Email Archives of Modern Historical Figures

Stanford University Libraries Develops New Software to Give Researchers Unprecedented Access to Email Archives

The privacy and access challenges of archives containing electronic communications of enduring historical value are addressed in the Libraries’ latest release of ePADD

Gabrielle Karampelas | July 29, 2015

Despite rapid growth of email use since its inception 40 years ago, and the increasing presence of email within research collections, the vast majority of email archives of modern historical figures remain inaccessible to researchers. Repositories that seek to make email content available for research face significant copyright and privacy issues and can be daunted by the sheer volume of email transferred. 

Source: http://en.inmoreau.com/654/infografic-the-history-of-email/ (Infografic: The History of Email. June 21, 2011)

<more at https://library.stanford.edu/news/2015/07/stanford-university-libraries-develops-new-software-give-researchers-unprecedented; related link: http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-email-archive-tool-to-sift-literary-legacies-1438194059 (New Email Archive Tool to Sift Literary Legacies; New software developed at Stanford is allowing digital archivists to sort through thousands of emails. July 29, 2015)>