Archival informatics is the

theory A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may ...

and application of informatics 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 ...

and

record keeping Records management, also known as records and information management, is an organizational function devoted to the management of information in an organization throughout its life cycle, from the time of creation or receipt to its eventual disposi ...

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

linguistic analysis In the study of language, description or descriptive linguistics is the work of objectively analyzing and describing how language is actually used (or how it was used in the past) by a speech community. François & Ponsonnet (2013). All acad ...

heuristics A heuristic (; ), or heuristic technique, is any approach to problem solving or self-discovery that employs a practical method that is not guaranteed to be optimal, perfect, or rational, but is nevertheless sufficient for reaching an immediate, ...

, and

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

in the storage, manipulation and retrieval of archives and

databases In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases spa ...

. 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 curating archives, which are collections of documents, recordings and data storage devices. To build and curate an archive, one must acquire and evaluate recorded ...

dates back to 1986 with the formation of

Archives & Museum Informatics __NOTOC__ Archives & Museum Informatics is a company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (and previously Pittsburgh, USA), that organizes conferences, and undertakes consulting, publishing and training in the field of cultural heritage, especiall ...

David Bearman __NOTOC__ Archives & Museum Informatics is a company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (and previously Pittsburgh, USA), that organizes conferences, and undertakes consulting, publishing and training in the field of cultural heritage, especially ...

. 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 In text retrieval, full-text search refers to techniques for searching a single computer-stored document or a collection in a full-text database. Full-text search is distinguished from searches based on metadata or on parts of the original texts ...

retrieval or

digitizing DigitizationTech Target. (2011, April). Definition: digitization. ''WhatIs.com''. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer-r ...

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 radiography ("diagnostic" and "therapeuti ...

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

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...

, 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 is the position of those who hold that salvation involves some form of cooperation between divine grace and human freedom. Synergism is upheld by the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Churches, Anabaptist Churches ...

of information based activities", rather than the more

parochial Parochial is an adjective which may refer to: * Parishes, in religion ** Parish churches, also called parochial churches * Parochial schools, primary or secondary schools affiliated to a religious organisation * Parochialism Parochialism is the ...

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 written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...

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

References

{{Informatics 1987 introductions Archival science Information science by discipline Museum informatics

Etymology

See also

References