Open AccessRethinking tradition: The loss of serendipity and the impact of technology on the historical research process
Author(s) -
QuanHaase Anabel,
Martin Kim
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
proceedings of the american society for information science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1550-8390
pISSN - 0044-7870
DOI - 10.1002/meet.2011.14504801244
Subject(s) - serendipity , process (computing) , field (mathematics) , atmosphere (unit) , sociology , epistemology , engineering ethics , aesthetics , computer science , engineering , art , philosophy , geography , mathematics , meteorology , pure mathematics , operating system
The move towards the digital humanities will see a growing interest in tools such as Ebooks. This study examines how historians feel Ebooks and other technologies are impacting their research process. Findings indicate that historians feel the digital environment makes chances of a serendipitous encounter with a text unlikely. They continue to try to recreate an atmosphere that encourages serendipity within their field, and would readily welcome a method to make this possible.