ABSTRACT
This chapter1 discusses potential applications of multi-media technologies in archaeological and historical publications, and reports on experiences in building electronic books in these disciplines.
We start by discussing the specific question of electronic versions of archaeological publications, and in particular the design of excavation reports for the next decade. We distinguish between the ‘passive’ electronic archives which are already being built, and ‘active’ documents which will correspond to the personalized syntheses which are the traditional outcome of excavation. The second part of the chapter deals with an experimental system built from materials prepared for a ‘normal’ book, in order to emphasize the problem of the very large backlog of material which we will have to place in electronic form. Finally, we analyse the use of videodisc in dynamic or ‘authored’ applications, as opposed to simple ‘encyclopedic’ approaches, in the context of historical records. Our discussion is designed to remove an unfortunate perceived difference between educational material and research publication, by demonstrating how a common base can be used by a wide variety of readers.
