Showing papers in "American Archivist in 2010"

The Illusion of Omniscience: Subject Access and the Reference Archivist

Abstract: Current theories of subject and information retrieval are predicated on the experience and needs of libraries and information centers and do not effectively address the needs of archives. Both libraries and archives seek to aid users in locating information. The problems faced by the two institutions, however, are as different as their materials, organizing principles, and descriptive techniques. A comparison of the two institutions illustrates some of the difficulties facing the reference archivist seeking subject retrieval of archival and manuscript materials arranged according to the principles of provenance and original order. Archives and libraries differ most obviously in the materials they collect. For the most part, libraries collect books and other published materials which are produced in multiple copies in relatively uniform sizes and formats. Generally, a book is created quite deliberately by an author, as a literary product treating a particular topic. On the other hand, archives accession unique documents w ich vary widely in size and format. The documents are usually created by many authors as the byproduct of personal and organizational activity. Rarely are they self-conscious literary productions. Unlike a book, which can stand alone as an author's thoughts on a single topic, archival documents generally make sense only as part of a group of records. Record groups reflect the many activities which created them and may be useful for many subjects. Retrieval of individual books relating to a specific subject is a primary goal for the library, and librarians have devised both classification and cataloging techniques to accomplish subject retrieval. On the other hand, subject retrieval of individual documents has not been a primary goal for most archivists. Library classification brings books treating the same subject together on the shelf, thereby creating one important and powerful mode of subject access. The classification notation gives

Modes of Seeing: Digitized Photographic Archives and the Experienced User

Abstract: Digitization practice in archives and libraries is now generating digital content and associated tools and practices that are transforming the relationships among archivists, users, and archival collections. The transformative nature of digitization derives in part from the power of the complex technologies to represent images and facilitate their use. This article explores how experienced, but for the most part nonacademic, users see the visual, material, and archival properties of digitized photographic archives while undertaking innovative and insightful projects that push the boundaries of visual interpretation. The study is a qualitative investigation involving independent case studies of seven people who have extensive experience using the photographic archives preserved by the Library of Congress. This article contextualizes the research in a range of literatures, summarizes the research methodology, and presents findings from in-depth interviews that focus on how visually experienced users choose ...

Documenting the Immigrant and Ethnic Experience in American Archives

Abstract: This paper examines the development of ethnic and immigrant archives in the United States since the 1960s. It focuses on the dramatic evolution of "ethnic archiving"—the processes and objectives involved in documenting the immigrant and ethnic experience—and shows how cultural minorities evolved from an object or theme of archival collections to active participants in the creation, appraisal, description, and use of their own archives. A number of factors made this evolution possible: a new political context increasingly responsive to minority rights and cultural diversity, rising interest in social history, and the influence of postmodernist thought on archival theory. New digital technologies have also facilitated the expression and archiving of ethnic voices.

Seek and You May Find: Successful Search in Online Finding Aid Systems

Abstract: This article reports on a series of retrieval experiments using online finding aid systems in two archival institutions to identify heuristics for successful search in archival systems. The project analyzes the success rates of search strategies of forty-three participants and finds that highly successful searchers possess prior archival experience and use both Boolean searches and the browser's page find functionality. Successful searchers also utilize a broader range of search strategies and query reformulation techniques. Many searchers had difficulty choosing appropriate search terms and understanding archival terminology. The results of this study have implications for archival instruction, federated search, and the design of interfaces for online finding aids.

MPLP: It's Not Just for Processing Anymore

Abstract: Amid the surprising attention given to the article "More Product, Less Process," several colleagues commented that the role of appraisal was missing in our consideration of the problem of backlogs. While this was a deliberate exclusion at the time, it seems appropriate and necessary to address not only the application of MPLP to appraisal but also to other aspects of archival administration, specifically preservation, reference, electronic records, and digitization. This article, however, is an opinion piece rather than a research article, thus it lacks the level of detail present in the original article.

Undergraduates in the Archives: Using an Assessment Rubric to Measure Learning

Abstract: This study introduces the use of a rubric to assess student learning from archival instruction. The researcher undertook a field study to examine what students in an undergraduate history course at a large state university learn from archival instruction. The study also builds upon previous work in the archival literature to introduce a reliable measure of archival literacy skills. The results of this study demonstrate that archival instruction can have a positive impact on student learning.

Disrespecting Original Order

Abstract: THE CONCEPT OF ORIGINAL ORDER was molded into the form familiar to contemporary archivists over three quarters of a century ago. In 1898 S. Muller, J.A. Feith, and R. Fruin published their influential Manual for the Arrangement and Description of Archives. There they wrote, "The system of arrangement must be based on the original organization of the archival collection." This principle became widely accepted by archivists dealing with governmental or other institutional records. Archivists responsible for the care of personal papers have been far more reluctant to accept the principle. At the very least, however, such archivists have felt compelled to justify their belief that the principle's application to personal manuscripts is limited. Despite hesitancy and some opposition, a general trend among archivists exists to accept the principle of original order as the normative organizing method. Nowhere is this trend shown more clearly than in the Society of American Archivists' (SAA) own Basic Manual Series Archives & Manuscripts: Arrangement & Description, by David B. Gracy II. Gracy acknowledges prior writers' difficulties with the principle of original order and concedes such objections were "valid in terms of the smaller collections once the staple of manuscript repositories." But in the next breath he concludes that today "these objections blur before the massive organizational records and voluminous bodies of personal papers characteristic of the twentieth century." Gracy knows that exceptions to the principle may be made legitimately even today, but for the most part modern archivists "lean toward 'restoration' work, toward maintaining, or reestablishing, the files as closely as possible to the order in which they were

The Development, Testing, and Evaluation of the Archival Metrics Toolkits

Abstract: This paper reports on the Archival Metrics Project, which developed, tested, and evaluated a set of toolkits designed to overcome some of the challenges of conducting user-based evaluation in college and university archival repositories. The Archival Metrics Project is ongoing. The initial toolkits result from a five-year, two-phase project funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The project involved academics from three North American universities and twenty partners from academic archival institutions. At the completion of the study, the researchers interviewed ten archivists at partner institutions who took part in the testing of the toolkits and one year later gathered data using a questionnaire from fifty-nine individuals who downloaded the toolkits. The paper describes previous research on user-based evaluation in archives and similar projects conducted in the library field, the process of developing and testing five questionnaires and various methods to administer the questionnaires, as well as ...

Digitization as a preservation method for damaged acetate negatives: A case study

Abstract: Digitization is widely recognized as an access tool for archival materials, but it is not universally accepted as a preservation method. In certain cases, however, digitization is the most feasible option for recovering and preserving content. Acetate photographic negatives are a case in point. Deteriorated negatives off-gas acetic acid resulting in warping and shrinkage that can cause severe damage. It can be difficult and expensive to salvage the information content of the images using traditional photographic methods. This article examines the decision made at the University of Southern Mississippi to use digitization as a preservation strategy to capture the visual content from highly damaged acetate negatives.

The Society of American Archivists

Abstract: Paul Lewinson, a founder and fellow of the SAA, died at his home in Arlington, Viriginia, on 10 October 1988. He was noted for his many contributions to the archival profession. Paul was born in New York City on 19 February 1900. He graduated from a prestigious high school in the city, where his performance was so outstanding that newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer paid his entire tuition, plus an annual stipend, to attend the School of Journalism at Columbia University. In a short time after Paul obtained a degree in literature in 1922, he wrote feature articles for the New York Evening Post and the New York Call. Within a few

Optimum Access? Processing in College and University Archives

Abstract: Processing is at the heart of what we do as archivists but has been one of the most under-analyzed aspects of our work, particularly in its relationship to access. This article describes and analyzes the ways in which current processing techniques affect access at college and university archives. The analysis shows that paper-based processing backlogs are not correlated to the application of intensive processing techniques and that they are only mildly correlated to the application of complex descriptive technologies. Many institutions have not made as much descriptive information available online as might be desirable, and few institutions are actively soliciting or processing electronic records. While these problems may seem intractable, some institutions have made remarkable progress in providing effective processing and descriptive programs and in developing associated access tools. This article suggests specific ways that we can learn from their successes. The profession as a whole has a responsibili...

Much Ado about Paper Clips: "More Product, Less Process" and the Modern Manuscript Repository

Abstract: This article is a critical examination of the methodology and arguments of Mark Greene and Dennis Meissner's influential article "More Product, Less Process." Greene and Meissner rely heavily on data from a survey of the profession's processing habits, which is skewed to manuscript repositories at colleges and universities rather than institutional archives. This article also examines untested assumptions underlying their arguments, reflects on why manuscript repositories resist change, and questions the wisdom of a standard metric for large manuscript collections. It asks whether "More Product, Less Process" addresses the critical issues facing manuscript repositories.

Practices for College and University Electronic Records Management (ERM) Programs: Then and Now

Abstract: This article reports on findings from a research project investigating patterns in practices among North American college and university archives and records management programs regarding their approaches to capturing, storing, organizing, and making available institutional electronic records. The project seeks to provide a picture of the state of the field for archivists in colleges and universities. Initially funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission's (NHPRC) Electronic Records Fellowship Program, the study collected data in 2005 from 193 institutions through an online survey administered to 638 archivists and records managers. The survey was followed by interviews with archivists at 20 institutions to explore in depth the development and implementation of their programs. In 2009, a second online survey was sent to the 193 institutions responding in 2005 to identify what changes, if any, had occurred over the four-year period. Sixty-five percent (126) of the original 193 ins...

Due Diligence, Futile Effort: Copyright and the Digitization of the Thomas E. Watson Papers

Abstract: As archives and libraries digitize and make their collections available online, they are faced with the challenge of meeting growing patron expectations in the online environment while still adhering to copyright statutes. This article reports on a case study investigating the copyright status of materials from a recent effort to make the Thomas E. Watson Papers, a manuscript collection housed at the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, accessible online. The article also explores fair use as a possible approach for digital publication of archival collections containing materials protected by copyright.

What, Then, Is There To Theorize About?

Abstract: WHY DOES MANKIND create records and preserve them? The answer is carved in monumental stone: "What is past is prologue." This sophisticated motto, with its tone of universality, proclaims a perennial purpose, an irrefutable sequence, whether it be in the functioning of government, in the operation of private enterprise, or in the daily life of the person impelled by necessity or desire. Recorded experience, useful in countless ways, indispensable for some purposes of temporary or long-term value, soon becomes historical. The aphorism "No records, no history" is axiomatic, for these are the sources of history—written documents for the mpst part, but including oral documentation and artifacts of man's making, past and present. If this exposition addresses the theory concerning the creation and preservation of records, it may suggest how intimately related are the theoretical and the practical, and how critical is the responsibility of the oldtime "keeper" who has become the archivist. The question "What, then, is there to theorize about?" lies at the heart of the propositions and arguments of archivist and historian Frank G. Burke in "The Future Course of Archival Theory in the United States." A brief review of the pragmatic course of practice and theory may provide perspective for his plea for archival theory. As the public records of the American colonies, and in turn of the United States, have their antecedents in those of Great Britain, so some precedents in the accumulation and preservation of British records and their transformation into archives provide perspective in comprehending principles and practice, along with such theory as may be identified. In "Confessions of an Archivist," V.H. Galbraith, who was an assistant keeper of the records toward the end of the first century at the British Public Record Office (established in 1838),

Specimens as records: scientific practice and recordkeeping in natural history research.

Abstract: For the past two decades, scholars in archival science have begun to question traditional assumptions about the nature of the record. Drawing on theories from fields such as sociology, organization theory, and science studies, and on their own ethnographic studies, they propose more inclusive definitions and widening the contexts of analysis of record making and recordkeeping. This paper continues this critical consideration of the concept of record by examining the nature of nonprototypical records in the scientific world. The paper focuses on the system of specimens and field notes established by biologist Joseph Grinnell at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (University of California, Berkeley) as a means of examining several aspects of the nature of the scientific record: materiality, representation, and the triad evidence/memory/accountability. Focusing on the creation and management of these scientific records, the paper argues that further analyses of scientific record making and recordkeeping are bound to benefit both scientific work, which depends more and more on databases and archives, as well as archival science, which is becoming more relevant beyond its traditional realm of the legal/business/administrative world.

Burn After Viewing, or, Fire in the Vaults: Nitrate Decomposition and Combustibility

Abstract: Although the fire risks associated with nitrate film stock are widely known, understanding of the relationship between nitrate decomposition and combustibility remains weak. This paper surveys the contradictory descriptions of decomposition and combustibility of motion picture film in current archival and safety literature, evaluates their sources, and compares them to descriptions by image stability researchers and chemists. Throughout, the author argues that the dialogue among the archival, safety, and scientific communities is inadequate and that no community has satisfactorily established the evolution of flammability as nitrate decomposes. The author concludes by outlining a plan for nitrate research and advocacy over the short, medium, and long terms.

Career Satisfaction of Young Archivists: A Survey of Professional Working Archivists, Age 35 and Under

Abstract: The 2006 SAA A*CENSUS study identified a generational shift in the archival profession and recommended "making room in the archival profession for new workers" and working to "engage younger professionals in leadership roles within organizations." This study asked working archivists age 35 and under about their satisfaction with their work duties and work environment, as well as about their relationship with professional associations, to determine how to address the A*CENSUS action items. Results indicate that young archivists are generally satisfied with their day-to-day work. However, many young archivists have yet to serve in SAA positions and are unclear about the qualifications for service.

User Understanding of Metadata in Digital Image Collections: Or, What Exactly Do You Mean by "Coverage"?

Abstract: This study looks at the usefulness of Dublin Core metadata in digitized image collections from the user's perspective. Are there elements that users don't find useful? Do users feel useful information is missing? Are labels and elements provided for users arranged in a way that makes sense to them? This paper uses a survey, focus groups, and search/usability testing to gain insight into the kinds of information nonexpert users rely on when searching for images and to identify the vocabulary that best expresses that information.

The Society of American Archivists

Abstract: NARA leg is la tion p rov ides th a t the A rc h iv is t is to be appointed by the P resident "b y and w ith the advice and consent o f the Senate ." A term o f o ffice is not spec ified . A lth ou g h the A rc h iv is t may be removed from o ffice by the P res iden t, the conference re p o rt o f the Congress ind icates the leg is la to rs ' in te n tio n th a t "he be an o ffic e r pe rfo rm ing a rch iva l and records manage­ ment fu nc tio ns insu la ted from the po litica l o rien ­ ta tion o f a p a rtic u la r a dm in is tra tio n . Because o f the n on -p o litica l na tu re o f the A rc h iv is t 's d u tie s , the o ffice ough t not to change hands autom atica lly w ith the election o f the new Presi­ d e n t." I f the P resident removes the A rc h iv is t, he must share his reasons fo r such action w ith C ongress.

Balancing Privacy and Access in School Desegregation Collections: A Case Study

Abstract: Some fifty years ago, Virginia embarked on a strategy of "massive resistance" to desegregation that locked out over 14,000 primary and secondary public school students for up to five years. Collections that document this period often contain individual student records and politically sensitive information. Contradictory laws (FERPA, HIPAA, and FOIA) affect access to these collections. This case study examines decisions regarding access and privacy made by three repositories with such collections. The author raises questions about the legality and ethics of restricting access to collections that contain confidential records and calls for the establishment of best practices to guide the archivists through conflicting access laws.

The Historical Records Program: The States and the Nation

Abstract: the American Archivist, during which we noted mutual disappointment in the lack of published evaluation of the NHPRC's historical records program. We shared particular concern about the absence of critical discussion by archivists of the NHPRC's views of national needs for historical records, its preferred methods for meeting these needs, the role of the states in the records program, and the review and decision process on grant applications. Following unsuccessful individual attempts to solicit articles from the profession, I prepared this question-and-answer article to share basic information and to spur analysis by others. This format was chosen because the article deals with matters about which NHPRC staff members are frequently questioned and because the question-and-answer approach is often applied in the grant review pro-

Water Tables: A Case Study of a Successful Archival Fund-Raising Event

Abstract: This case study describes Water Tables, a successful fund-raising event held annually to benefit the Water Resources Archive at the Colorado State University Libraries. The Archive works to "provide access to, promote and preserve the water heritage of Colorado." The article describes the event concept and goals with some of the event highlights. The most important components for creating this successful fund-raiser include an enthusiastic committee of local water professionals with a wide network of contacts, committed event underwriters, and the use of archival documents to engage the attendees and bring the past into the present.

The International Scene

Abstract: WE ARE INDEBTED TO the following correspondents: Australia: R.G. Neale; Austria: Josef Riegler; Bahamas/Caribbean: D. Gail Saunders; Brazil: Maria Amelia Gomes Leite; China: Sun Fangjiu; Federal Republic of Germany: Wolfram Werner; Finland: Eljas Orrman; France: Michel Duchein; German Democratic Republic: Horst Schetelich; England & Wales: Bruce Jackson; India/SWARBICA: N.H. Kulkarnee; Israel: Haya Wolovsky; Italy: Donato Tamble; Malawi/East and Central Africa: Steve M. Mwiyeriwa; Malaysia/SARBICA: Zakiah Hanum Nor; Mexico: Juan Claudio Mayer Guala; Netherlands: T.P. Huijs; New Zealand: Judith S. Hornabrook; Nigeria/West Africa: J.C. Enwere; Organization of American States: Celso Rodriquez; Peru/ALA: Cesar Gutierrez Munoz; Poland: Jerzy Szczepanski; Scotland: Andrew M. Jackson; Senegal/West Africa: M. Saliou Mbaye; Solomon Islands/Oceania: R.G.A. Chesterman; South Africa: Maryna Fraser; Spain: Margarita Vazquez de Parga; Vatican City: Claudio De Dominicis; and Zimbabwe: R.G.S. Douglas.