REFLEXÕES SOBRE O USO DOS ARQUIVOS VIRTUAIS NA PESQUISA HISTÓRICA: UM ESTUDO DA COLUNA GAROTAS DE O CRUZEIRO (1938-1964)

Abstract

Currently, we have, in the digitization of historical documents, a large and vast source of research opportunities, ease of access and reproduction, assisting in the preservation and dissemination of historical memories. As we know, libraries, archives, and physical collections are prone to the actions and accidents of nature or human actions, almost always neglecting the importance of preserving these documents, making them vulnerable to disappearance and even extinction. Digital collections have been increasingly propagated through digitization as an alternative for better allocation of documents. We know that the use of these archives for historical research requires methodological differences and causes fear among some historians who think that research should be based only on material sources. Thus, digital libraries have emerged and, with them, the debates about the use of these sources in the historian's work and the transformations in research methodology. The National Digital Library (BNDigital) has consolidated itself as the largest digital library in Brazil, widely used by historians to access the large document collection, directly from the screen of their computer or smartphone. In this work, we propose a reflection on Digital History and the use of virtual archives in historical research through the study of the column Garotas (Girls) by Alceu Penna, which appeared in the magazine O Cruzeiro from 1938 to 1964, showing how this research was carried out, how the analysis was made, the cataloging of the source and the reflections carried out during this journey. This is because the complete collection of the magazine is available in the Digital Hemeroteca of the National Library, which facilitated the access to the source and the development of the research.