Something old, something new

Abstract It is tempting to see the pandemic as a break from the past. However, despite an abrupt and necessary alteration in working habits, COVID has only accelerated a transition to digitally based research in the humanities begun decades ago. Trends towards remote access, collaboration, and internationalization are intensified. But important questions continue. Starting from Raymond Williams’ reflections on the significance of the famous locked library in Hereford Cathedral in an essay of 1958, this chapter argues that the subsequent “digital revolution” does not resolve age-old issues relating to restriction and exclusion, nor diminish the importance of established skills and methods. Meanwhile, as dependencies increase, the technologies themselves remain vulnerable, and concerns relating to the ownership and management of new research tools and resources persist.