Investigation into whether the technology available in the digital age can help increase access to the archives held in the Pacific Islands : a case study in Fiji

Abstract

The technology available in the digital age, has provided a new and faster way to send and supply information to people around the world. Through digitising paper documents, photos and other sources of information, information providers can enable sources of information to be available in a electronic form. With the information available in an electronic form, access to this information can be provided to a number of people throughout the world, all at the same time through the Internet. Access to archives held in the Pacific Islands has proven to be a problem for researchers, due to the geographic isolation of the area. This research project endeavours to investigate whether the technology of digitisation can help increase access to the archives held in the Pacific Islands. To investigate and assess this research question, Fiji was chosen as a case study, and interviews were conducted with the 5 main institutions holding archives in Fiji. Information relating to the situation of archives of Fiji were gathered from these interviews, along with opinions relating to the feasibility of digitising archives in Fiji. Further information was gathered relating to the ICT infrastructure in Fiji, as a reliable Internet connection is needed to mount digitised items on the Internet. A comparison of the economic, ICT circumstances and the situation of archives on other Pacific Islands was then made to assess whether digitising archives to increase access to them could be more successful on another Island country.