Technology and the Historian

As a history student technology has been a saving grace in historical research. I have been lucky enough to be able to download dozens of scholarly articles, explore online archives, surf historical websites, and order interlibrary loans in the matter of one evening, all from the comfort of my own living room, thanks to the wonderful invention of the internet. The internet has allowed for so much vital information to be readily available to all historians and students.
Over the summer, working as a research assistant, I realized just how vital an asset the internet has become. Since Nipissing's library is quite limited in some respects much of the data I needed was not available in our collection. This meant ordering reel upon reel of microfilm from the National Archive (and often waiting weeks and weeks for it to arrive). However, early in my research a helpful member of the library staff pointed me towards a new and evolving online archive site that contained the majority of the information I needed. No longer did I need to go cross-eyed staring at microfilm reels- I could now conveniently download PDF files onto my laptop and peruse them at my leisure. Thanks to this technological evolution I was able to complete research that may have taken months (simply waiting for sources!) in a much shorter time-frame.
While there are some obvious drawbacks to technology (like sorting through the legitimacy of online sites, and a decreasing use of physical sources like books), I believe that the benefits far outweigh the cons. With technology historical research is sped up, new avenues of research have become more readily available, and forums for historical discussion, such as this blog, have been created. Overall technology has been a great benefit, not only to historians, but to the discipline of history itself.