Family History: Calling up your Ancestors
Nicola Phillips reports from a recent London conference that looked at the ways in which new technology is changing local and family history.
The development of new technologies for the Internet has had a huge impact on archives. Most recently, smartphone users have benefited from the development of new apps that can open up archives for visitors to view as they walk round sites or follow trails of historic interest. In February Kingston University’s Centre for the Historical Record ran a workshop to stimulate discussion about the latest digital developments in the field of archives and heritage.
Geoff Browell of King’s College London outlined the development of one of the most dynamic interactive history apps currently available: Navigating Nightingale. By linking themes around Florence Nightingale’s medical, political and military careers the app showcases a wide range of documents from at least a dozen archives within the London area, incorporating maps, films, photographs, cartoons and games. Users are given insights into the capital’s history while they walk as well as an introduction to the vast range of historical sources and sites available for further research.
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