Dr. Robert Riter, assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Studies, recently presented his work on documentary reproduction and the ethics of containment at the Communication and Information in Network Society: Experience and Insights III conference in Vilnius, Lithuania.
His paper examined the ethical issues associated with the digitization of original sources, the intellectual relationships that exist between original sources and their digital surrogates, and the influence of documentary reproduction on artifactual identity. Riter discussed the priority of specific evidential and informational values over others in the digitization process, specifically addressing the originating materiality of the source and its communicative elements. He suggested that the practice provides a context for considering how reproduction and containment practices inform the expression of information and evidence in original sources.
In line with this work, Riter’s primary research interests focus on historical topics associated with the publication of original sources, materiality, intellectual and conceptual foundations of archival thought and practice, and the documentary and archival properties of book art.
Riter received his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh where his dissertation examined American historical documentary editing, particularly focusing on early modern editorial theory, methods, and their influence on documentary production. Riter holds teaching appointments in library and information studies and book arts. He is the coordinator of the SLIS archival studies program and serves as an advisor to the Birmingham Black Radio Museum and The University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco in Society.
