Collecting OtherwiseCollecting Otherwise

The Asterisk* is a tool developed by the Collecting Otherwise Working Group that helps us describe archival objects in a more detailed, critical and contextual way.

Archives are carriers of our collective memory. They are a vital link between institutions and the past, present, and future of communities. Looking at current archival discourse and case studies, we can see that the content of the archives in institutions’ collections is not the only thing influencing the stories that are told about the past. The context is also important, including how archives are organised and the infrastructures in which they are found. Oppressive colonial structures have allowed the archive to become a space where some stories are told and not others, and where some names are mentioned but not all are credited. This makes some cultural practices invisible and erases some peoples and places because they are not named.

The Asterisk* is a tool that helps us describe archival items in more detail, critically and in context. It adds new descriptions, alternative titles, expands the thesaurus and engages with the material in new ways. The Asterisk* also makes lesser-known collection items more visible and highlights new stories. The more information that is added about an item, the more likely it is to be seen by researchers and the public. This helps institutions to become more accessible and increase their heritage diversity.

To bring archival material into the present, we must rethink digital tools and ways of finding archives. This is especially important as we move towards a post- or decolonial collection. By focusing on how we archive, the Asterisk* is not only a way of engaging with the issue, but also a practical tool that other institutions, community archives and researchers can use outside the Nieuwe Instituut and the collection. In an inclusive digital space, creating asterisks is essential for a collection that is both ever-present and ever-changing.

Nieuwe Instituut is working on describing the collection material and giving advice on registration guidelines for new, critical approaches to archival description and metadata. At the same time, the Asterisk* will keep developing artistic, experimental ways to improve archival accessibility through the ‘Stories’ presented on the Collection Platform. The main goal of the Asterisk* is to contribute to a collection that is more contextualised, socially relevant and accessible.