Scientific communication related to digital technology topics in archival science in Spain (2001-2018)

Abstract

Between 2001 and 2018, the period covered by this research, it is perceived through the scientific publications on Archival Science in Spain that the topic of digital technology is increasingly present in the theoretical reflections, practices, and archival methodological options. Based on this observation, the objective of this article is to identify the scope of the thematic interrelations between archives, archival science, and digital technology. The research is exploratory, descriptive, and analytical in nature, based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of scientific articles available in the Tábula, Lligall, and Boletí­n de la Anabad journals, published from 2001 to 2018, and organized by categories. The results in quantitative terms indicate that the most prominent category is what we call "Mutual influences between archives, archival science, and digital technology." The category that occupies the second place is "Description of experiences," followed by "Relations between archives, archival science, and digital technology" and "Theoretical and practical challenges" at almost the same level, albeit far behind the first two categories. In addition, it is concluded that there is a tendency in current archiving to explore the technological possibilities for its development rather than innovate in theoretical or epistemological terms.