ABSTRACT

This chapter presents a framework to support such an analysis of crowdsourcing in the archives domain, given that crowdsourcing initiatives sit within a broader landscape of participatory practice similarly moulded by the intersection of theory and practical experimentation. Furthermore, crowdsourcing in archives at least is sometimes viewed as a wholly pragmatic solution to a lack of financial and labour resource: crowdsourcing may help institutions faced with dwindling budgets address resource constraints by involving interested participants in the process of contributing metadata. Clearly the impact of crowdsourcing upon professional practice will vary according to the specifics of such partnership arrangements, and also with the individual employer's tolerance for professional autonomy. Crowdsourcing in cultural heritage is ultimately all about making connections in its different guises these may be connections between traces of the past or between people in the present.