bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Archival Research Centers
Authors: Williams Richmond , Kerwood John , Henson Margaret , Kane Lucile
Published: October 2015

Perhaps the most direct attempt to encourage the use of regional and topical archival resources has been the establishment of history research centers. Many of the existing programs are operated as part of state archival agencies, other programs focus on a single historical topic and are sponsored by colleges and universities. This session assessed the impact of existing programs and addressed alternatives to such programs.
Developing Collecting Policies for Manuscript Collections
Authors: Phillips Faye
Published: October 2015

Collecting policies should be a component of programs that seek to eliminate future problems, lessen competition, and provide an avenue for deaccessioning. Collecting policies can also assist the curator in fulfilling the mission of the manuscript collection, but guidelines for producing such policies have not yet been formulated. A method for dealing with the complexity of manuscript collecting must be devised. The American Library Association does provide a beginning with its "Guidelines for the Formulation of Collection Development Policies," but these guidelines are not designed for manuscript collections. A model that can be used to develop a well-planned, written collection policy for manuscripts is needed. Included in this study are suggested ways of developing written collecting policies for manuscript collections. Also considered are such matters as goals and objectives, deaccessioning, research potential of materials, and procedures for carrying out policies. The basis for a model outline for formulating collecting policies is developed through an examination of appropriate literature.
In the Eye of the Beholder: Archives Administration from the User's Point of View
Authors: Freeman Elsie
Published: October 2015

The author proposes that we learn systematically, not impressionistically, who our users are and might be, what kinds of projects they pursue, and, most important, how they approach records. We must begin to think of archives administration as being centered on our clients, not on materials.

Freeman presents a series of misassumptions on which archivists operate and thereby render their work with users far less effective than it might be. The misassumptions are that: as a profession we are oriented toward users; we know who these users are; we understand the nature of research; and we provide adequate help in doing it. She discusses three of these misassumptions at length and examines the changing nature of research, the problems inherent in our finding aids, and the likelihood of a useful connection between how the researcher approaches information and the development of realistic appraisal standards. She then proposes a series of national, regional, and local efforts intended to retrain our thinking about the place of users in archives administration. These include a nationally initiated study of usership, national recognition for exemplary outreach programs, local programs that will elicit information from users, a reexamination of our descriptive and reference practices, and a restructuring of our archival training programs.
The User Talks Back
Authors: Speakman Mary
Published: October 2015

This paper is a review of policies, facilities, and services I have observed or experienced while working in various repositories in the United States and includes suggested areas for reevaluation by archivists. Mention is made of services and equipment archivists should consider for the researcher working in their specific holdings, and the attitudes of archival personnel is discussed. Good service in university archives as well as disastrous efforts of some county archives are considered. Specific needs of the researcher are presented; and the dependency of the researcher on the ability, expertise, and cooperation of archivists is emphasized.
Archivists and Research Use
Authors: Joyce William
Published: October 2015

The primary purpose of archives is cultural, and it is the research value of documentation that invests this essentially cultural purpose with substance and significance. As custodians of the collective memory, archivists best achieve this purpose by identifying these values in documents and by promoting their research use. This essay considers how archivists best exercise this responsibility: by doing research on the collections in their care; by drawing on scholars for assistance in reaching appraisal decisions; by preparing more analytical and evaluative finding aids; by developing better index terms for access to records; by knowing more about researchers who use their materials and by understanding better what their needs are; by understanding the risk posed by premature access to records; and by understanding how outreach assists archivists in promoting the best possible research use of their holdings.
Videotaped Oral Histories: Problems and Prospects
Authors: Charlton Thomas
Published: October 2015

Few people have considered the ramification of recording oral history interviews on videotape. By 1970 development of videotape, field cameras, and video recorders had made video recording available as a tool to historians. A video recording of an interview can help scholars observe and understand the environment and the nonverbal elements of the interview, including the interviewee's appearance and body language. Unfortunately, because of confusion and competition in the video industry, archivists and scholars must choose among many video formats of varying quality and applicability.
Sampling in Archives: A Review
Authors: Kepley David
Published: October 2015

Confronted with the sheer mass of records created by modern bureaucracies, archivists have employed sampling, both as a tool to determine the research potential of records and as an appraisal device. The term sampling as used in archival literature usually means either to cull from a large records series the most significant files or documents (subjective sampling) or to select statistically a small portion from a large universe that will accurately reflect all important aspects of the larger universe (statistical sampling). The former method has been employed for a generation and has been applied in those records series in which only the exceptional case is worthy of preservation. Statistical sampling, on the other hand, has been used to capture the typical cases in a series. The effectiveness of either method, and indeed the decision to sample itself, must always be rooted in the professional judgment of those archivists most familiar with the historical value of the materials they administer.
An Analysis of the Work of the National Information Systems Task Force
Authors: Lytle Richard
Published: October 2015

This article contains a summary of the history of the National Information Systems Task Force (NISTF; 1977-82), a statement of the primary products of NISTF's work, and an assessment of the progress made in information exchanged since 1982. The history of NISTF's changing view of its mission is more than past history. Many readers will find that their view of information networks is similar to NISTF's naive starting point. It is hoped that these readers will follow the development of the NISTF mission and gain insight into what is happening now, based on the MARC format and other results of NISTF's work.
The Society of American Archivists Confronts the Computer
Authors: Brown Thomas
Published: October 2015

During the 1960s, the committee structure of the Society of American Archivists began to deal with the twin concerns resulting from automation: automated control techniques and machine-readable records. Until 1975, separate committees dealt with the two facets of computerization. Then the Committee on Automated Records and Techniques launched a broad program of publications, presentations, and projects dealing with both concerns. Many of these activities echoed the efforts and concepts of previous committees. In addition, the Society of American Archivists addressed other facets of automation through the National Information Systems Task Force and its publications program. This progress, however, came in spite of problems resulting from ongoing questions about the proper organizational structure to deal with automation, from communication problems within the Society, and from new technological challenges.
What Is Backlog Is Prologue: A Measurement of Archival Processing
Authors: Abraham Terry , Balzarini Stephen , Frantilla Anne
Published: October 2015

A numerical analysis of the processing of manuscript and archival materials was undertaken to develop baseline figures for planning and comparison. The time required for different segments of the processing activity was averaged and analyzed for all accessions within a given time period, with size and type introduced as variables. The analysis proved useful in planning staff responsibilities, processor assignments, budgets, and other management data. The feasibility and efficacy of word processing applied to the creation of finding aids was also tested. This survey serves as a starting point for archives searching for a methodology to measure the work of processing within their institutions, as a step towards the standardization needed for self-evaluation, and, perhaps, as a means of furthering cooperation among institutions.
Appraisal Guidelines for Reprint Collections
Authors: Day Deborah
Published: October 2015

Appraisal of reprint collections or large series of reprints within manuscript and archival collections is of particular interest to archivists working with voluminous contemporary scientific collections. They have sought to identify and eliminate from collections material that is not unique and has little research value. A dozen articles and books in the archival literature have discussed the collection and appraisal of ephemera, near-print material, and reprints. While several authors have suggested that reprints be appraised closely, they have failed to provide appraisal guidelines.

A review of the existing literature and a set of questions to ask in appraising reprint collections are provided in this article.
Carter G. Woodson and the Collection of Source Materials for Afro-American History
Authors: Goggin Jacqueline
Published: October 2015

Until recently, white libraries and archives generally showed no interest in collecting primary source materials that dealt specifically with black culture. J. Franklin Jameson, chief of the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress during the late 1920s, recognized the need to acquire these sources and assisted Afro-American historian Carter G. Woodson in his endeavor to collect them. With only a small amount of grant funds and a great deal of enthusiastic support from the black community, Woodson collected over five thousand documents which now comprise the "Carter G. Woodson Collection of Negro Materials" in the Manuscript Division.
Clio in the Courthouse: North Carolina's Local Records Program at Age Twenty-Five
Authors: Jones H.
Published: October 2015

Recent archival literature decrying the worsening condition of local government records offers little practical advice for the alleviation of the problem, which remains a fundamental responsibility of local governments themselves. State archival agencies, however, can and should develop programs in partnership with the counties and municipalities. North Carolina's local records program, which observed its silver anniversary in 1984, remains unique in the country. While it is not reviewed here as a model for emulation, this program does suggest that a state-financed local records program both feasibly and effectively conquers the paper mountains that have accumulated over the centuries.
Interpretation and Application of the AMC Format
Authors: Sahli Nancy
Published: October 2015

The USMARC Archival and Manuscripts Control (AMC) form at is a standard format for the administrative and descriptive control of archives and manuscript materials, primarily in automated systems. This article describes the history of the AMC format's development, as well as the characteristics of its various parts. Information on AMC format implementation and use is provided, covering such topics as functional requirements analysis, information gathering, and system selection/design. The article concludes with recommendations for future action related to the format's ongoing development and use.
State Archives and Issues of Personal Privacy: Policies and Practices
Authors: Robbin Alice
Published: October 2015

This article reports the results of a survey of the fifty state archives on the public policy issues of personal privacy and access to restricted records for social research. The evidence suggests that although one-third of the sample respondents recognize the dilemma of competing values, most do not find it difficult to decide which value is preeminent. The findings suggest that policies and practices for responding to requests for restricted records are not well developed. Institutional constraints place a low priority on access to confidential records for social research, archivists are not well informed about confidentiality and access statutes, and archivists are not politically active.
The Administration of Access to Confidential Records in State Archives: Common Practices and the Need for a Model Law
Authors: Baumann Roland
Published: October 2015

According to the "Archivist's Code," issued in 1955 by the Archivist of the United States, the archivist is to promote "access to records to the fullest extent consistent with the public interest," always observing proper restrictions on the use of records and working for the increase and diffusion of knowledge. The author examines the several approaches and practices used by fourteen state archival programs to administer access to restricted records. Included are in-depth studies of Indiana and Michigan. Utilizing the results of this survey and building upon the studies of Virginia Stewart and others, the author proposes that archivists/records administrators become more active on the access question and that they better appreciate the program objectives to be achieved when addressing access administration. The Georgia Records Act is offered as a basis for the development by NAGARA and SAA of a comprehensive model law and a more systematic understanding of the administration of access to public records.
Copyright of Architectural Records: A Legal Perspective
Authors: Lathrop Alan
Published: October 2015

As more archivists become concerned with the acquisition and preservation of architect's drawings, they need to be aware of the issues surrounding the copyright of these materials. Because of their unique nature, these records inherently possess special problems under copyright law, which have been defined and litigated in statute and in the courts of the United States for more than a century. A summary of relevant cases and copyright laws reveals the issues and special problems that architects' records have presented to those concerned with deciding their ownership, and the potential impact of these for archivists.
Facts and Frameworks: An Approach to Studying the Users of Archives
Authors: Conway Paul
Published: October 2015

The continuing reluctance of the archival profession to develop a better understanding of users seems less a problem of will than a problem of method. The framework presented here is a first attempt to structure a comprehensive program of user studies. Built on definitions of users, information needs, and use, the framework combines the basic elements of information that should be recorded, analyzed, and shared among archivists with a scheme to gather this information. The author illustrates how parts of the framework can be implemented as an ongoing program through the use of a reference log and suggests applications of the framework at the personal, repository, and professional levels.
Promoting Archives and Research: A Study in International Cooperation
Authors: Evans Frank
Published: October 2015

The establishment of the International Council on Archives (ICA) in 1950 made it possible for Unesco to undertake, on a global scale, a number of activities to promote greater accessibility and more effective use of archives and development of the archival infrastructure of its member states, particularly in the developing countries. Close cooperation with ICA also enabled Unesco to initiate in 1979 a comprehensive long-term Records and Archives Management Program (RAMP), which further broadened this program to include development of the archival profession itself. This article details the results of Unesco-ICA cooperation, largely through publications, in two significant areas of the overall program, research in archives and archival research.
What Is the Use of Archives? A Challenge for the Profession
Authors: Dearstyne Bruce
Published: October 2015

Archivists need to reconsider and develop new approaches to the important issue of the use of archival material. Six approaches to this challenge are suggested and discussed: developing better means of tracking research use; improving procedures for interpreting and reporting on that use; promoting increased research use; emphasizing use as a means of garnering program support; reaching out to the user community for assistance in dealing with certain archival issues; and expanding the concept of reference service to a broader notion of researcher service or public service.
Mix Two Parts Interest to One Part Information and Appraise Until Done: Understanding Contemporary Record Selection Processes
Authors: Boles Frank
Published: October 2015

Over the past several years archivists have discussed a wide range of institutional and extra-institutional policies that affect the appraisal of records. This article attempts to conceptualize how the appraisal process operates and the various appraisal tools fit together. It concludes by discussing the efficacy of current archival vocabulary in accurately portraying what archivists do when they appraise.
The Roots of 128: A Hypothetical Documentation Strategy
Authors: Alexander Philip , Samuels Helen
Published: October 2015

Documentation strategies have been proposed as a means to respond to the problems of modern records through planned and coordinated collecting activities. The strategies are conveniently defined around some issue, activity, or area, and may be focused on a manageable topic within appropriate geographical and chronological boundaries. A documentation strategy for Route 128—the high technology phenomenon in Massachusetts—is offered here as a hypothetical case study. The proposed course of action could be used to address the problems posed by Route 128, or simulated with appropriate modifications to address other documentary problems.
The Archivist's First Responsibility: A Research Agenda to Improve the Identification and Retention of Records of Enduring Value
Authors: Cox Richard , Samuels Helen
Published: October 2015

What archivists select for preservation largely determines the nature of their work and the role of their profession in society. Yet, the archival profession has much to do in developing appraisal theory and practice that cope effectively with modern documentation. This essay starts with the recently published report on the profession's goals and priorities, and proposes a research agenda that could strengthen archival appraisal and the profession's ability to document society. The authors suggest research projects to examine the nature of the documentary record, to determine the interrelatedness of archival records, to assess how to deal with the growing quantity of automated records, to relate the development of automated descriptive systems to appraisal, and to assess the quality of the documentary record. The authors also describe the potential value of documentation strategies in dealing with some of these appraisal concerns.
Archival Education and the Need for Full-Time Faculty
Authors: Conway Paul
Published: October 2015

A healthy system of professional education has three complementary components: professional associations, practitioners in the field, and faculty in academic settings. The lack of a sufficient number of full-time faculty is the weakest aspect of the current system of education for archivists. Drawing on the extensive literature on education for professions, especially librarianship, the author speculates on the advantages for the archival profession of a larger number of faculty, sketches an appropriate role for such a faculty, and encourages further development of a more complete system of archival education.
Contexts for Understanding Professional Certification: Opening Pandora's Box?
Authors: Maher William
Published: October 2015

The Society of American Archivists's recent decision to establish a program to certify individual archivists has been seen by both proponents and opponents as a sign of fundamental change in the nature and direction of the profession. While its merits and potential effects have been debated extensively, there are other contexts in which it should be considered, including as an example of the broader phenomena of professionalization and credentialism, as a means to define competencies for use in employment decisions, and as a generic aspect of the behavior of a professional association. Yet, these perspectives have not been brought to bear sufficiently on either side of the issue. To illustrate some of the larger dimensions of certification, this article reviews sociological and historical analyses of the professionalization process, human resource management studies of competency, legal issues, and case studies of four other occupational groups. It concludes with a commentary on archival certification and suggestions for the profession.
Archives and Manuscript Control with Bibliographic Utilities: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Bearman David
Published: October 2015

The MARC Format for Archives and Manuscript Control (MARC-AMC) was designed with the potential for recording a broad range of information and contains structures for a variety of implementations. These hidden potentials are being explored in its implementation within national bibliographic networks, especially within the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN) by the Seven States Project. The AMC format has the potential both to support successful automation of archival control and to transform the bibliographic utilities as we know them today. Specifically, AMC overthrows the bibliocentricism, the political hegemony, and the existing financial/functional underpinnings of the bibliographic networks. It opens the ways to multimedia cultural information systems and new local/national systems architectures. As a consequence, archivists are likely to play a critical role in redesigning library information networks in the decades to come.
Will Access Restrictions Hold Up In Court? The FBI'S Attempt to Use the Braden Papers At the State Historical Society of Wisconsin
Authors: Miller Harold
Published: October 2015

This article describes a legal challenge which tested the right of the donor of a collection of private papers and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin to control access to that collection. It analyzes the arguments used by both sides in the case, the implications of the court's decision for future litigation of a similar nature, and the potential impact on the ability of archives to collect politically sensitive material.
Federal Land Records in State Repositories: The Experience in the Old Northwest
Authors: Kinney Gregory
Published: October 2015

The state archives or historical societies in many public land states hold a group of federal records that document the disposing of the federal domain, the records of the local land district offices of the U.S. General Land Office. This article traces the custodial history of land district records for the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota from their creation in the nineteenth century to their availability and use today. Changes in federal records-disposal practices and varying responses by archivists and historical agencies produced very different results in the six states, particularly between the three states whose land offices closed in 1877 and the three that closed in 1925.
Monks, Monasteries, and Manuscripts: Archival Sources for Eleventh-Century France
Authors: Jessee W.
Published: October 2015

The investigation of producing and preserving records in a specific historical context such as eleventh-century France can add to our understanding of the place of archives in contemporary society. Although relatively isolated and underdeveloped at that time, French society produced many documents, called charters, similar to those in modern archives. Charters recorded gifts, sales, legal judgments, and even court testimony of someone in authority. As the only literate institution, the Church had a near monopoly on the production and preservation of these documents. Our vision of that era is shaped less by its historians than by its humble record keepers—the medieval counterpart of the modern archivist.
Redefining Archival Identity: Meeting User Needs in the Information Society
Authors: Jimerson Randall
Published: October 2015

In order to avoid becoming irrelevant in the modern information society, archivists must redefine their professional identity and role in society, learn new planning and marketing skills, and establish the importance of archives in meeting user needs. Responding to initiatives launched by the SAA Task Force on Archives and Society, the author argues that archivists should adopt a more user-friendly approach to marketing their services. Marketing differs from public relations and selling products by focusing on customers and their needs. Altering the profession's image requires that individual archivists redefine their own self-image, attitudes, and procedures.
The Current State of Academic Archives: A Procrustean Bed for Archival Principles?
Authors: Maher William
Published: October 2015

Archives of colleges and universities have evolved in response to a number of pressures and forces, most of which are beyond their control: the character, age, and mission of the parent institution; the administrative location of the archives; the place of the archivist in the institutional hierarchy; the research, teaching, and programmatic interests of faculty and administrators; the educational and subject interests of the archivist; and archival theory and principles. Academic archivists face the challenge of trying simultaneously to meet professional program standards, maintain the primacy of their core mission, and accommodate other opportunities and demands, all of this within the limits of available resources. The resolution of these tensions may come less from the development of external standards than from each archivist's ability to seize control of the forces and direct them to the good of the program.
"Everyone Did What Was Right in His Own Eyes": Nondenominational Fundamentalist/Evangelical/Pentecostal Archives in the United States
Authors: Shuster Robert
Published: October 2015

The conservative Protestant traditions of Fundamentalism, Evangelicalism, and Pentecostalism have few archives, particularly for the nondenominational institutions that provide so much of these groups' leadership and resources. Part of the explanation for this scarcity of archives lies in the nature of these traditions—their relatively recent origin, focus on the present, diversity, and funding priorities. The Evangelical Archives Conference, held at the Billy Graham Center in 1988, began to address the problem by bringing together a group of archivists and nonarchivists to plan an agenda for future action.
Archival Description Standards: Scope and Criteria
Authors: Szary Richard
Published: October 2015

The archival profession is witnessing a call for the development and adoption of archival description standards that stems from a desire to exchange descriptive information among repositories by taking advantage of more effective and affordable technology. This movement, however, has not fully comprehended the costs and limitations inherent in the development and use of standards. In particular, it has not addressed the need to make the most effective use of resources and to satisfy local requirements by defining the proper scope of standards and the criteria by which to evaluate them. This paper attempts to focus the standards process by offering a definition of its proper scope, and criteria for evaluating the quality of proposed standards.
Standards for Archival Information Management Systems
Authors: Hickerson H.
Published: October 2015

In order to assess the potential utility of establishing a standard for archival information management systems, the author analyzes seven functional requirements statements written either as general instruments or to implement specific systems in particular institutional or network settings. He acknowledges the importance of the different environments in which archival information systems must operate and describes the components of an information system that a standard would need to address. He concludes that guidelines could be effective as a model for vendors to use as a baseline for system design and could serve as a foundation for other descriptive standards.
Archival Theory: Myth or Banality?
Authors: Roberts John
Published: October 2015

Archival theory too often is trivial, overwrought, unnecessary, or irrelevant. While theory in other disciplines can produce new insights and stimulate intellectual progress, theory in archives cannot play an analogous role and cannot advance the archival profession. It tends to oversimplify that which is complicated and to overcomplicate that which is simple. Much archival theory is public relations Babbitry that threatens to overstratify the profession.
The "Other" USMARC Formats: Authorities and Holdings. Do We Care to be Partners in this Dance, too?
Authors: Weber Lisa
Published: October 2015

The archival profession's attention has been focused on the USMARC Format for Archival and Manuscripts Control (AMC), which is part of the USMARC formats for bibliographic data, to the exclusion of the other two USMARC formats: authorities and holdings. The author examines the implications of adopting the USMARC formats for authorities and holdings by looking at the purposes and structures of the two formats, analyzing how they relate to archival description practice, discussing the changes required for the two formats to meet archival descriptive needs, and exploring strategies for the adoption of the USMARC formats to be used in archival information exchange.
The Preservation of Books and Manuscripts in Cambodia
Authors: Dean John
Published: October 2015

In April of 1989 Cornell University, with the support of the Christopher Reynolds Foundation, began a modest program to preserve scarce and unique library and archival materials in Cambodia. Cornell's involvement was an extension of the university's research and teaching activities in Southeast Asia including Cambodia. Preservation efforts are needed because of the devastation and neglect of collections resulting from decades of war. During the three-week project, the author surveyed the collections, trained staff in a variety of basic preservation techniques, assisted in the identification of preservation priorities, made arrangements for the shipment of conservation supplies, and developed plans for the establishment of a microfilm operation. Through the combined efforts of the Christopher Reynolds Foundation, Luce Foundation, and Cornell University, these preservation/conservation initiatives are continuing. In the fall of 1989 Cornell began a project to film on location important materials in Phnom Penh.
Educational Options for Preservation Administrators: An Afterword on the Preservation Management Institute
Authors: Morris Patricia
Published: October 2015

The education and development of preservation administrators is an important issue for archivists. The Preservation Management Institute (PMI), a pilot project cosponsored by the Society of American Archivists and the North East Document Conservation Center in 1987, is a training alternative that should be continued. A two-week intensive training experience for managers with an aptitude and responsibility for preservation, the PMI could be of significant benefit to institutions that are committed to a rational program of preservation management. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History sponsored one of the students at PMI, and as a result the preservation program has expanded and shows promise of greater improvement.
Curriculum Development in Archival Education: A Proposal
Authors: O'Toole James
Published: October 2015

Professional archival education has matured considerably during the past decade, but much remains to be done. Archival education remains trapped in a workshop mentality that treats topics summarily, fails to integrate them, and emphasizes practical at the expense of theoretical considerations. Archival educators need to promote the development of courses that have genuine intellectual substance. The author suggests seven curriculum areas that archival education should cover and discusses how courses could be developed in these areas.
Documenting Nineteenth-Century Quartz Mining in Northern California
Authors: Jung Maureen
Published: October 2015

Documentation strategies have been suggested as tools aiding in identification of contemporary records of historical value. They might also be fruitfully applied to historical topics. Quartz mining for gold in California during the nineteenth century provides an example of the potential for retrospective application of documentation strategy. The article describes the historical phenomenon, discusses the importance of a theoretical framework that views organizations as parts of complex networks, analyzes the range of potentially available documentation, and suggests a means of implementation.
1990
Authors: Pillak Peep
Published: October 2015

The archival communities of the Baltic republics are engaged in political activities to reestablish independence in archival affairs. The Estonian archival community is fighting what it considers to be a Soviet campaign to control Estonian archives by subordinating the state archives under the Ministry of Justice. Estonian archivists are addressing the problems of excessive access restrictions and the lack of adequate material and technical facilities. Perhaps most importantly, work began in 1989 on the drafting of an Estonian archives law to regulate the reorganization of archives in independent Estonia.
Collection Policy or Documentation Strategy: Theory and Practice
Authors: Abraham Terry
Published: October 2015

Documentation strategy received a great deal of professional attention and interest during the 1980s. It appeared to provide a theoretical basis for the acquisition of primary source materials and suggested a number of specific methodologies. But are documentation strategies that different from collection development? A review of the archival literature over the past twenty years suggests that any difference may be more apparent than real.
American Medical Association's Historical Health Fraud and Alternative Medicine Collection: An Integrated Approach to Automated Collection Description
Authors: Carson James
Published: October 2015

From 1913 to 1975, the American Medical Association's Department of Investigation assembled more than 300 cubic feet of files on health fraud, quackery, "patent" medicines, and alternative medicine. In 1988, the AMA obtained a grant from the National Library of Medicine to process and catalog these materials, now known as the Historical Health Fraud and Alternative Medicine Collection. Using Minaret software (a stand-alone USMARC AMC cataloging system) in combination with WordPerfect word-processing software, the project staff developed procedures that allowed it to generate textual and index entries for the printed guide to the collection as well as upload USMARC AMC records directly to the OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) union catalog.
Using Volunteers for Special-Project Staffing at the National Air and Space Museum Archives
Authors: Ewing Susan
Published: October 2015

The archives at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution has developed and utilized a program for performing collection maintenance activities on archival collections using large groups of volunteers for short periods of time. The author describes the first three successful offerings of the Smithsonian National Associates Program Research Expedition in the NASM Archives and recommends considerations for other repositories that may decide to establish similar programs.
The Provenance of a Profession: The Permanence of the Public Archives and Historical Manuscripts Traditions in American Archival History
Authors: Gilliland-Swetland Luke
Published: October 2015

This article broadens the definitions used in Richard Berner's Archival Theory and Practice in the United States: A Historical Analysis to distinguish between two competing perspectives within the archival professional community: one that views archivists as members of a larger community of historian-scholars with a responsibility to interpret the documents in their care; and one that defines archivists as information-management professionals with a responsibility to act as "gatekeepers" for the materials under their control. These differing views influenced the establishment and development of archival institutions early in the twentieth century and continue to shape more recent debates concerning the status of archivists as professionals.
Drifting Disciplines, Enduring Records: Political Science and the Use of Archives
Authors: Skemer Don
Published: October 2015

Archivists' interest in expanding their academic clientele beyond historians has prompted them to consider the informational needs of researchers from other disciplines. Surveys of institutional users and citation studies of publications show that political scientists and public policy specialists have made little use of archival sources; but a careful analysis of political science literature reveals that changes in the discipline may be reversing its long-standing behaviorist antipathy for humanistic and historical inquiry. An understanding of these changes can inform effective archival outreach efforts to encourage research use of archives.
The Russian State University for the Humanities: A New Home for Archival Scholarship in Russia
Authors: Basovskaya Natalya
Published: October 2015

The Russian State University for the Humanities was founded on March 23, 1991. The Moscow State Historico-Archival Institute (MGIAI), the major archival training school for the Soviet Union, has been incorporated as the founding department of the new university. Iurii Afanas'ev, head of the MGIAI, is president of the new university, which is dedicated to the reform of the educational system in Russia. The university will be governed by an association of state, non-governmental, and international institutions. The author traces the erosion of standards for the study of the humanities after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution and explains the leadership role of MGIAI in the reform or counter-revolution which began under glasnost' and perestroika. New cooperative research projects and funding through fee-for-service educational programs for institutions, organizations, and firms are the first innovations of the new university.
The Vision of a European Archives Institute
Authors: Franz Eckhart
Published: October 2015

National traditions which determine the nature of archives and archival work (structuurbeginsel) would prevent the merging of the existing training institutions in Europe into a uniform training scheme. But a European Archives Institute with the primary task of undertaking technical and theoretical studies in the archival field would fill a gap, since most European countries lack appropriate research centers on archives. Experienced mid-career archivists could be detached to the Institute to undertake research on issues of common interest. Short term training courses on common elements and comparative studies could lead to the development of a truly European archival science.
The Effects of Democratization on Archival Administration and Use in Eastern Middle Europe
Authors: Ress Imre
Published: October 2015

The author discusses the effects of the democratization of 1988/89 in Eastern Middle Europe upon archival access and on the modification of laws regulating archival jurisdictions. The rule of the Communist Party after 1945 created severe limitations on access to the state archival fond for both foreigners and citizens of Eastern Middle European countries. Access was limited by a catalogue of prohibited research topics, by undetermined opening dates, by the exemption of certain fonds from existing archives legislation, by the ability of records creating bureaucracies to set their own access rules, and by national isolation. With democratization, archival administrations are instituting legislation to determine access dates, to regulate classification of documents, to guarantee public access and the protection of individual rights and privacy, and to standardize research rules. The problem of documenting re-privatized businesses is being handled in differing ways throughout the region.
Keepers, Users, and Funders: Building an Awareness of Archival Value
Authors: Grabowski John
Published: October 2015

Archivists need to build an awareness of "archival value" among the general public if they are to command the support the profession deserves, and they need to work together with the community of public and academic historians in creating this awareness. The recent emphasis on outreach indicates that archivists are becoming aware of this need. But is outreach moving in the right direction? Merely educating the public about what archivists do is not enough. Archivists must create a larger body of users. By doing so, the profession will not only build a larger advocacy base for its fiscal support but will also help create a citizenry more aware of the sources and value of history and heritage.
Work to Internationalize Access to the Archives and Manuscripts of Physics and Allied Sciences
Authors: Warnow-Blewett Joan
Published: October 2015

The essay reports on the methodology and activities of a current project of the American Institute of Physics's (AIP) Center for History of Physics to enlarge the international component of its International Catalog of Sources for History of Physics and Allied Sciences (ICOS). The ICOS project identifies an institution in each foreign country to survey its repositories and send information on the location and content of collections to the AIP for cataloging, indexing, and sharing with RLIN-AMC. Comments on the impact of political upheavals and on other problems and successes are included.
Transcendent Concepts: Power, Appraisal, and the Archivist as "Social Outcast"
Authors: Schaeffer Roy
Published: October 2015

The appropriate application of personal, professional, and societal values in archival appraisal has been the subject of analysis and speculation since the origin of programs of acquisition. The author provides a historical overview of the issue, discusses the principle of accountability in appraisal, and explores the notion of a distinct set of values that are the product of the unique knowledge and experience of the archival practitioner.
The Ohio Historical Society and Establishment of the State's Archives: A Tale of Angst and Apathy
Authors: East Dennis
Published: October 2015

The author traces the evolution and development of Ohio's state archives from the early 1900s to 1959, the year legislation passed naming the Ohio Historical Society as the archives administration. The failure to establish a clear archival authority and the absence of sustained financial support forms part of the story. That the Ohio Historical Society, beset by multiple demands on limited resources, a quasi-public relationship to the state, and an uncertainty about its role and mission, became a captive of its involvement in the effort to preserve the state's archives is also part of this tale of angst and apathy.
Researching Literary Manuscripts: A Scholar's Perspective
Authors: Overbeck Lois
Published: October 2015

Scholars who do their research in literary manuscripts appreciate the professionally managed archival research collection and the archivist's role as a mediator between collectors and researchers. The author, a literary editor, discusses how the issues of copyright, restrictions on access, arrangement, description, reference policies, and copying are viewed by literary researchers and calls for collaboration between scholars and archivists to make information about collections more accessible.
SAA Is Us: Promoting Participation in the Work of the Society
Authors: Kenney Anne
Published: October 2015

While archivists participate actively in their national professional association, the Society of American Archivists' (SAA) membership is aging. In 1979, 60 percent of all members were under forty; in 1989, 60 percent were over forty. The author discusses the benefits of participating in SAA to those new to the profession and suggests means for involving younger archivists in the work of the society.
The Symbolic Significance of Archives
Authors: O'Toole James
Published: October 2015

Although most archival records are created to accomplish a practical, utilitarian purpose, this essay explores some of the more "symbolic" aspects of recordmaking and recordkeeping. It argues that archivists should understand such issues as: the mixture of practical and symbolic values in records; the effects of symbolic meaning on the forms that records take; the occasions when the act of recordmaking is more significant than the record itself; the ceremonial uses of records; and both the reverence for and the hatred of records as objects.
Documenting Reconquest and Reform: The Growth of Archives in the Medieval Crown of Aragon
Authors: McCrank Lawrence
Published: October 2015

A burst of intensive documentation activity related to the formation of the Crown of Aragon in northeastern Spain and the extension of the Reconquest south into Valencia during the twelfth century is explored to reveal the dramatic growth of medieval archives; archival management systems and records centers; the development of sophisticated methodologies such as simultaneous registration and formalized document production; indexing, tagging, heading, and classification techniques; rudimentary records management and conservation programs; and experimentation in codification, supraregional standardization, format control, multimedia, and improved communications through courier service, addressing, notarization, posting, and proclamation. The institutionalization of increasingly specialized archives distinct from libraries and other scribal enterprises is illustrated by early formation of the Archivo de la Corona de Aragón in Barcelona, and the transition between information technologies is shown in the famous royal cartulary, the Liber Feudorum Maior. Conclusions are drawn from this medieval information revolution about lasting contributions to Western information programs and documentation systems.
Educating Archivists About Information Technology
Authors: Eastwood Terry
Published: October 2015

Archivists need to know how information technology is applied to recordkeeping and to the management of records. The needs in the two areas complement each other. Learning in both areas should proceed from a solid understanding of archival theory and method in order to ensure the protection of the integrity of archives as evidence of decision and action. With this goal in mind, strategies and tactics to bring about greater understanding of information technology in archival science can be devised to meet needs in both preappointment and postappointment education.