Traveling heritages New perspectives on collecting, preserving and sharing women's history

In the context of our increasingly globalized and digitalized world, libraries and archives are experiencing major changes. The methods used internationally to collect cultural heritage and other historical material are shifting, as new media have added important innovative tools for gathering, preserving and sharing information around the globe.

In addition, the poststructuralist turn within academic discourse has led to new insights: producing knowledge about the past is not a value free process, and neither is collecting cultural heritage. Whose history is being documented and why? Who has, and who lacks, access to this information? What is the impact of new technologies on these acquisition and preservation processes? In the light of our increasingly multicultural societies and the expanding ?digital divide?, we need new and more inclusive approaches to the collection of cultural heritage. This means that critical reflection regarding both the contents of collections and methods of acquisition is crucial.

The International Information Centre and Archives for the Women?s Movement (IIAV) in Amsterdam must also find ways to deal with these developments. How can a relatively small institute such as the IIAV make optimal use of new media? Whose histories are represented in its archives? How can it continue to combine the three core elements of its mission statement ? that is, preserving heritage, contributing to women?s empowerment, and adopting an academic orientation and producing knowledge ? in an environment that is calling for specialization?

In Traveling Heritages, international and national heritage experts from academic, library and archival professions, reflect upon the issues mentioned above. The book offers the reader new perspectives on documenting women?s histories and provides insights into developments at the IIAV since it was established in 1935. Contributors also discuss the IIAV?s approaches to contemporary issues and how the institute is actively preparing for the future.