In Search of Simplicity: Redesigning the Digital Bleek and Lloyd

Abstract

The Digital Bleek and Lloyd is a collection of digitised historical artefacts on the Bushman people ofSouthern Africa. The underlying software was initially designed to enable access from as many people aspossible so usage requirements were minimal – it was not even necessary to use a web server or database.However, the system was not focused on preservation, extensibility, or reusability. In this article, it is arguedthat such desirable attributes could manifest themselves in a natural evolution of the Bleek and Lloyd softwaresystem in the direction of greater simplicity. A case study demonstrates that this is indeed feasible in the caseof the Digital Bleek and Lloyd and potentially more generally applicable in digital libraries.

http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/djlit.32.4.2524