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Ireland- Dissertation FINAL.pdf (8.64 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

From Traditional Memory to Digital Memory Systems: A Rhetorical History of the Library as Memory Space

Ireland, Ryan P
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3224-749X
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1461085550

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, English.
This dissertation examines the library as a memory system. To do this I craft a rhetorical history of both the classical canon of memory as well as the institution of the library. Within the Graeco-Roman Western rhetorical canon of memory was born out of an oral culture. Memorization was a tool primarily used to deliver speeches; however, the mnemonics rhetors used to remember grew into systems of memory. The use of systems is often viewed as a tool for organization, but they are also tools for memorization. If we move beyond the idea of memorization as a relic of the oral culture and view it as system, it becomes apparent that memory is still an active force in print and digital culture. In this project I examine the library as a memory system—as a structure and institution that helps collect, preserve, organize, and distribute knowledge. The library is one of the most influential and widely-used memory systems we have for collecting and disseminating knowledge. Like the canon of memory, it remains undertheorized within rhetorical studies. This project tracks the history of the library in Western culture, as it moved from a collection of inscribed scrolls, to printed materials, to digital artifacts. I also examine a variety of counter systems—alternate forms of memory storage that push against the traditional memory structure of the library. This project contributes to the field of rhetoric/composition by expanding our understanding of the rhetorical canon of memory, pushing it from a tool too closely associated with orality and delivery toward a more-relevant network of knowledge. For compositionists who frequently access these systems for information, this network of memory creates potential for more avenues of invention. Additionally, the view of memory as a system has the potential to recognize the flaws and cultural hegemony that take place in institutional memory. Consequently, the use of systematized memory could alter the ways in which we choose to organize and access memories. Moreover the digitally networked materials of memory can be stored and accessed more easily than ever before, creating opportunities for individuals to have agency over their own historical narratives.
James Porter (Committee Chair)
Jason Palmeri (Committee Member)
Lihn Dich (Committee Member)
Tim Lockridge (Committee Member)
Glenn Platt (Other)
257 p.
Composition; Library Science; Rhetoric
Memory; systems; library; public library; bellecentric; Dewey; architecture; rhetoric; history; place; digital humanities; genealogical methodology; Carnegie; mnemonic; book; print culture

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Ireland, R. P. (2016). From Traditional Memory to Digital Memory Systems: A Rhetorical History of the Library as Memory Space [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1461085550

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Ireland, Ryan. From Traditional Memory to Digital Memory Systems: A Rhetorical History of the Library as Memory Space. 2016. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1461085550.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Ireland, Ryan. "From Traditional Memory to Digital Memory Systems: A Rhetorical History of the Library as Memory Space." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1461085550

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

miami1461085550
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© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.