Exploring Friedrich Kittler’s Digital Legacy on Different Levels: Tools to Equip the Future Archivist

Abstract

Based on the example of Friedrich Kittler’s digital papers at the Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach (DLA), this paper explores digital estates and their challenges on different logical levels within the pre-archival analysis, documentation and indexing process. As opposed to long-term digital preservation procedures, which are set about afterwards when relevant digital objects have already been identified, this process starts shortly after physical material (computers, hard drives, disks…) is delivered to the archive and has been ingested and safeguarded into volume image files. In this situation, it is important to get an overview of the “current state”: Which data was delivered (amount, formats, duplicates, versions)? What is the legal status of the stored data? Which digital objects are relevant and should be accessible for which types of users/researchers etc.? What kind of contextual knowledge needs to be preserved for the future? In order to address these questions and to assign meaning to both technological and documentation needs, the digital analysis tool “Indexer” was developed. It combines automated routines with human interaction features, thereby completing the necessary toolset for processing unstructured digital estates. It turns out however, that intellectual work and deep knowledge of the collection context still play an important role and must work hand in hand with the new automation efforts.