or

digitizing Digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer-readable) format.Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). Definition of 'digitize'. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english ...

radiographic Radiography is an imaging technique using X-rays, gamma rays, or similar ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation to view the internal form of an object. Applications of radiography include medical ("diagnostic" radiography and "therapeu ...

images) and information theories, especially those of linguistic analysis,

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

, indexing and retrieval, are coming together in new ways of practicing medicine". The concept was critical to him because it illustrated a "system oriented view of the

synergism In Christian theology, synergism refers to the cooperative effort between God and humanity in the process of Salvation in Christianity, salvation. Before Augustine of Hippo (354–430), synergism was almost universally endorsed. Later, it came to ...

of information based activities", rather than the more

parochial Parochial is an adjective which may refer to: * Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a ...

view implied by confined subject names such as automation or computerization. Although it has been 21 years since this term has been introduced its usage is not common in

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

; largely it is used in reference to Bearman's creation, though exceptions do exist.

References

{{Authority control 1987 introductions Archival technology Information science by discipline Museum informatics

Etymology

See also

References