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American Archival Studies: Readings in Theory and Practice
edited by Randall C. Jimerson
The 28 essays reprinted in this volume represent important recent American writings on archives and the role of archivists in modern society. They are collected here in order to make them more easily accessible to archival students and practicing archivists, indeed to anyone who wants to explore archival issues in greater detail than can be found in introductory texts. The articles—listed below—provide important perspectives both on basic elements of archival practice and on fundamental principles in archival theory and methodology.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction:
American Archivists and the Search for Professional Identity
Randall C. Jimerson
Part One: Understanding Archives and Archivists
| 1 |
"Dear Mary Jane": Some Reflections on Being an Archivist |
| 2 |
To Remember and Forget: Archives, Memory and Culture |
| 3 |
The Symbolic Significance of Archives |
| 4 |
"Mind and Sight": Visual Literacy and the Archivist |
Part Two: Archival History
| 5 |
Liberty, Equality, Posterity?: Some Archival Lessons From the Case of the French Revolution |
| 6 |
The Provenance of a Profession: The Permanence of the Public Archives and Historical Manuscripts Traditions in American Archival History |
| 7 |
The Blessings of Providence on an Association of Archivists |
Part Three: Selection and Documentation
| 8 |
At the "rim of creative dissatisfaction": Archivists and Acquisition Development |
| 9 |
Who Controls the Past |
| 10 |
The Documentation Strategy and Archival Appraisal Principles: A Different Perspective |
Part Four: Appraisal
| 11 |
On the Idea of Uniqueness |
| 12 |
Exploring the Black Box: The Appraisal of University Administrative Records |
| 13 |
"The Surest Proof": A Utilitarian Approach to Appraisal |
Part Five: Arrangement and Description
| 14 |
The Power of the Principle of Provenance |
| 15 |
Description and Reference in the Age of Automation |
| 16 |
Descriptive Practices for Electronic Records: |
| 17 |
Encoded Archival Description: The Development of an Encoding Standard for Archival Finding Aids |
Part Six: Reference and Use of Archives
| 18 |
In the Eye of the Beholder: Archives Administration from the User's Point of View |
| 19 |
Facts and Frameworks: An Approach to Studying the Users of Archives |
| 20 |
Understanding Administrative Use and Users in University Archives |
Part Seven: Preservation
| 21 |
On the Idea of Permanence |
| 22 |
Archival Preservation Practice in a Nationwide Context |
| 23 |
Preservation Re-Recording of Audio Recordings in Archives: |
Part Eight: Electronic Records
| 24 |
Reinventing Archives for Electronic Records: Alternative Service Delivery Options |
| 25 |
Schellenberg in Cyberspace |
| 26 |
Digital Communications: Documentary Opportunities Not to Be Missed |
Part Nine: Management
| 27 |
Redefining Archival Identity: Meeting User Needs in the Information Society |
| 28 |
Keepers, Users and Funders: Building an Awareness of Archival Value |
Randall C. Jimerson is associate professor of history and director of the graduate program in archives and records management at Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wash.
Publication Date: August 2000
656 pp., 6"x9" soft cover
$44.95 (SAA members $34.95)
ISBN 0-931828-41-4
Product code 395
TO ORDER, contact Rodney Franklin at:
rfranklin@archivists.org
or 312/922-0140
or SAA Publications, 527 S. Wells Street, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60607.