Archival Priorities: Ten Critical Issues for the Profession

The most striking feature of the American archival profession in recent years is its ongoing search for identity and for public acceptance as a socially significant profession. Many of the important developments in the field since the early 1980s have either derived from or eventually contributed to this quest for professional identity and recognition. At times this has stirred passionate debates over the nature of American archives, the role of archivists in society, the relationship between archives and other professions, and the education necessary for archivists, among other topics

From the Pacific Northwest to the Global Information Society: The Changing Nature of Archival Education

This essay examines the development of archival education in the United States during the past forty years, in context of the increasingly globalized archival profession of the early twenty-first century. In doing so, it presents a case study of one of the first West Coast archival education programs and its development from a regional program to an international one

Review of A History of Archival Practice

A review of A History of Archival Practice, by Paul Delsalle, translated and revised by Margaret Procter

The Archival ‘Radar Screen’: Strategic Issues Identified by SAA Council

What’s on SAA’s “radar screen”? In February 2005, Council members identified about a dozen threats and challenges that are of critical concern to the archival profession. In order to be considered as a “strategic issue,” each had to pass muster as having “greatest impact on the association’s membership” and being “within the association’s capacity to act upon effectively.” Each issue statement was “reduced to single-sentence statements that define an arc of tension between two variables.

SAA and the World of Archives

At a time when America’s role in world affairs has increasingly been questioned by many people in the international community, it is heartening to see the positive impact that American archivists are having within our broader profession. This realization came to me most clearly while I attended the 15th quadrennial congress of the International Council on Archives in Vienna, August 23–28, 2004

Archival Stories

When my mother moved to a retirement home a few years ago I helped her decide what to save among the 17 cartons of family papers stored in the attic. It was the first time that she could clearly understand my professional expertise. She began telling her friends that every family should have an archivist. For me this story shows the importance of being able to explain the roles of archivists and the value of archives in society

Margaret C. Norton Reconsidered

Margaret C. Norton (1891-1984) served as the first state archivist of Illinois (1922-1957). As a founding member of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), she served as its first vice president, as a council member, as president, and as editor of American Archivist. The common perception has been that Norton aligned her views with Hilary Jenkinson and European theorists in opposing the American historical manuscripts tradition and the dominant role of historians. A closer examination of her career and her unpublished writings, however, challenges this interpretation. An appreciation for Margaret Norton as a pragmatic archivist dedicated to the needs of public officials enables us to see her as a bold and consistent advocate for the significance of records in administration of state government. Norton adopted European archival principles such as provenance and the moral defense of archives, but she adapted them to the requirements of modem American records. She pleaded for recognition of archives as legal records, but she also recognized their secondary importance for historical research. Rather than pulling the profession apart into separate camps of historian-archivists and archivist-administrators or of practitioners and theorists, Norton’s legacy should remind archivists of their twin responsibilities for archives: to maintain both their legal and administrative integrity and their usefulness for historical research

Embracing the Power of Archives

In my dream I am entering a temple. Its ornate facade and tall spires give me hope. I will find enlightenment here. I push open the massive door and enter. The door clangs shut behind me. I am in a dimly lit room with high windows that prevent the sunlight from reaching me. Despite the heat outside it is cool here. A security guard approaches. The temple has become a prison. The guard tells me to surrender my pens and put my briefcase in a locker. I sit at a table. Guards and security cameras watch me constantly to prevent escape or theft. I realize that I am hungry. A young woman hands me a menu. The prison is now a restaurant. What do you want? the waitress asks. The menu she hands me does not list food items, only the names of food creators-General Mills, Vlasic Foods International, Kraft Foods, Hormel. May I suggest something local? She pulls down a menu for Touch of the Bayou, Inc. It lists a series of categories, including the Bayou Magic brand. Bring me some Bayou Magic, please, I politely request. Soon a cart arrives laden with several boxes. My food must be inside. I open one box at a time- correspondence, reports, financial ledgers. In the last box are recipes. Gumbo. Crawfish étouffé, Jambalaya. The waitress recommends Gumbo. She brings me a box filled with okra, cayenne peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and other primary sources of nutrition. After all this, I still have to cook my own meal. Changing images of the archives, as sites of power. The temple reflects the power of authority and veneration. The prison wields the power of control. The restaurant hols the power of interpretations and mediation. These represent the trinity of archival functions: selection, preservation, and access. The archives is a place of knowledge, memory, nourishment, and power. Archives at once protect and preserve records; legitimize and sanctify certain documents while negating and destroying others; and provide access to selected sources while controlling the researchers and conditions under which they may examine the archival record. As Eric Ketelaar has state, both architecturally and procedurally, archives often resemble temples and prisons, two seemingly opposite sites of power. Archives embody these contradictions, and more

Coming Together: Unity and Diversity

As archivists we all share some essential common values and perspectives, we have many of the same aspirations, and we are united in a profession that performs an essential function in society. We are a diverse profession. We celebrate our differences and our special areas of expertise. SAA has long recognized these affinities, and has created sections, roundtables, and other groups to allow us to meet with those from similar institutions, or those who share the same functional responsibilities or particular interests. It is important for us to have these gatherings and to learn from each other

Documents and Archives in Early America

Concern for documents and archival records in America began with religious motives and concern for colonists\u27 rights. By the late 18th century historians increasingly relied on original documents to establish facts and objective truth. Beginning with the Revolution historical documents served patriotic and nationalistic purposes, such as veneration of heroes. Efforts to preserve irreplaceable documents resulted in two separate but closely linked traditions- multiplying the copies through documentary editing and publication, and establishing repositories to protect original documents. This marked the beginning of archival consciousness in America, led by private historical societies. Archives served the needs of the social elite and confirmed their power