A sea of kites: pushing access to archives with progressive enhancement
Abstract
Open access to archives enriches our knowledge of human society, promotes democracy, protects citizens’ rights and enhances the quality of life. (UNESCO Universal Declaration on Archives)1
Access to information is about power. Accessibility describes an evolving power relationship between those holding information and those seeking it.
In any project there are types of access we want to deny. Privacy is an access issue. On the other hand, access to the records of government programs provides citizens the power to hold them accountable. Open access to public records empowers citizens to enact participatory democracy. Secrecy is a key tenet of tyrannical governments, as is the systematic destruction of citizens’ privacy.
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