History in the Age of Abundance?

"A foundational study written with impressive clarity, History in the Age of Abundance? provides effective guidance on how we might approach the archived web as a historical source and represents a clarion call to rethinking history training." Steven High, Concordia University and editor of Occupied St. John's: A Social History of a City at War, 1939-1945
"This is an important, indeed necessary book, which promises to set the agenda for historical research in the next decade. Milligan challenges historians to reflect on their theory and practice so that they can begin to adapt to a research environment characterised not by the scarcity of primary sources but by quantities of data too vast for any human to read. Crucially, the book does not just pose questions, but sets out a pathway for historians to work more collaboratively, to develop the skills to work at scale, and to place ethics at the heart of the research process. As one of the few historians who has engaged with large-scale web and social media archives, Milligan is ideally placed to chart a way through the pitfalls of practising history in an age of abundance. He demonstrates why historians should step up and participate fully in conversations about the creation, presentation, use and preservation of digital sources, and what they stand to lose if they do not. This book is essential reading not just for the skilled digital researcher, but for anyone who has ever used a digital library catalogue." Jane Winters, University of London
"The entire context of historical scholarship is changing, and historians are not ready. This is not just an issue for those who study the most recent 30 years of history but a concern for all historians. As a discipline we have little handle on dealing with either the bounty of born-digital sources, nor do we understand the algorithms that drive much discovery in digital and digitized sources. The further we get from the inception of the World Wide Web in 1991 the more of a problem this becomes. With this important book, Milligan does historians now and in the future a vital service. Part history of the internet, part practical guide to how to manage the vastness of sources from the web, History in the Age of Abundance is a must read for all historians as digital historical records become ever more present. The future of the past is in jeopardy, and Milligan's book will help historians defend against the coming digital dark age." Seth Denbo, American Historical Association
"Never has recorded history been so vast and the sources — from governments, organizations, and individuals — so varied. These records can both illuminate and obscure. No one is sure how big the web is, but it is too big to be saved in its entirety or to