Preface to the Archival Fundamentals Series II

There was a time when individuals entering the archival profession could read a few texts, peruse some journals, attend a workshop and institute or two, and walk away with a sense that they grasped the field’s knowledge and discipline. This was an inadequate perception, of course, but it was true that the publications—basic or advanced, practical or theoretical—were modest in number.

The archival world has changed considerably since these more quiet times. A rich monographic research literature is developing. Scholars from far outside the field are examining the "archive" and the "record." Archives, archivists, records, and records managers are in the daily news as cases appear testing government and corporate accountability, organizational and societal memory, and the nature of documentary evidence—all challenging basic archival work and knowledge.

The new edition of the Archival Fundamentals Series (AFS II) is intended to provide the basic foundation for modern archival practice and theory. The original preface (written by Mary Jo Pugh in her capacity as the series editor) to the first editions, which were published in the early to mid-1990s by the Society of American Archivists (SAA), argued that the seven volumes "have been conceived and written to be a foundation for modern archival theory and practice" and aimed at "archivists, general practitioners and specialists alike, who are performing a wide range of archival duties in all types of archival and manuscript repositories." It is hard to state the purpose of the new afs editions better.

There are some differences, both subtle and obvious, in the new volumes. The new editions are more open-ended than earlier versions, extending back to the Basic Manual Series published a quarter-of-acentury ago by SAA, reflecting evolving viewpoints about archival theory and practice. Even more important a difference is the broader and deeper context of archival publishing afs volumes reside in. Mary Jo Pugh, in her introduction of just a decade ago, noted that the afs titles are companions to "more specialized manuals also available from SAA." Now, SAA has four other series (some just underway), including Archival Classics (featuring reprints or new collections of older publications with pivotal importance to the profession), Archival Readers (both collections of new and previously published essays intended to supplement the descriptions of foundational theory and practice of the AFS II volumes), International Archival Studies Readers (both collections of new and previously published essays intended to provide glimpses of archival work and knowledge outside of North America), and Archival Cases and Case Studies (examining archival work in a variety of institutional types and with a variety of media). Added to SAA’s own publications is a vast sea of new titles pouring from the presses of other professional associations and trade, professional, and university publishers.

Both the earlier Basic Manual Series and the Archival Fundamentals Series provide benchmarks in the development of archival knowledge and work. One can trace changing ideas and practices about archival reference services by reading the 1977, 1992, and 2004 volumes dedicated to this subject in the respective SAA manual series. One also expects to find in this volume current standards and consensus about this aspect of archival work. One also expects now, of course, that some may disagree with aspects of the current presentation, and may point to the growing research and case study literature being generated by the archival profession.

Many people participated in the production of the various volumes constituting the Archival Fundamentals Series II. The profession owes its gratitude not only to the authors, but to various chairs and members of the SAA Publications Board; Miriam Meislik, Photo Editor for the series; the SAA Executive Directors, Susan Fox and Nancy P. Beaumont; and especially to Teresa Brinati, SAA Director of Publishing, whose good humor, organization, and steady commitment to a quality product helped keep the publishing of these and other SAA volumes on track.

Richard J. Cox
Publications Editor
Society of American Archivists