Social uses of digitisation within the context of HIV/AIDS: metadata as engagement

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the social uses of digitisation within the social context of HIV/AIDS by building digital archives of photographs. Design/methodology/approach – Visual data sets on HIV/AIDS are drawn from photovoice studies in our previous work in Canada and South Africa. To organise and describe visual data sets, protocols for scanning and metadata have been developed. Findings – Based on these protocols, a digital archive is being built to store and provide access to digital images. Research limitations/implications – The study intends to develop a methodological and technological framework to understand the social uses of photography by using digital technology. Originality/value – The observations and lessons garnered from this study provide insights into the building of a digital archive of photo collections on HIV/AIDS and can be used in other social contexts where photos are developed and managed in order to address social issues.