Unlocking the Power of Archives with Digital Asset Management

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

Archives are one of those things that carry a massive amount of value, but are often overlooked. As we’ve recently celebrated International Archives Week, I thought it was worth exploring why archives matter.

It sounds like a basic question, with an obvious answer.

Archives matter because history is important. Because heritage is valuable. Because collective memory informs our understanding of the present and helps us chart a course into the future.

Understanding the past is fundamental to understanding the here and now. Remember the saying "never again", prompting us to recall the horror of the Holocaust?

If we keep history in our hearts and minds, there is at least a chance we will learn the lessons of yesteryear—and not repeat the horrors perpetrated by our forebears.

Archives Anchor Us

Without memory, we are adrift. Culturally and socially—even spiritually—we become unmoored. Those ‘boring’ archives, dusty fragments of the past, can give meaning and direction to our lives. Understanding the past can even be a kind of portal into a deeper understanding of ourselves and those around us.

And yet, if archives are so massively important, it’s surprising how little importance we attach to them.

The excitement of living in the present moment is intoxicating and distracting. After all, who wants to spend time focused on history? Store it away. Keep it safe. Know that it’s there—and move on. “Live in the present” has become a mantra for our modern lives, driven by microscopic attention spans and our addiction to social media feeds.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION

Bringing Archives into the Digital Age

Archives are too often seen as passive, monolithic resources—daunting labyrinths of data that only the most motivated archivists, librarians, academics, and researchers dare to penetrate.

So how can we better navigate our history and release the inherent value of our archives? Physical libraries and museums offer one way to access history, but in the digital age we expect almost everything to be online—available in just a few clicks and prompts.

Enter the digital asset management (DAM) system.

We often think of DAM systems as a handy tool for large corporations and ad agencies to manage branded content and design material. But many DAM systems are central to the effective management of historical archives.

I’ve written elsewhere about the difference between storing archives on cloud drives (like Google or Dropbox) and using a DAM system. In simple terms, the comparison is between a passive place to store material you want to keep safe, and an active system specifically designed not only to safeguard content but also to release its value—making it accessible, shareable, and visible (if you want it to be).

LightRocket is Built for Archives

At LightRocket, we are particularly focused on managing archives. Our mission as the creators of a digital asset management system is to bring archives to life—to make them open and accessible, with all the safety measures and controls you would expect.

For DAM platforms, especially those focused on archive management, security and privacy are always front and centre. At LightRocket, we’ve invested heavily in ensuring our infrastructure and codebase are as secure as possible. We’ve also developed features that actively recognise the importance of privacy, both from a legal and moral standpoint—with consent management at the heart of that effort.

But beyond these essential features, how does a DAM system actually breathe life into an archive?

Photo by picjumbo.com

The Beating Heart of a Digital Archive: Search

It may sound banal, but the beating heart of an archive—or rather, a DAM system managing an archive—can be summed up in one word: search.

Search transforms archives from impenetrable mountains of data into a browsable, accessible resource. It is the key to unlocking the value of an archive.

In DAM terms, search and metadata go hand in hand. The ability to efficiently add descriptions and relevant tags to your files is the fuel that powers search. As the saying goes, “If it can’t be found, it can’t be used.” The ability to find that proverbial needle in your digital haystack is the superpower of digital asset management.

Tagging digital assets is a labour-intensive process that requires experience and skill. We’ve spent years developing a sophisticated tagging thesaurus that contains over 40,000 terms. These are organised into a hierarchical structure, cascading from main categories to sub-categories, to related terms, synonyms, and alternate forms. This structure allows taggers to quickly associate multiple relevant terms with an asset. Many terms can be added to one or many files with just a single click.

A thesaurus can make tagging more efficient, but the choices are still human. As new AI technologies for DAM have erupted onto the scene, we now have automated tagging and even facial recognition—where a face recognised once can be automatically tagged whenever it reappears. Even so, we always remind our clients that while AI can support tagging, it cannot fully replace the ability of humans to recognise nuance, context, and meaning.

Digital Asset Management: A Way to Cherish History

International Archives Week comes around each year and provides the perfect time to reflect on the role digital asset management plays in preserving and releasing the value of our precious archives.

Let’s work together to cherish our history and help bring it to life—so we can use the lessons of the past to build a constructive, peaceful, and positive future.

---

Written by Yvan Cohen | Yvan is a Co-Founder of LightRocket and has spent the past two decades immersed in the challenges and realities of digital asset management. As a professional photojournalist, Yvan uses his decades of media experience to help shape LightRocket's world-class DAM platform; focusing on collaboration, intuitive workflows and continuous innovation.

---