Read the Fall/Winter 2024 Issue of American Archivist

An audience listens to past Under-Secretary General of the United Nations Ralph Bunche’s presentation at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa in 1969.

In issue 87.2 of American Archivist, Alexandra deGraffenreid discusses two distinct descriptive practice frameworks and how they can be reconciled; Helen Wong Smith, Dawn Schmitz, Cyndi Shein, and Lisa Schmitz examine archival job listings for an awareness of and commitment to cultural competency; and Emily Hughes Dominick, Rosemary Pleva Flynn, Cheryl Oestreicher, Katy Sternberger, Margery N. Sly, Mott Linn, Gerrianne Schaad, and Dara Baker respond to Ashley Todd-Diaz and Alex H. Poole's 2022 article about the Academy of Certified Archivists.

Other articles include a discussion of the impact of COVID-19 on archival caregivers; a comparative study examining digital preservation practices at doctoral universities; and an exploratory investigation of archival students' and early career professionals' perceptions of their archival job prospects. Also in this issue, discover six excellent reviews on recent archives publications.

On the Cover: An audience listens to past Under-Secretary General of the United Nations Ralph Bunche’s presentation at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa in 1969. Bunche, born in Detroit in 1904, received a Ph.D. from Harvard University and conducted post-doctoral work at the London School of Economics and the University of Cape Town, South Africa. In 1948, Bunche was appointed by the Security Council as Acting United Nations Mediator for Palestine, where he directed negotiations resulting in four armistice agreements between Israel and Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. For this work, he received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize. Bunche was the first African American and person of color to be awarded the prize. Even after his retirement, Bunche strongly advocated for civil rights and equality. Photo courtesy of the Miyamoto Photograph Collection, Archives & Manuscripts Department, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Library.