Ian Milligan is associate professor of history at the University of Waterloo.
"A foundational study written with impressive clarity, History in
the Age of Abundance? provides effective guidance on how we might
approach the archived web as a historical source and represents a
clarion call to rethinking history training." Steven High,
Concordia University and editor of Occupied St. John's: A Social
History of a City at War, 1939-1945
"This is an important, indeed necessary book, which promises to set
the agenda for historical research in the next decade. Milligan
challenges historians to reflect on their theory and practice so
that they can begin to adapt to a research environment
characterised not by the scarcity of primary sources but by
quantities of data too vast for any human to read. Crucially, the
book does not just pose questions, but sets out a pathway for
historians to work more collaboratively, to develop the skills to
work at scale, and to place ethics at the heart of the research
process. As one of the few historians who has engaged with
large-scale web and social media archives, Milligan is ideally
placed to chart a way through the pitfalls of practising history in
an age of abundance. He demonstrates why historians should step up
and participate fully in conversations about the creation,
presentation, use and preservation of digital sources, and what
they stand to lose if they do not. This book is essential reading
not just for the skilled digital researcher, but for anyone who has
ever used a digital library catalogue." Jane Winters, University of
London
"The entire context of historical scholarship is changing, and
historians are not ready. This is not just an issue for those who
study the most recent 30 years of history but a concern for all
historians. As a discipline we have little handle on dealing with
either the bounty of born-digital sources, nor do we understand the
algorithms that drive much discovery in digital and digitized
sources. The further we get from the inception of the World Wide
Web in 1991 the more of a problem this becomes. With this important
book, Milligan does historians now and in the future a vital
service. Part history of the internet, part practical guide to how
to manage the vastness of sources from the web, History in the Age
of Abundance is a must read for all historians as digital
historical records become ever more present. The future of the past
is in jeopardy, and Milligan's book will help historians defend
against the coming digital dark age." Seth Denbo, American
Historical Association
"Never has recorded history been so vast and the sources — from
governments, organizations, and individuals — so varied. These
records can both illuminate and obscure. No one is sure how big the
web is, but it is too big to be saved in its entirety or to
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