2002 Fellows and Award Recipients
And the 2002 SAA Awards Go To...
The Society of American Archivists recognized and celebrated outstanding archival achievements for the calendar year 2001 at an awards ceremony held August 22, 2002, during its 66th annual meeting at the Sheraton in Birmingham, Alabama. Subcommittees of the Awards Committee, which was chaired by Alexandra Gressitt, and Bill Brock, selected recipients of the SAA-sponsored awards. SAA heartily congratulates all of the award winners.
Distinguished Service Award
DUKE UNIVERSITY is the recipient of the Society of American Archivists' 2002 Distinguished Service Award. Established in 1964, the award recognizes a North American archival institution that has provided outstanding public service and has made an exemplary contribution to the archival profession. David Ferriero, Duke University Vice Provost for Library Affairs, and Robert Byrd, Director of Rare Book, Manuscripts and Special Collections, received the award on behalf of the institution.
Duke has long been a leader in regional, national, and international archival efforts in descriptive standards, cutting-edge cooperative projects, and professional development and involvement. Duke was a very early implementer of Encoded Archival Description and helped to refine the standard. In addition, Duke staff produced a best-selling archival publication, Encoded Archival Description Tag Library, which was published by SAA in 1998. For almost a decade the Digital Scriptorium has led the development of best practices for online digital collections. As one nominator said, "Duke University is a model for other universities in how it develops its archives, hires and supports archivists, and commits itself to the principles that are at the heart of the archival profession."
Previous recipients of the Distinguished Service Award include the Master's of Archival Studies Program at the University of British Columbia, the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives at Johns Hopkins University, The Research Libraries Group, Oberlin College Archives, and the Billy Graham Archives.
J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award
Retired systems administrator JOAN WINTERS (pictured at left) and retired associate librarian LOUISE ADDIS, both of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, are the recipients of the Society of American Archivists' 2002 J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award. Established in 1990, this prestigious award, named in honor of an historian and advocate for the archival profession, recognizes individuals and/or organizations that promote greater public awareness of archival activities and programs.
Ms. Winters and Ms. Addis not only grasped the historical dimension of their participation in the working group that created the first Web server in the United States, but also instinctively did the right things at the right times to ensure that records of that project survived. Ms. Winters' diligent safeguarding of superseded Web pages and system documentation along with Ms. Addis scrupulous maintenance of electronic meeting minutes and her firmly articulated record-keeping guidelines for the working group created one of the most significant windows into the history of the Web in the United States. The Society of American Archivists lauds Ms. Winters and Ms. Addis for their farsighted efforts and sustained commitment to promoting archival activities when they confronted the issues associated with the rapid evolution of information technology.
Past award recipients of the Jameson Award have included former Senator Thomas F. Eagleton (D-MO), Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR), The Mellon Foundation, Hudson's Bay Company, and New York City philanthropist Richard Benson, Newsday, and Kraft Foods.
Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award
The VERMONT STATE ARCHIVES received the Society of American Archivists' 2002 Philip M. Hamer and Elizabeth Hamer Kegan Award for increasing public awareness about a specific body of documents. The award, established in 1973, honors the memory of two SAA Fellows and former presidents. Vermont State Archivist Gregory Sanford accepted the award.
The Vermont State Archives' impressive Web site, "Continuing Issues of Government and Governance," uses technology as an extension of a traditional archival publication program, but is not limited to merely posting electronic versions of finding aids or state records. In a proactive and unique approach, the staff of the Vermont State Archives made the extra effort to identify materials from the holdings of the State Archives relevant to current issues and topics and then post that material to this Web site (http://vermont-archives.org/governance/govern.htm). It is a dynamic publication. The Web site is now an active outreach tool known and used by legislators, the press, and the public.
Previous recipients of the Hamer Kegan Award include Jeffrey D. Marshall for his publication, A War of the People: Vermont Civil War Letters (which documents the lives and attitudes of rank-and-file Vermont soldiers), the American Heritage Center at University of Wyoming, New York Public Library, Minnesota Historical Society, and Delaware Public Archives.
Fellows' Posner Award
The Society of American Archivists' 2002 Fellows' Posner Award was presented to TERRY COOK, professor in the Archival Studies Programme at the University of Manitoba and an archival consultant, for his article, " 'The Imperative of Challenging Absolutes' in Graduate Archival Education Programs: Issues for Educators and the Profession," published in volume 63 of the American Archivist. The award, established in 1982 by the Fellows of the Society of American Archivists and named for former SAA president Ernst Posner, recognizes an outstanding essay dealing with some facet of archival administration, history, theory, and/or methodology published in the latest volume of SAA's semi-annual journal.
Mr. Cook's article, which was published in a special issue on graduate archival education, reflects on various themes presented at a 1999 archival education conference and of the state of archival education at the beginning of the twentieth-first century. It provides a model summary, acknowledging the variety of perspectives presented in the other thought-provoking articles in the special issue. Mr. Cook uses his platform to go well beyond a summation of conference papers and offers a keen discussion of the relationships among research, education, and practice.
In this well-written essay, he argues that archival educators should ask not only, "What does an archivist need to know?" but also, "How does an archivist need to think, and why?" For Mr. Cook, this "approach advocates…a blend of the humanist and cultural perspective that is (or should be) at the heart of any university education, with professional knowledge and practical competence." He presents a research agenda that notes the needs for varied types of research, and research in varied settings. His broad, humanist essay illustrates how faculty, students, and practitioners can be partners in advancing the archival profession. While observing that, "Research by archivists in daily work is not the same as archival research," Mr. Cook establishes a continuing role for the practicing archivist in the archival research agenda. He further notes that, "It is important for the profession to remember that the opposite of practical is impractical, not theoretical. Theory is rather the complement to practice, and theory and practice should interact and cross-fertilize each other…"
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Waldo Gifford Leland Award
The Society of American Archivists' 2002 Waldo Gifford Leland Award for writing of superior excellence and usefulness in the field of archival history, theory, or practice was presented to RICHARD J. COX of the University of Pittsburgh for his provocative monograph, Managing Records for Evidence and Information (Quorum Books, 2001). Established in 1959, the award is named for one of North America's archival pioneers and SAA's second president.
Describing the work as an exploration of the fundamental principles of archives and records management that must be understood before records policy can be set, Cox asks records professionals to re-examine basic concepts, beginning with the definition of a record. Drawing upon a wide range of resources—archival theory past and present, his own research, and insights gleaned from other disciplines—Cox turns his keen analysis to other vital issues that should inform the setting of records policy: the place of technology in defining and managing records; the central role of sound records appraisal and maintenance criteria; the importance of advocacy for the records enterprise; and the need to better prepare future generations of records professionals. Some will differ with some of his conclusions, but few will disagree that his presentation is forceful, well informed, and impossible to ignore. Cox challenges archivists to be bold enough to think along these essential lines with him, to ask big questions about what archivists do and why. Managing Records as Evidence and Information is a vibrant contribution to professional discourse.
Cox, a SAA Fellow, is a second-time recipient of this award, having won it in 1991 for his book, American Archival Analysis: The Recent Development of the Archival Profession in the United States. Other previous recipients include Charles Dollar for Authentic Electronic Records: Strategies for Long-Term Access, James O'Toole of Boston College for The Records of American Business, and Anne Kenney & Steve Chapman of Cornell University for Digital Imaging for Libraries and Archives.
Preservation Publication Award
The Society of American Archivists' 2002 Preservation Publication Award was presented to ROBERT E. SCHNARE, JR. for his publication, Bibliography of Preservation Literature, 1983-1996 (Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2001). Established in 1993, the award recognizes the author or editor of an outstanding work, published in North America, that advances the theory or practice of preservation in archival institutions. Mr. Schnare, director of the library at the U.S. Naval War College.
This extensive annotated bibliography—and the excellent essay on preservation management that is included—addresses the pragmatic concerns of modern collection preservation. The book provides access to the best strategies and advice currently available. On both the title page and in his preface, Mr. Schnare credits and acknowledges the contributions of the late Susan G. Swartzburg and George M. Cunha in the genesis and development of the book. It is a wonderful tribute to these pioneers and leading lights in the archives and library preservation field. The archival community is grateful for this collective accomplishment, but especially to Mr. Schnare for bringing the work to fruition.
Past recipients of the Preservation Publication Award include Gregory S. Hunter for Preserving Digital Information: A How-To-Do-It Manual, Eléonore Kissel and Erin Vigneau for Architectural Photoreproductions: A Manual for Identification and Care, and James M. Reilly for The Storage Guide for Color Photographic Materials.
Theodore Calvin Pease Award
The Society of American Archivists' 2002 Theodore Calvin Pease Award was presented to RETO TSCHAN of the University of British Columbia for his student paper, "A Comparison of Jenkinson and Schellenberg on Appraisal." Established in 1987, the award is named for the first editor of SAA's semi-annual journal, American Archivist, and recognizes superior writing achievement by a student enrolled in archival administration classes or engaged in formal archival internship programs. Mr. Tschan received a certificate and cash prize. In addition, his paper will be published in a forthcoming issue of the American Archivist.
Mr. Tschan's award-winning paper was prepared for a course on "Selection and Acquisition of Archival Documents" taught by Professor Terry Eastwood in the Master of Archival Studies Program at the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, University of British Columbia. The paper examines the thinking of Hilary Jenkinson and T.R. Schellenberg, two towering figures in twentieth-century archival theory, on the subject of appraisal. After carefully reviewing the logic of the starkly different approaches to appraisal taken by Jenkinson and Schellenberg, the paper examines how their writings have influenced current debates on appraisal, particularly in relation to the challenges posed by the appraisal and management of electronic records. The result is a fresh analysis of familiar themes and ideas and a thoughtful application of these ideas to current archival thinking and practice. One member of the committee described it as "a very creative re-examination of fundamental principles as they are evolving and being applied in new circumstances," and added, "the paper shows a very thorough understanding of the issues, creatively re-evaluates basic source materials, and carries the discussion very competently and usefully into the present."
Harold T. Pinkett Minority Student Award
PETRINA D. JACKSON of the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh is the recipient of the Society of American Archivists' 2002 Harold T. Pinkett Minority Student Award. The award recognizes minority undergraduate and graduate students of African, Asian, Hispanic or Native American descent who through scholastic achievement manifest an interest in becoming professional archivists and active members of SAA. The award, established in 1993, honors the late Dr. Harold T. Pinkett, an SAA Fellow who served with distinction during his long tenure at the National Archives and Records Administration. The award included complimentary registration to the annual meeting.
Ms. Jackson, a student in the archives/ preservation track in the M.L.I.S. program, is the second student from the University of Pittsburgh to capture the award. Tywanna Marie Whorley received it 1999.
Colonial Dames Scholarship Award
Three newcomers to the archival profession, IAN GRAHAM, VALERIE J. FREY, and CHARITY ANNE GALBREATH, received the Society of American Archivists' 2002 Colonial Dames Scholarship Award. Established in 1974, the award enables new archivists each year to attend the Modern Archives Institute of the National Archives and Records Administration. Each scholarship covers up to $1,200 of the total tuition, travel, and housing expenses associated with attending the institute. To be eligible for this scholarship an individual must have been employed less than two years as an archivist and work in an archives or manuscripts collection where a fair percentage of the repository's holdings predate 1825. The award is funded by the Colonial Dames of America, Chapter III, Washington, D.C.
Ian Graham, special collections and archives assistant at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, attended the winter institute. Both Valerie J. Frey, manuscripts archivist at the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah, and Charity Anne Galbreath, processing archivist at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., attended the summer institute.
Fellows
Elizabeth W. Adkins, Thomas J. Frusciano, and Mark A. Greene were named Fellows of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) on August 22, 2002, during an awards ceremony at SAA's 66th annual meeting in Birmingham, Alabama. Established in 1957 and conferred annually, the distinction of Fellow is the highest honor bestowed on individuals by SAA and is awarded for outstanding contributions to the archival profession. They join 139 current members so honored out of a membership of 3,600.
Following are citations given by presenters during the awards ceremony.
ELIZABETH W. ADKINS, Global Information Manager for Ford Motor Company, has been named a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), the highest individual honor bestowed by SAA. Established in 1957 and conferred annually, this distinction is awarded to a limited number of individuals for their outstanding contribution to the archival profession. She joins 138 current members so honored. Ms. Adkins was named a Fellow on August 22, 2002, during SAA's 66th annual meeting in Birmingham, Alabama.
In her professional work, her contributions to the archival profession worldwide, and her personal integrity, industriousness, and generosity, Ms. Adkins exemplifies the best attributes of an archivist. As one colleague wrote in nominating her for this honor, "Elizabeth is the consummate professional, combining excellent management skills and a visionary approach to archival practice with a strong personal commitment to her profession and the standards that define it. She has been a mentor for aspiring archivists, an inspirational leader for her staff, and a respected colleague for members of the archival community."
Throughout her career Elizabeth has worked in the field of business archives, creating world-class programs in an environment that does not generally place high priority on preserving historical records. However, through her tireless efforts to establish archives as corporate resources, she has solidified the position of the archives as a vital operation held in high regard by senior management, most notably at Kraft Foods and the Ford Motor Company. She has conveyed this sense of mission to numerous archivists who have attended the Business Archives Workshops that she has co-taught over the past decade.
Ms. Adkins has served SAA in many different capacities in the past two decades. Currently the SAA treasurer, she has chaired both the Acquisition and Appraisal Section and the Business Archives Section and has served as co-chair of the Committee on Public Information and co-chair of the 1998 Program Committee. She has also been active in the Academy of Certified Archivists, where she has served as vice president and president, the Midwest Archives Conference, the Michigan Archival Association, and the Illinois State Archives Advisory Board. She has contributed numerous published articles on business archives, public history, and local history.
Among Ms Adkins' many achievements in international activities, two recent accomplishments deserve special recognition. First, as Manager of Archives Services for Ford Motor Company, Elizabeth devised and implemented a plan to discover and reconstruct the archival record regarding the use of forced labor at Ford's plant in Cologne, Germany, during the Second World War. Not only did the final report of this project set "a new standard for documenting corporate actions on a significant and controversial issue," according to one of her colleagues, but she even managed to persuade the company to change its restrictive access policies for corporate records to "the more open access policy that generally governs academic research institutions."
Second, as this colleague states, "as a result of her handling of this project, Elizabeth so inspired the trust of senior management at Ford Motor Company, that her title and responsibilities changed from Manager of Archives Services to Global Information Manager." This is a significant breakthrough in positioning archives as an essential program in a major global corporation.
—Randall C. Jimerson, Western Washington University
THOMAS J. FRUSCIANO, University Archivist at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, has been a member of the archival profession for 25 years. Prior to joining Rutgers, he began his professional career as an archivist at Educational Testing Services and then became the first professionally trained university archivist at New York University. As one of his nominators noted: "He is an exceptionally talented, dedicated, and innovative archivist, teacher, author, editor, speaker, workshop conductor, consultant, project director, and leader in the archival profession." At Rutgers he reaches out to the campus to promote the visibility of the archives. He has served as a faculty senator and adviser to the student yearbook, for example. He does what all archivists need to do; he brings the archives down out of the attic and demonstrates its usefulness to all for instruction, research, and administration.
Over the years, Mr. Frusciano has bridged archives and historical research through his writings. He is the co-author New York University and the City: An Illustrated History (Rutgers University Press) as well as a wide variety of articles on both the history of higher education and archival practice. He has served on several editorial boards and is currently co-editor of the new Journal of Archival Organization (Haworth Press).
Teaching archives courses for both NYU's Archival Management graduate program and Rutgers' School of Communications, Information, and Library Studies, Mr. Frusciano has provided formal instruction and guidance for a score of students, many of whom have advanced into the profession. Mr. Frusciano has been an active participant in a number of professional associations. At SAA, he has chaired the Description and the College and University Archives sections and the Archival Education Roundtable, as well as served on a wide variety of committees for SAA, MARAC, and the Archivists Roundtable of Metropolitan New York. He has given numerous conference papers and taught a wide variety of workshops, most frequently on descriptive practices, but drawing teachers, researchers and archivists alike into a better understanding of the use and keeping of archives. As another supporter said, "In all that he does Tom communicates an essential lesson: that we belong to a community; that we always innovate, collaborate, find ways to overcome challenges, so we as a profession can carry out our essential work: processing and making historical records accessible. I cannot think of a more valuable service to the archives profession."
—Leon J. Stout, Pennsylvania State University
MARK A. GREENE is the director of the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming. He began his career as archivist of Carleton College, followed by 11 years as the curator of manuscripts acquisitions at Minnesota Historical Society, during which he received two awards for writing. Prior to joining the American Heritage Center, he was head of research center programs for the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich.
As one nominator put it, "The heart of [Mr. Greene's] archival contributions lies in his thinking and writing about the profession." Another noted that, "he is one of only a few archivists who not only have highly useful ideas, but also the ability to communicate and share those with a wide audience through publication." He has written compelling works on appraisal, access to records, Congressional papers, business records, research use of archives, and even histories.
He is the co-author, along with Todd Daniels-Howell, of the article "Documentation with an Attitude: A Pragmatist's Guide to the Selection and Acquisition of Modern Business Records" in The Records of American Business. It has been described as "the best article available for archivists who take on the challenge of documenting enterprise in America" and "has invigorated appraisal theory in the United States."
Mr. Greene is active in national and regional archival associations. At SAA, he is a mentor and has served as a leader of the Congressional Papers Roundtable, Manuscripts Repository Section, Committee on Education and Professional Development, and a recent member of council. Of his time on SAA council, another council member said, "his values reflect his deep commitment to and understanding of the profession, as well as his respect for fundamental principles of human dignity, respect for work, and equity." He is a past president and council member of the Midwest Archives Conference (MAC), and a workshop instructor. As chair of the MAC Editorial Board, Mr. Greene has actively sought out articles and nurtured the lesser ones, and the works that he oversaw "are among the best that MAC has ever published." This level of service to the archival profession is a standard for him. As one nominator put it, "he has always retained a higher degree of interest in learning from others than in imparting what he knows. As a result, he is seen by many in the field as a standard bearer of collegiality at a time when the profession is growing beyond the limits of easy interpersonal familiarity."
—Bruce Bruemmer, Cargill