bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Letting Sleeping Dogmas Lie
Authors: Burke Frank
Published: October 2015

In order to advance their profession, archivists must stop thinking of themselves as an isolated group whose uniqueness keeps them apart from related disciplines. They must address the questions of advanced education versus on-the-job training, their place within the larger information community, and the core knowledge necessary to prepare them for an archival education and career. Beyond the master's degree, archivists should think of doctoral training for some who wish to go on to teach archival studies at the graduate level.
Linking Institutional Missions to University and College Archives Programs: The Land-Grant Model
Authors: Frye Dorothy
Published: October 2015

In order to compete effectively for institutional support of archival programs and services, archivists in the 1990s must develop innovative strategies for increasing their usefulness and visibility. One such strategy is to explore ways of linking their programs, collection policies, and activities to their institution's mission. Using land-grant college and university archives as a model, the author has collected data on collection policies, mission statements, outreach activities, and other information about the archives of these institutions and has presented this data in the context of the land-grant history and mission.
Making Sure They Want It: Managing Successful Public Programs
Authors: Finch Elsie
Published: October 2015

Archivists and educators who seek to create successful public programs must base them on sound information about what their public wants. This case study, based on the author's experience in managing the National Archives school materials programs, describes simple ways to find this out and act on it.
Does AMC Mean "Archives Made Confusing"? Patron Understanding of USMARC AMC Catalog Records
Authors: Spindler Robert , Pearce-Moses Richard
Published: October 2015

Archivists create MARC AMC catalog records to enhance access and make information about holdings more widely available, but they have not evaluated the effectiveness of those descriptions for a diverse audience. Inclusion of MARC AMC descriptions in integrated online catalogs and other factors have increased the difficulty of interpreting catalog records. Studies of patron understanding of MARC AMC records are needed to validate or contradict our assumptions that these descriptions are intelligible to our patrons. The integrated online catalog environment at the Arizona State University Libraries is a test site for the formulation of a user study to measure patron understanding of MARC AMC records.
A Decade of Development: Educational Programs for Automated Records and Techniques Within the Society of American Archivists
Authors: Brown Thomas
Published: October 2015

During the 1980s, the Society of American Archivists (SAA) task force and then committee concerned with automation organized a series of seminars and workshops. In doing so, the members evolved a series of curricula based on explicit learning objectives. When they tried to use these curricula to structure the course contents, the idealism of the curricula gave way to reality. This article reviews the development of the curricula and their implementation. It examines the successes and failures of earlier efforts and concludes with lessons to be drawn from these early attempts to train archivists to deal with automation.
An Archival Retread in Electronic Records: Acquiring Computer Literacy
Authors: Henry Linda
Published: October 2015

Archivists may find acquiring computer literacy the most difficult aspect of becoming an electronic records archivist. To reassure archivists and urge them to become involved with the new media, the author explores five aspects related to learning about computers—gender, age, computer anxiety, ways of thinking, and extrinsic knowledge.
Revolution in Records: A Strategy for Information Resources Management and Records Management
Authors: Waters Peter , Nagelhout Henk
Published: October 2015

This article summarizes the main features of a Dutch study, Omslag in Opslag, published in 1991. The study presents a relatively new approach aimed at the improvement of records management within Dutch agencies. The authors argue that information is preserved and managed because users have specific reasons for and interests in doing so. This is important because there are different reasons and interests and because each reason and interest has its own demands on records management methods and techniques. The intensity of the several interests and reasons varies with each business process. For effective and efficient records management it is therefore necessary to know the weight of each relevant interest. That can be done only by analyzing the business process. The consequence of this study is that the ratio of uniform records management methods and techniques disappears and that pluriformity of methods and techniques must be accepted. The article ends with activities planned by the Dutch government to implement this new paradigm. The authors are grateful to Tora Bikson for suggesting Revolution in Records as the English translation of Omslag in Opslag, and to Rick Barry for his suggestions for improving the clarity of the text.
The Role of University Archives in the Campus Information Environment
Authors: Stout Lee
Published: October 2015

Building on a successful records management program, the Pennsylvania State University Archives launched an Electronic Records Appraisal project as an opportunity to join as a partner with administrative computing in addressing the retention and disposition of electronic records. More than 3,600 datasets from fourteen administrative and academic areas were evaluated in the twenty-seven-month project. Only fourteen datasets were appraised as having archival value, however, the vast majority lacked sufficient documentation to make a full appraisal decision. The project's recommendations addressed this problem and also pointed out policy inconsistencies on use of confidential data. The archives has continued to work with administrative computing on electronic archiving and records management policy and process issues. This partnership helps the archives advance its services as both historical information provider and steward of institutional records in all formats of enduring value.
Disc Players, the Records Manager/Archivist, and the Development of Optical Imaging Applications
Authors: Miller Michael
Published: October 2015

Although the computer literature is full of stories about successful imaging (optical disc) applications, records management professionals have countless stories about failed ones. As the technology matures, archivists and records managers are increasingly being asked to join imaging application development teams. How can these disciplines contribute to a successful application? This paper suggests some indicators archivists and records managers can use in evaluating imaging applications and some questions they can pose to improve the chances that the application will be a successful one. It is not the goal here to look at long-term storage and transportability issues; rather, the essay concentrates on what records professionals can do to improve the odds that an imaging application—either their own or one whose records they may someday inherit—is a success.
Interviewing Techniques for Remote Reference: Electronic Versus Traditional Environments
Authors: Tibbo Helen
Published: October 2015

An increasing number of archives are supporting electronic mail reference services. To optimize the usefulness of this rapid and convenient means of communication, archivists must consider the nature of the reference transaction in general and adapt it to this new remote or "virtual" environment. As with face-to-face reference encounters, archivists must set the tone of remote reference exchanges; clarify the clients' questions and information needs; deliver the required information; and follow up exchanges, making sure that clients have everything they need and that they feel comfortable asking for more information as the need arises. The author offers suggestions as to how these steps can be implemented via electronic mail and discusses management concerns.
The Archival Documentation Strategy and Its Implications for the Appraisal of Architectural Records
Authors: Cox Richard
Published: October 2015

Documentation strategy is an analytical approach to archival appraisal that looks not at individual records, but at the overall universe in which such records exist. It recognizes the inherent problem of volume with modern records, and provides a way for records creators, custodians, and users to work together to create a plan for which documentation will be preserved. Since it was first introduced in 1984, documentation strategy has met with mixed reactions from the archival profession, and has received its most theoretical examination from the Canadian archival community. With a role in the worlds of both archival theory and archival practice, documentation strategy can be applied to the appraisal of architectural records with the development of broad goals for documenting architecture through the coordination of records creators, custodians, and users, and through the creation of institutional archives.
Architectural Records Appraisal: Discussion of Problems and Strategies for the Documenting Michigan Architecture Project
Authors: Nelb Tawny
Published: October 2015

There are five fundamental problems with the appraisal of architectural records; they are dispersed, widely duplicated, voluminous, transitory, and vulnerable. There is no single solution to all of these problems so it is useful to look at appraisal guidelines that have been established by other repositories and by architectural firms. The potential for legal use is one of the key considerations architectural firms use when determining the retention or disposal of their records. New problems facing appraisal decisions are the rare preparation of as-built drawings and the increased use of computer-aided design. Ultimately, it is necessary to convince architects that they need to be responsible for their own records not just for practical purposes, but for cultural reasons as well. And all firms and repositories need to balance their appraisal decisions based on space, staff, preservation costs, and users.
The Historian's View
Authors: De Long David
Published: October 2015

Architectural records are an essential resource for architectural historians. The archives of two architects, Bruce Goff and Louis I. Kahn, demonstrate the diversity of materials that document, both directly and indirectly, the architect's professional work and personal life. In addition, different parts of these records are important to different users, from historical, preservation, or legal standpoints, to name a few. There is no single archival principle that can be applied to appraisal and selection decisions, given the individuality of each architect or architectural firm. However, from the perspective of an architectural historian, the physical separation of the various materials making up the individual's or firm's archives should be avoided, as should deaccessioning.
The Way Things Work: Procedures, Processes, and Institutional Records
Authors: Yakel Elizabeth
Published: October 2015

This paper looks at the writings of selected organizational theorists and how they reflect or contradict diplomatic principles, particularly the concept of genèse or process. The potential contributions of organizational theorists to archival theory and management are discussed. Specifically, processes are examined both as standard operating procedures that can easily be articulated and as work practices that evolve over time and often defy explanation. Finally, the relationships between processes, records, and record-keeping systems are explored along with issues of accountability and organizational culture. It is argued that a more sophisticated view of organizational processes can change the interpretative context and thus alter archivists' understanding of the role of records and recordkeeping systems in organizations.
Manifesto for a Contemporary Diplomatics: From Institutional Documents to Organic Information
Authors: Delmas Bruno
Published: October 2015

The author probes the relationship between the traditional categories of diplomatics and the characteristics of modern records. He offers a more abstract view of the notion of what constitutes a document, and probes the importance of archival documents as a source of memory and truth. Diplomatics then, the author agrees, becomes a method to understand and recover sources of memory and, at the same time, reduce the uncertainty that the abundance of these same sources engenders. He offers new perspectives on the traditional diplomatics categories of form, genesis, tradition, edition, and selection.
Multi-National, Multi-Archival: The Business Records of the HSBC Group
Authors: Green Edwin
Published: October 2015

This essay explores the issues affecting the archives of modern multi-national enterprises. Examples are taken from the recent experience of the HSBC Group, whose member companies include Hongkong Bank, Midland Bank, the British Bank of the Middle East, and other long-established providers of financial services. The paper reviews the following issues:

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of centralization of the archives of a multi-national enterprise?

• How important is the location of the archives?

• What are the practical and technical implications of relocating the archives of constituent companies of a multi-national enterprise?

• What factors should motivate the collecting policy of a multi-national enterprise?

• What factors influence the relationship between a multi-national archive and other custodians of its records?

The essay concludes by considering how a multi-national business archives might reach and respond to a multi-national readership.
Building a Public Archives in Delaware for the Twenty-First Century
Authors: Lowell Howard
Published: October 2015

The late 1990s is a period of transition for the Delaware Public Archives. Current trends in public administration and government records management, coupled with vestiges of its first ninety years of operations, have coalesced to drive activities today. Four specific circumstances propel these activities: construction of a new Public Archives facility; the impact of information technology on government recordkeeping; enhanced demands for open and accountable government and public access to government information; and rising expectations of government records users. The Delaware Public Archives has found strategic planning to be an essential tool in mapping responses to these challenges.
"NISTF II" and EAD: The Evolution of Archival Description
Authors: Hensen Steven
Published: October 2015

Encoded Archival Description (EAD) is part of the mainstream of archival standards development. The work of the National Information Systems Task Force in creating the MARC AMC format and the concomitant development of Archives, Personal Papers, and Manuscripts helped define the basic framework of shared archival description. The architects of EAD have built upon this architecture and provided archivists with technology-based tools capable of producing a fully integrated descriptive apparatus in an Internet environment that are nonetheless firmly rooted in archival principles and traditions.
First Things First: Reengineering Finding Aids for Implementation of EAD
Authors: Meissner Dennis
Published: October 2015

Although it is tempting for a repository to begin its work with EAD by marking up its existing finding aids as they are, more satisfying results will ensue if the repository invests some time up front in assessing, and perhaps revising, its finding aid model. The Minnesota Historical Society recently completed such a project to evaluate the effectiveness of its finding aids and to reengineer their look, feel, and structure in order to make them more effective tools for delivering information about archival materials to distance users via the World Wide Web, as well as to in-house users. The author describes the process and the results of that intensive project.
Implementing EAD in the Yale University Library
Authors: Bouché Nicole
Published: October 2015

In 1995 the Yale University Library agreed to serve as an "early implementer" site for the FindAid DTD, now EAD. Three Yale manuscript repositories—the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Special Collections in the Divinity School Library, and the Manuscripts and Archives Department of Sterling Memorial Library, agreed to participate in this test phase by creating an integrated database of SGML-encoded finding aids, accessible via the World Wide Web. This case study describes the basic configuration of the Yale finding aid site, reviews the project's history and accomplishments since its inception in 1995, discusses the methods employed by the participating units to mark up legacy files and to integrate EAD into their routines for creating new finding aids, and suggests issues to be considered by others contemplating an SGML/EAD encoding project of their own.
EAD Testing and Implementation at the Library of Congress
Authors: Lacy Mary , Mitchell Anne
Published: October 2015

This case study chronicles the Library of Congress's participation as an early implementer of Encoded Archival Description (EAD). The activities described include testing the alpha version of the EAD DTD, tagging approaches used in two test finding aids in the Manuscript and the Prints and Photographs divisions, a pilot project in the Manuscript Division which encoded ten finding aids, exploration of how EAD accommodates finding aids in various formats, and the work of the library's EAD Task Force in resolving organizational and technical issues. The authors' conclusions are based on their two-year involvement with EAD at the Library of Congress.
Special Collections Repositories at Association of Research Libraries Institutions: A Study of Current Practices in Preservation Management
Authors: Walters Tyler
Published: October 2015

This article reports and interprets data collected from a 1995 survey of special collections repositories at Association of Research Libraries institutions. It covers part one of the survey—current practices in preservation management. One hundred thirteen institutions represented by 170 archives/manuscripts repositories were asked to participate, of which 143 institutions, or 84.1%, did so. This is the second largest sample of archives' preservation activities ever gathered in the United States. The goals of the study were, first, to create a base of data on the development of archival preservation programs in research institutions and interpret that data and, second, to understand the extent to which the archives and library preservation departments interact in their common mission to ensure the availability of research materials to present and future generations. The study is unique in its investigation of the interrelationships between the archival repository's and the library's operational functions. This article recognizes that there is potential for a certain amount of preservation program development and integration between libraries and archives.
The Society: From Birth to Maturity
Authors: Burckel Nicholas
Published: October 2015

The author takes a statistical "snapshot" of the Society of American Archivists at three different periods in its history—each separated by twenty-five years—to illustrate the continuity and changes that have occurred. For the years 1940, 1965, and 1990, the author examines the composition of the Society's membership, its leadership, its scholarly journal, its annual meetings, and the perspective of its presidents. The article concludes with some comparisons with allied professional organizations, such as the American Library Association, the American Historical Association, and the Organization of American Historians, placing the Society's experience in a larger context. A briefer version of this article was delivered 28 August 1997 as the author's presidential address at the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists held in Chicago.
Archival MARC Records and Finding Aids in the Context of End-User Subject Access to Archival Collections
Authors: Czeck Rita
Published: October 2015

This article discusses the findings of a study to determine the extent to which archival MARC records represent chronological, geographical, personal, and corporate information contained in corresponding finding aids to archival collections. A content analysis of twenty finding aids to archival collections and their corresponding archival MARC records was conducted. The data suggest that the level of representation in archival MARC records varies depending on subject category. Geographical terms were the most likely to be represented, followed by personal names, chronological terms, and lastly corporate names. Allowing for the searching of full-text electronic finding aids would enable end users to benefit not only from the subject information present at the collection level and in the abstract, but also from the areas in finding aids that tend to get less MARC representation: scope/content notes, historical/biographical information, series summaries, and container information.
Tracking Intelligence Information: The Office of Strategic Services
Authors: Heaps Jennifer
Published: October 2015

Created during World War II, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the United States' first centralized intelligence agency, comprising research and analysis as well as various clandestine operations. The new agency accumulated massive amounts of information from open and secret sources and maintained such information in the form of reports, maps, charts, memos, photographs, and other kinds of documentation. A unit within the OSS Research and Analysis Branch, the Central Information Division, collected most of these documents and managed their use for intelligence analysis with the creation of an intricate card indexing system. The Central Information Division's careful tracking of information made possible present-day archival use of the cards and the records they index.
Historical Resources in the Local Church: A Field Report on a Largely Gay and Lesbian Congregation
Authors: Lukenbill W.
Published: October 2015

The author presents a consultative field study report describing how the archives and historical records collection of a congregation associated with the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches were organized with little personnel resources and financial support. Details are given concerning the religious, political, social, and cultural aspects that influenced the design of the collection. Rationale and examples are given concerning how the controlled-vocabulary subject file was built and how descriptive catalog records and folders of manuscript items were developed. Problems related to continued development of the collection and to the need for electronic access to records are also discussed.
"Green" Archivism: The Archival Response to Environmental Research
Authors: Welch Todd
Published: October 2015

This article outlines the current relationship between archival materials and environmental research using information provided by a survey of repositories. The survey examined the use of archival sources in archives and manuscript repositories by environmental researchers and the efforts of archival institutions to meet the needs of such users. Results demonstrate trends in record use among environmental users and the lack of efforts by archivists to modify their programs to encourage and satisfy such use.
Retrieval of Archival Finding Aids Using World-Wide-Web Search Engines
Authors: Feeney Kathleen
Published: October 2015

This article describes a study of the retrieval of on-line archival finding aids using two Internet search engines. The study was conducted to assess the value of electronic full-text finding aids as tools for locating archival collections. Topical subject headings and personal name headings were chosen from on-line inventories produced by the Southern Historical Collection (SHC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Keyword, phrase, and Boolean searches were developed using the topical subject headings; keyword and phrase searches were conducted for each personal name. The first one hundred documents retrieved by each search were examined to determine the number of SHC finding aids retrieved. The study found that searches often retrieved unmanageably large result sets and that the majority of SHC finding aids containing the search terms were not among the first one hundred documents retrieved. These results suggest that on-line archival descriptions are often not accessible through common methods of Internet searching and that archivists must continue to develop means to help researchers locate their collections.
Archives in Controversy: The Press, the Documentaries and the Byrd Archives
Authors: Goerler Raimund
Published: October 2015

One of the major news stories of 1996 was the discovery and analysis of Richard Byrd's diary and notebook for his North Pole flight of 1926. Byrd's claim to be the first to fly to the North Pole was challenged by his contemporaries and by later historians. The diary provided new evidence, and the news of its existence and meaning fueled stories that reached every part of the globe. Interest in Byrd also inspired producers of three documentaries. The archivist who dealt with reporters and producers discusses the media coverage, the challenges of working with reporters and producers of documentaries, and the impact of the publicity on an archival program.
The NHPRC in the New Records Age
Authors: Newhall Ann
Published: October 2015

This article examines the NHPRC's records programs, particularly its electronic records program, its efforts to strengthen the national archival infrastructure through collaboration with the states, and its support for archival continuing education and the documentation of ethnic, racial, gender-based and other groups representative of diversity within the United States. It discusses ways in which the NHPRC, created during the 1930s, is rising to the challenges of a new records age, an age defined not only by the new records formats which began emerging in the latter decades of the twentieth century, but also by the political realities confronting archivists at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
Survey of Archives and Records Management Graduate Students at Ten Universities in the United States and Canada
Authors: Wallace David
Published: October 2015

A survey of over 150 students currently enrolled in ten graduate archival and records management (ARM) programs across the United States and Canada provides some understanding into these future ARM professionals. Information about their degree backgrounds; prior ARM work experiences; how they discovered the ARM profession; how they found out about their specific ARM program and why they chose to enroll in it; their employment goals in terms of job title, sector, and salary expectations; their willingness to relocate; and their interest in pursuing doctoral ARM studies, gives archival educators a baseline for understanding the backgrounds and aspirations of their students that can be used in developing programs that address these needs.
The SAA as Sisyphus: Education Since the 1960s
Authors: Miller Fredric
Published: October 2015

Approximately thirty years ago, the Society of American Archivists (SAA) embarked on an effort to standardize and possibly accredit archival education at the graduate level. American archivists and manuscripts curators have traditionally had extensive graduate training in history. In terms of what archival education should be, however, there was simply no consensus on basic matters. Moreover, such consensus was essential to any national education program. Miller's paper examined the various options through 1983 and concluded that in the end, the Society lacked both the will and the resources to accredit graduate programs. Using Camus's Myth of Sisyphus as a metaphor for the Society of American Archivists' efforts to standardize the educational process, Miller suggested that the Society examine alternative means of formalizing graduate-level education. While not suggesting any particular changes, Miller urged the Society to consider the existence of other possibilities.
Research and Reality Checks: Change and Continuity in NYU's Archival Management Program
Authors: Wosh Peter
Published: October 2015

Research occupies a central place in any graduate program and needs to be integrated across the archival curriculum, from the earliest courses through completion of the degree. This article traces the origins and development of New York University's Program in Archival Management and Historical Editing in order to explore its changing conceptualizations of research, and to examine the ways in which all archival educators can strengthen this programmatic component. As one of the oldest and most successful graduate training programs in North America, NYU's history-based curriculum provides an important case study and offers some significant lessons for archival educators.
The Future of the Past: A Survey of Graduates of Master's-Level Archival Education Programs in the United States
Authors: Yakel Elizabeth
Published: October 2015

The results of a survey of graduates of archival education programs in the United States present a profile of the next generation of archivists by focusing on a variety of demographic, economic, and professional issues. The findings indicate that the new generation of archivists is younger, predominantly female, and slightly better compensated than previous generations. Furthermore, interesting contrasts and comparisons can be made between graduates of history and graduates of library and/or information science-based programs, as well as between men and women in terms of employment sectors, salaries, and the length of the graduate programs. Understanding career trajectories is important in building a stronger archival profession in the United States, as well as in fostering professionalization among the younger generation.
Politics in the (Russian) Archives: The "Objectivity Question," Trust, and the Limitations of Law
Authors: Rosenberg William
Published: October 2015

Laws and archival regulations that assure open access to essential records and guarantee their preservation are essential to the ability of a free society to understand itself and assure freedom in the future. They represent a set of standards against which the administration of particular archives can be measured. The relationship of formal laws and regulations to actual archival practices is still a limited one, however. Because of this limited relationship, archivists and the scholars who use archival collections are involved in political contests with state authorities over who controls the information in an archives. The history of the archives of the U.S.S.R. and the states of the former Soviet Union exemplifies these conflicts and the necessity of adhering to professional ethical standards in the absence of legal regulation.
A Virtual Expression of Need: An Analysis of E-mail Reference Questions
Authors: Duff Wendy , Johnson Catherine
Published: October 2015

This paper analyzes e-mail reference questions posed to archivists in order to enhance our understanding of how users of archives seek information. This study analyzed 375 e-mail reference questions submitted to provincial, federal, university, city and special archives in order to determine, from the users' own words, how users formulate reference requests to archives. Understanding what elements the archives' client uses to describe his or her information need enables the creation of more relevant archival descriptive tools. According to this analysis, people used proper names, dates, places, subject, form, and, occasionally, events when composing their information request. As archives move toward a greater presence on the World Wide Web, archivists should design electronic information systems that account for the information seeking patterns expressed in e-mail refrence requests.
A Perspective on Indexing Slaves' Names
Authors: Paterson David
Published: October 2015

The indexing of slave names poses problems for archivists who seek to create more detailed access to information about slaves that is contained in a wide variety of records. A system of indexing that uses the slaveowner's name as a primary reference point in finding aids is proposed. This methodology reflects the recordkeeping practices of the time and provides an additional element of identity, beyond first name, that allows different records to be connected with each other.
Doing the Best We Can? The Use of Collection Development Policies and Cooperative Collecting Activities at Manuscript Repositories
Authors: Sauer Cynthia
Published: October 2015

Written collection development policies and cooperative collecting activities are two tools that archivists are encouraged to use in the course of creating and adding to their repositories' collections. Written collection development policies are advocated as a way to ensure that collections have a coherent and well-defined focus, while cooperative collecting practices are seen as a way to ensure that related materials are not scattered among far-flung repositories and that repositories' scarce resources are not needlessly squandered on unnecessary competitiveness for collections. However, not only are there numerous impediments to the effectiveness of either of these tools, many repositories do not use them. A survey of manuscript repositories reveals some of the reasons why more repositories do not engage in these practices, while quantitatively demonstrating the benefits they offer to repositories that do.
Principles, Methods, and Instruments for the Creation, Preservation, and Use of Archival Records in the Digital Environment
Authors: Guercio Maria
Published: October 2015

This paper focuses on the need for a systematic redefinition of the archival methods and tools required for building electronic recordkeeping systems. The analysis, which has been developed for archival education in Italy, is carried out through an examination of the historical evolution of the main functions for records creation (classification and the registry system) and the evaluation of their effectiveness in the newly developed and technologically advanced records systems. Special attention is given to the risks posed by new Italian and European rules on electronic records. These rules are based on the use of digital signature as the only guarantee for a record's reliability and authencity. It is argued, however, that the digital organization of the records, even if updated and improved, cannot be efficient if it ignores the traditional functional requirements for recordkeeping.
The Burlington Agenda: Research Issues in Intellectual Access to Electronically Published Historical Documents
Authors: Dow Elizabeth , Chesnutt David , Underwood William , Tibbo Helen , Kline Mary-Jo , Bickford Charlene
Published: October 2015

As increasing numbers of primary historical documents appear on the World Wide Web, publishers of those documents will need ways to provide intellectual access to the contents. At a three-day meeting in Burlington, Vermont experts in experimental electronic publishing, library and information science research, documentary editing, and computer science research identified (1) the need for user studies to determine the needs and reactions of the audience(s), (2) the need to assess implications for change in publication management, and (3) the need to compare empirically various technological approaches to access to information as three areas of research that can contribute to our understanding of how to construct and improve intellectual access to historical documents on the Web.
Understanding "Authenticity" in Records and Information Management: Analyzing Practitioner Constructs
Authors: Park Eun
Published: October 2015

As part of ongoing research, this paper explores how practitioners in records and information management currently understand the construct of authenticity in their professional activities, by examining the concepts and language that they actually use when talking about authenticity. This paper provides brief descriptive statistics drawn from an Internet listserv survey conducted in May 1998, and then analysis related to proving authenticity; the difficulties of judging something authentic; and definitions of authenticity as used and understood in the context of respondents' professional activity. The analysis provides indications of how professionals actually understand and use the concept of authenticity in their professional work depending on the context; and how these professionals react differently to paper records and electronic records. The paper concludes with a discussion of how this preliminary analysis fits within the context of the outcomes of prior electronic records research.
"Though This Be Madness, yet There Is Method in 't": Assessing the Value of Faculty Papers and Defining a Collecting Policy
Authors: Hyry Tom , Kaplan Diane , Weideman Christine
Published: October 2015

This article describes a project undertaken in Manuscripts and Archives in the Yale University Library to develop a rational approach for the selection and appraisal of collections of faculty papers. The project developed a policy for identifying collections to actively pursue and for evaluating collections offered. To develop the policy, the authors adapted the Minnesota Method, an appraisal methodology developed by the Minnesota Historical Society to appraise business records. The article serves as a case study of the application of the Minnesota Method to a collecting repository within an academic setting.
A Comparison of Jenkinson and Schellenberg on Appraisal
Authors: Tschan Reto
Published: October 2015

Sir Hilary Jenkinson and Theodore R. Schellenberg, the two leading archival theorists in the English-speaking world in the twentieth century, held strikingly different opinions on the subject of the appraisal of archival records. This paper examines their views on the nature of archival records, the reasons for their retention, and the role of the archivist in the appraisal process. It then traces the evolution of their ideas through the subsequent archival discourse on appraisal in order to identify their continued relevance and lasting contributions, particularly in light of the current debates surrounding the management of electronic records.
The EAD Cookbook: A Survey and Usability Study
Authors: Prom Christopher
Published: October 2015

While EAD has been warmly embraced by larger archives and libraries, smaller institutions have hesitated to implement the standard. The EAD Cookbook was developed to encourage such acceptance. But does it provide an adequate tool to meet the archival profession's descriptive needs? This paper addresses the question by reporting the results of a survey of Cookbook users, reviewing literature related to the usability of archival on-line resources, and evaluating the usability and retrievability of EAD finding aids created by institutions responding to the survey. It includes specific usability recommendations and concludes with a recommended approach for further work to simplify EAD encoding and improve display.
Primarily History in America: How U.S. Historians Search for Primary Materials at the Dawn of the Digital Age
Authors: Tibbo Helen
Published: October 2015

The Primarily History project is the first international, comparative study to examine historians' information-seeking behaviors since the advent of the World Wide Web, electronic finding aids, digitized collections, and an increasingly pervasive networked scholarly environment. Funded by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation, Primarily History is a collaboration of the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) and the Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute (HATII) at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. This article reports on a survey that asked historians teaching American history at sixty-eight top-ranked institutions how they located primary resources for their research. Information-seeking behaviors identified range from traditional print approaches to use of on-line databases, Web searching, and virtual repository visits. Implications are drawn for archives and special collection repositories.
In a Class by Themselves: Faculty Papers at Research University Archives and Manuscript Repositories
Authors: Laver Tara
Published: October 2015

Faculty papers are common in university archives and/or university manuscript collections, but little current literature exists about their acquisition, appraisal, administration, processing, and use. The survey reported herein examined the practices and policies on faculty papers employed by repositories in ARL-libraries and at formerly designated Research I universities. It reports criteria used to identify potential donors, how (and if) archivists pursue of faculty papers, formats of materials sought and retained, level of processing, and use by patrons and staff. More generally, it gauges practitioners' opinions toward what are often perceived to be large, yet underused collections.
Trusting Archivists: The Role of Archival Ethics Codes in Establishing Public Faith
Authors: Dingwall Glenn
Published: October 2015

This paper examines the role codes of ethics play in the portrayal of archivists and their work to the public. Codes of ethics are placed within the context of concepts of professionalism and the relationships between and among archivists, records creators, records users, employers, and the public at large. Several codes issued by archival professional organizations are used to illustrate the ways in which the structure of codes influences their effectiveness in communicating the nature of the profession to the public. The paper concludes that ethics codes contribute to an enhanced sense of professionalism for archivists that can strengthen their ability to serve the public by creating more autonomy in decision making. Paying greater attention to the language used in constructing codes of ethics can help accomplish this task.
Privacy Rights and the Rights of Political Victims: Implications of the German Experience
Authors: Danielson Elena
Published: October 2015

Three forces collide when security police files surface: the right to privacy, the right to state security, and the right to access information. In the case of the East German "Stasi" files, communists tried to destroy them, West German archivists and politicians tried to restrict them for decades, and dissidents tried to open access to them. A unique solution, pushed into law in 1990-91, has now stood the test of time. Fifteen years after the fall of the Berlin wall, the formula devised by Joachim Gauck is a tested model for balancing the conflicts between transparency, privacy, and security.
The Archivist as Detective; or, The Case of Ledyard v. William Morgan
Authors: Stark Bruce
Published: October 2015

The discovery of an apparent theft of documents from the Connecticut State Library in 2000 provided a challenge of detection for archivists. This article discusses the steps taken to identify the possibly stolen documents and to prove that they were once part of the collections of the Connecticut State Library. Cooperation with the Connecticut State Police and negotiations with another repository ultimately returned the missing documents to the state library. The experiences provide numerous lessons for other archivists on the questions of identifying and protecting documents at risk.
In Secret Kept, In Silence Sealed: Privacy in the Papers of Authors and Celebrities
Authors: Hodson Sara
Published: October 2015

When administering collections of modern personal papers, archivists must deal with the competing ethics of promoting free and open access to the material while ensuring that the privacy of those represented in the collections is not violated. Lacking specific procedural guidelines, archivists and their repositories must devise their own policies. This paper discusses the issues involved in overseeing modern collections in which there are privacy and confidentiality issues, and it focuses on the special challenges presented by the papers of authors and other celebrities. These challenges are the result of the high level of public interest in celebrities' papers, the personal matters discussed in correspondence in these collections, the potential for issues of privacy to be intertwined with copyright, and the fact that repositories increasingly collect the archives of living authors and celebrities as the papers are being created.
Building Preservation Environments with Data Grid Technology
Authors: Moore Reagan
Published: October 2015

Preservation environments for digital records are successful when they can separate the digital record from any dependence on the original creating infrastructure. Data grid technology, which supports the management of records that are located on multiple storage systems, provides the software needed for infrastructure independence. This article provides a description of how data grid technology can be used to support preservation processes and of existing preservation environments that are based upon data grids.
Sound Practices: On-line Audio Exhibits and the Cultural Heritage Archive
Authors: Breaden Ian
Published: October 2015

This paper examines the functionality of twenty-five on-line Web exhibits in their use of audio media, against a backdrop of the changing character of archives in the age of virtual access to primary materials. Each Web exhibit is scored against a matrix measuring specific aspects of audio performance. The scores are compiled, ranked, and analyzed. Based on these scores, the state of audio technology, and insights provided by digital archival preservation, a set of standards is proposed as a starting point for archives to use in increasing audio exhibit performance.
A*CENSUS (Archival Census and Education Needs Survey in the United States)
Authors: Irons Walch Victoria , Beaumont Nancy , Yakel Elizabeth , Bastian Jeannette , Zimmelman Nancy , Davis Susan , Diffendal Anne
Published: October 2015

The A*CENSUS—Archival Census and Education Needs Survey in the United States—is the first broadscale survey of individual archivists in the United States in nearly thirty years. The survey, conducted by mail and online during a two-month period in 2004, asked archivists about their positions, employers, demographics, credentials, job functions and specialization, salaries, career paths, issues, professional identity, and affiliation. There were additional questions for those with management responsibilities, and specific questions for members of certain professional associations. Inclusive in scope and deep in detail, A*CENSUS has produced a comprehensive picture of the archival profession and its people early in the twenty-first century.
Of Provenance and Privacy: Using Contextual Integrity to Define Third-Party Privacy
Authors: Bingo Steven
Published: October 2015

This article approaches the issue of third-party privacy by examining how contextual factors related to the creation and use of records can inform decisions to restrict or open access. Helen Nissenbaum's theory of contextual integrity, which originates from the discourse surrounding digital privacy, is applied as a means to expand an archival concept of provenance to address privacy risks. Applying contextual integrity to privacy decisions also allows archivists to frame decisions in terms of circulation, rather than as a simple dichotomy between access and restriction. Such nuance is invaluable when considering the impact of making records available digitally.