Appraisal and Selection of Records

This course examines in detail the theory and practice of selecting archival materials for long-term preservation and retention, examining the influence and social meaning of the categories of value that have been and are being used to choose some materials and especially to exclude others. Lecture/discussions address such appraisal modalities as value theories, statistical sampling, documentation strategies, cost-benefit analyses, and the construction of use measures. For the assigned term paper students will learn how to read critically the appraisal and/or acquisition plans of local repositories or, where such plans are lacking, to examine their existing collections to construct forensically an implicit plan, in order to report on a case study of appraisal in a local repository. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. The objectives of this course include:

To review the history and concepts of archival appraisal as a practice of cultural construction.

To familiarize students with current appraisal practice and its implications in an institutional setting, including economic, political, theoretical, and professional issues.

To familiarize students with current appraisal practice with reference to institutional and personal recordkeeping.

To expose students to the implications of appraisal through a set of classroom appraisal exercises.

To prepare students to review existing appraisal policies and past appraisal decisions and to prepare appropriate documentation plans for a given archival environment.

This course provides three hours' credit during one semester, with one class meeting per week.