The US National Archives and Records Administration is a repository for the history of the country, but that doesn't mean that the national archives themselves need to be caught in the past. As such, the National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA, is collecting many of their records in a popular medium for the internet age: the GIF.
In the online sphere, GIFs have become one of the most shared media. Their file sizes are small and the moving images are short enough that they're ideal for posting jokes and viral clips. Seizing on that popularity, NARA has published a small selection of its archives on the GIF-hosting site Giphy.
The GIFs in NARA's current collection include historical images, like the Beatles arriving in America, as well as more obscure clips, such as scenes from dating films made in the 1960s.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Archiving Gifs
- Opportunity for innovative archiving methods using GIFs to preserve historical records.
- Popularizing Historical Archives
- Utilizing GIFs to make historical archives more accessible and engaging to a wider audience.
- Digitizing Historical Records
- The use of GIFs as a means to digitize and share historical documents and media.
Where This Applies
- Archiving
- Incorporating GIFs into traditional archiving practices to enhance accessibility and engagement.
- Information Technology
- Developing innovative software and tools to efficiently manage and organize large collections of GIFs in archives.
- Digital Media
- Creating platforms and services that curate and distribute historical GIFs to educate and entertain users.
