More than 80 years separate us from 1938, a year that marks a caesura, the definitive end of any hope for German-speaking Jews. After eight decades, the transition from ‘communicative memory’ to ‘cultural memory’ (Assmann) is underway; personal experiences, which were handed down orally, are being superseded by an ‘objectified culture’. At this significant time, long-term preservation as well as safe keeping of archival material gains importance. Modern technology facilitates access to fragile materials without jeopardizing their physical integrity. Archives, museums, and research institutions are increasingly using these options to bring their holdings to a wider audience.
This paper addresses some of these different approaches and possibilities for interaction with source materials. Using the Leo Baeck Institute’s 1938Projekt– Posts from the Pastas an example, it describes the challenges associated with digitization and putting materials online, as well as the additional tasks that go along with these processesin the digital age.