Patron driven captures: the January 25th Revolution archive at the American University in Cairo

Abstract

The University on the Square project is a participatory archives initiative that “seeks to preserve the momentous events of early 2011” and ongoing “events as they unfold”. The project embraces and Archives 2.0 approach as defined by Kate Theimer In her 2011 American Archivist article, “What is the Meaning of Archives 2.0?” Theimer states, “archivists must be user centered and embrace opportunities to use technology to share collections, interact with users, and improve internal efficiency.” By embracing a collaborative, Archives 2.0 approach to collection development and management, archivists at AUC have been able to build a participatory archive of millions of Web documents, digital library assets, and scholarly communications. Further, the process of building the University on the Square collections provides archivists with a unique opportunity to educate citizens of a burgeoning democracy about the role of archives in transparent governance.