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Biographical statement:
Christian holds MLIS (2000) and MA in Journalism (2014) degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. Before joining the University of Houston Libraries as Head of Special Collections, he was the head archivist at Texas’s Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, where he also managed UT Libraries’ Human Rights Documentation Initiative, and an archivist and records manager with History Associates Incorporated in Rockville, MD. Christian is a Certified Archivist, and alumnus of the Archives Leadership Institute (2014). He has previously held leadership positions with SAA’s International Archival Affairs Roundtable and Visual Materials Cataloging and Access Roundtable, and was on the Program Committee for the 2017 SAA Annual Meeting. He formerly worked in development for literary nonprofit publisher Graywolf Press, and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guinea, West Africa.
Responses:
Why is appraisal important?
Appraisal is, of course, foundational to the archival enterprise, and serves as the premise for all subsequent archival activities, from storage requirements and level of processing to selection—or availability—for digitization and, most significantly, ultimate use. As a kind of ouroboros of the records continuum, appraisal will even impact records creation. Appraisal of archives not only reflects, but determines the information for researchers, the evidence for authorities, and the function for administrators. Most recently, some of the more exciting (re)evaluations of appraisal have been based on macro-appraisal, provenance and participatory community practice. This continues to expand the understanding and definition of archival appraisal to new ontologies that again cascade through the continuum and through archival practice. No single appraisal theory or concept is exclusively true, so how do we find the right—or a right—mix for our unique circumstances? Appraisal is core and complex, impossible to get exactly right, and warrants constant critical attention.
What projects or activities would you like to see the section steering committee engage in over the next two years and why?
There are always new insights to be learned from anecdotal experience and formal case studies in acquisition and appraisal, and providing and promoting venues for those is an important role for the section and it’s steering committee. Continuing opportunities to examine how archivists translate theory into practice (praxis) at high levels helps the profession and engages the professionals. Outreach and social media have proven to be effective avenues for accomplishing this in a continuous manner. I think the concept of a periodic online “article club” (a full on book club being too ambitious) with discussion of articles on acquisition and appraisal—or articles on other topics but discussed through the lens of acquisition and appraisal—can be a way to actively further both educational and networking goals of SAA, and give opportunities to think critically about issues and provide real-world examples of solutions.
I think that the recent Best Practices Subcommittee’s work on the collection development policy survey and report is a great example of how the section can engage broadly across SAA to identify and dig into a relevant acquisition and appraisal research question. I have no doubt that was a lot of work, but shared and rewarding—and ultimately impactful. Continuing to identify research questions, conduct research, report, and publish gives a tangible and lasting purpose to the section. In my role as head of special collections at a public university library, I’ve encountered many such questions on acquisition and appraisal that could benefit from such focused study. For example, I’m asked to put monetary value on acquisitions—the lay understanding of appraisal—by both donors and administrators, and I’m sure others are as well. (The fact that I either can’t legally or don’t have the formal qualifications notwithstanding.) What are common practices for others in the profession regarding assigning monetary value? (I’ve seen a wide range for those who do it, and found many who don’t do it at all.) What donors get appraisals for tax purposes, or take tax deductions? What about purchases? How many of us have a budget to purchase materials? For those who do, how do we determine purchase value? Are there trends or commonalities in what kinds of collections or items are purchased? And from whom? What do acquisition budgets (or lack thereof) and how they are used say about how we appraise and value collections? How—if at all—are these questions relevant to institutional archives as opposed to manuscript repositories? I’m sure other section members and leaders have even more interesting, broadly relevant questions related to acquisitions and appraisal, and I would like to see the section continue to select and engage one such topic in depth like has been done with the collection development policy survey.
Biographical statement:
Katie Delacenserie is the Accessioning Archivist and Team Lead for Accessioning, Collection Development, and Records Management at the Navy Department Archives of the Naval History and Heritage Command where she has worked since September 2017. Previously, she worked at the United States Senate as the Archivist for the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Katie received her MLS in 2010, with a specialization in Archival Administration from the University of Maryland, and she holds BA in History from the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire with an emphasis on Public History. She obtained her CA in 2014, has served in leadership roles on the Congressional Papers Section, and is involved with SAA, MARAC, and the International Council on Archives.
Responses:
Why is appraisal important?
Appraisal is essential because it is the center in which every other archival function rotates around and the importance of appraisal itself centers around potential and possibility. We appraise materials in order to, as the blog states, assign value. We study theory, create collection development and acquisition policies, records schedules, and use other tools to help us make concrete decisions about what we will and will not accept into our collections. It is a task that requires realistic and sound judgement, but also a subtle art that requires the ability to see potential value and possibility in records, to see beyond the here and now with an eye towards the future. Electronic records make this an exciting, but also crucial time to be involved in appraisal work and in the data driven age, appraisal will take on newfound meaning and importance.
What projects or activities would you like to see the section steering committee engage in over the next two years and why?
The work the section has been doing is critical and provides important resources and areas for engagements for archivists from all walks of the profession. In the future I’d like to see the section continue to engage archivists through the blog and social media, but also expand more each out to non-archivists, records creators, IT specialists, and others. In addition, since appraisal doesn’t happen in a vacuum I’d like to reach out to other SAA sections to further collaboration in the realm of appraisal. I’d also like to poll the community and focus an agenda around membership needs.
Biographical statement:
Krista Gray is the Archival Operations and Reference Specialist for Illinois History and Lincoln Collections at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In this role, she manages the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit (IHLC), the smallest of the four special collections units within the University of Illinois Library. She serves as the archivist and special collections librarian for the IHLC, which collects manuscript, archival, and print materials that document the history of Illinois and its inhabitants.
Prior to joining the University of Illinois Library in 2015, she worked for the Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections; the Bentley Historical Library and the Special Collections Library at the University of Michigan; and the Goucher College Special Collections and Archives. She earned a Master of Science in Information with specializations in Archives & Records Management and Library & Information Science from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science with a double major in history and mathematics from Dickinson College.
She has been a member of SAA since 2013 and served as the intern to the SAA Publications Board from 2015-2016. She is also a member of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of ACRL/ALA and the Midwest Archives Conference.
Responses:
Why is appraisal important?
Appraisal's significance lies in the many dimensions of archival value. Through appraisal, archivists influence what we can learn and understand about the past, whether on the level of an individual, family, or organization, or that of a national or global event. Appraisal shapes not only what future researchers can access, but also how they can access it, as the assignment of value to certain groups of materials also impacts how archives can invest, with limited resources, in arranging, describing, preserving, and providing access to their holdings for researchers. The act of appraisal relies on an understanding of the multi-faceted context of the records being appraised, but it is itself also embedded in context – the context of the repository and its resources, priorities, and the communities it serves; the context of the broader society at that time in history; and many others. Appraisal's complexity and importance, then, stems from not only from how it impacts how each of the other archival functions can be carried out, but also from the unique nature of each repository, record group, or collection. Both form, in different ways, the foundation of archives.
What projects or activities would you like to see the section steering committee engage in over the next two years and why?
Given the challenges of acquisitions and appraisal, I would like to see the steering committee continue its work in seeking ways to support archivists in all types of institutions who are working toward best practices, or even just working to establish "good enough" practices for their particular contexts and priorities. I would like to see the committee work on developing resources that help archivists take steps toward these more easily by reducing the barriers to developing solid policies and workflows for handling the challenges of acquisitions and appraisal. Building on the results of the collection development survey that the section conducted in 2016, and furthering the goal of creating a library of sample collection development policies from a variety of institutions would be one place to start. While the context of each repository will be unique, if the section steering committee can do some of the legwork in gathering and developing resources that can provide inspiration, a starting point, or simply a better understanding of how others have approached these challenges from a variety of institutional contexts, we can make steps toward best practices more practical and feasible. I would also like to see the steering committee continue to play a role in facilitating discussion and learning about varying perspectives on different facets of acquisitions and appraisal, whether on the blog, social media, or other formats.
Biographical statement:
Katherine Isham has an MSIS from the University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in archives and records management, and a BA in Drama from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her experience with archival appraisal began with her Dance Heritage Coalition Fellowship work at the Ruth Page Foundation and the Newberry Library in Chicago and her records management capstone project at Texas Performing Arts. Her professional experience includes two years as the Records Manager for the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library followed by her current position as Project Archivist for the Kingman Brewster Papers at Manuscripts & Archives at Yale. She is an active member of New England Archivists and the Society of American Archivists, served on the boards of the SAA UT student chapter and ARMA CT, and is currently serving as social media intern for the SAA Acquisitions and Appraisal section.
Responses:
Why is appraisal important?
Appraisal is important for many reasons, but it boils down to this: you can’t save everything (although I did argue it’s possible when playing the devil’s advocate in my appraisal class), so it’s important to make thoughtful decisions about what your repository is going to keep. Appraisal affects how the collection will serve the needs of patrons, impacts decisions about the allocation of limited resources (time, money, and space), and ultimately shapes the interpretation of history by determining what is preserved. Appraisal is at the very root of the archival profession – no matter what metric you use, assigning value to material is always the first step to creating an archives.
What projects or activities would you like to see the section steering committee engage in over the next two years and why?
I would like to see the A&A steering committee expand on the appraisal bibliography by creating an appraisal policy documentation resource, including policies, worksheets, agreements, and tools from a variety of institutions, that archivists could use or modify for their own needs. I’d also like to see the A&A section work with other SAA sections to make this type of resource more findable and usable for SAA members and other information science professionals.
Biographical statement:
Nathan Saunders is an Associate Director of the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s William Madison Randall Library, with responsibility over University Archives and Special Collections. He works closely with staff in these areas to grow and make available the library’s holdings related to the history of Southeast North Carolina and the University.
Before coming to UNC Wilmington, Nathan was Head of Collections at the University of South Carolina’s South Caroliniana Library from 2014 until 2017. He holds a Ph.D. in American History from the University of South Carolina (2015). He has served as treasurer and vice president of the South Carolina Archival Association and is beginning a term as co-editor of the SAA Archival History Section’s Archival History News. Before working in Archives, Nathan taught high school history in North and South Carolina.
Responses:
Why is appraisal important?
ince Gerald Ham’s famous statement in his 1974 SAA presidential address that selection is “our most important and intellectually demanding task,” the topic of which records to accept and keep has been at the center of most archival debates. Questions of appraisal and selection lie behind the need for collection development policies, calls for diversity and inclusion in archival holdings, and arguments over processing practices. Without a clear understanding of which records to accept and why, archives and manuscript repositories can quickly find their missions compromised as they accept collections that are inappropriate for their collecting policies. Poor appraisal practices also frustrate arrangement and description activities. Repositories acquire more collections than they can handle, and the collections acquired often distract from processing those holdings that are more central to the respective missions. Acquiring collections without a clear rationale can also frustrate staff members whose time is already stretched thin. Finally, unclear collecting policies and slow processing reduce the esteem in which the wider community holds archives, even as these archives ostensibly serve the community’s information needs. In short, failure in the area of appraisal can cause problems in all areas of archival practice, while clear and decisive appraisal enhances all subsequent activities that archivists undertake.
What projects or activities would you like to see the section steering committee engage in over the next two years and why?
I would like for the Acquisition and Appraisal Section to focus on specific issues surrounding audiovisual materials. The preservation, reformatting, and digital storage of these media can be very expensive, but the information they house is often unique and historically significant. Furthermore, the need to acquire and preserve them is acute as reports frequently cite them as among the most endangered archival holdings.
Another initiative involves enhancement of the content on the already excellent “Assigning Value” blog. Because most archivists learn appraisal on the job or through mentorships, interviews with experienced appraisers could find a wide audience. Blog readers might find reviews of writing on the topic appraisal useful as well.
Biographical statement:
While completing my B.A. in History at Asbury University, 2014, I had my first encounters in an archive through an internship. After receiving my MLIS degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, May 2017, I worked as a student archivist for the Madison County Clerk and Recorder's Office in Virginia City, Montana through SHRAB in partnership with the Montana Historical Society. This past September, I started as the Public Services Librarian at the Baptist College of Florida, where I supervise Information Literacy, Distant Learning Services, the Rare Book Collection, and the college's archives. This fall I will teach an Archives Management course for undergraduates. As an archivist, I am my own advocate working with students and faculty.
As a member of this committee, I would like to take away useful strategies and methods for further advocating the presence of archives in our society and local influences. As a newer member and professional, I want to connect with other archivists in the field and build on my current knowledge of best practices. I am running to be a member of the steering committee because I want to be more involved in the archives profession.
Responses:
Why is appraisal important?
I believe that appraisal is an essential part of archives because it sets the scene for an item’s role in a collection. During the first appraisal, we are deciding does this item belong here and why or why not. Then during the second appraisal, we are decide does it still belong and what its purpose is.
What projects or activities would you like to see the section steering committee engage in over the next two years and why?
Being involved in any section is new to me, so I do not have any suggestions at this time. However, I am more than willing to work any project.
