Abundance Abounds!

Throughout this fall term, we have been constantly addressing the new 'culture of abundance' that the internet affords us. As I sit in the basement of Weldon Library as I type, I am confronted by my own abundance issue. I am currently working on a report for Fanshawe Pioneer Village where I am supposed to track the evolution and variety of fields crops in the London area between 1820 and 1930. Wow, that's a lot of years. I was instructed to compile as much data as I could find in order to carry out this assignment. I though that finding data would be relatively easy and that I would pretty much all I needed to write a comprehensive report detailing everything that happened in this one hundred and ten year period. Boy howdy was I in for a wake up. I was right that finding data would be simple, and for the most part it has, my problem is now that i have far too much data to compile into a 25 page report. I truly believe that everything I have been able to find would need a book the size of...well, let's just say it would heavy in order to effectively discuss all of this information! While writing a preliminary introduction and methodology to my study, I had a realization about the nature of digital initiatives.

My report is a microcosm of the dilemmas faced by archivists, librarians and historians. How in the world do you make sense of all this data in a quick, concise yet comprehensive way. For my project I have focused myself on producing a research guide on the subject, a one stop shop for someone researching local agriculture in this area in the future. I am making my own data tables for analysis, highlighting where to find sources on every area related to the subject and revealing which source reveal nothing at all. My interpretation merely lies in pointing people in certain research directions based on the ridiculous amount of data I have encountered. I feel that this is also the first step in tackling the immense amount of information on the web. We cannot even fathom what it all means by simply attempting to understand it at once and on the whole. It is the job of archivists, historians and librarians to compile and organize the seeming unending mass of data now on the internet in intelligible ways that will aid future research. This may not be the most glamorous job, but it is imperative if we are to harness the potential of conducting research on the internet. So to all those out there who are compiling, organizing and interpreting the collection of data I salute you. I now also know how it feels (albeit on a much larger scale) to perform this seemingly thankless job. However, our job is vital to all future research and potential breakthroughs that result from this organized chaos. After all, if you want to build a skyscraper, you better have a damn good foundation!