n.the consultation of an archival resource by means of a computer or mobile device, especially when access is unmediatedOrtega 2005, 89As the interview progressed, it was realized that there was confusion with the meanings of several terms related with archives and the Internet, such as: digital preservation, online access, online archives, and virtual archives. As the literature was researched, it was found that these terms were constantly interchanged both in meaning and usage.Johns 2007, 402Digitising the material and putting it on a web site will give online access to the archive thus providing a resource that is accessible to all potential users.DeRidder, Presnell, and Walker 2012, 143To overcome this barrier to online access for large manuscript collections, the authors developed a method for linking digitized items into the EAD finding aid, which speeds content to the Web at a fraction of the usual cost.Uhrich 2018, 550Online access to video and audio through platforms such as YouTube has shifted audiences’ attention from the written text to moving images and recorded sound.Biggers 2021, 398In the age of digitization, archives are increasingly expected to provide online collection access to meet user demand. Archivists know, however, that provid¬ing digital access is not as simple as scanning a document and putting it on a website. Since the passage of the Copyright Act of 1976, archives must secure permission to publish copyrighted materials, unless they can determine the work is either in the public domain or covered under the fair use provision. This can mean, understandably, that collections with low barriers to publication are selected for online access first.Sweetser et al. 2023, 171Institutional repositories frequently provide online access to materials typically related to scholarly production of a university, such as faculty members’ published research or as a delivery mechanism for institutionally affiliated or institutionally sponsored journals.Kopin, Hutchinson, and Truitt 2025, 48This addendum, a “digital preservation agreement,” allows FHL to acquire donors’ informed consent regarding the level of preservation to which FHL commits and gives donors the opportunity to choose from a small menu of options for conditions on access (e.g., unrestricted online access, on-site access only, etc.).
Notes
As of 2025, this is a near-synonym for, and is often used interchangeably with, digital access. However, the language archivists use regarding access to online archival resources is particularly unsettled. Due to intellectual property or other constraints, access to online archival resources may not be possible via the open web, but instead subject to mediation. When archivists intend to imply barrier-free access, they may prefer the term online access, while use of the term digital access does not carry this implication.
