Moving Toward “Mega-choice”: The Evolution of Access Technologies in Special Collections

Abstract

Introduction

Recent technological changes have brought questions of access to the forefront of the special collections and archival professions and transformed the process by which access is attained. Librarians and archivists are increasingly called to make far-reaching decisions about the evolving shape of both in-person and remote access to collections, and newcomers to the profession, in particular, can benefit from better understanding the adoption, evolution, and disruption of older access technologies. While contemplating RBM’s call for submissions on the theme of “the digital vs. the physical,” the authors found themselves reading extensively on the subject of past access systems. Hoping . . .