"The Archival Edge" by F. Gerald Ham [favorite article of Susan E. Davis]

Name: Susan E. Davis

Title: Associate Teaching Professor

Institution: Drexel University

Years in Profession: 38

Title of Influential American Archivist Article: "The Archival Edge"

Author(s) of Article: F. Gerald Ham

Volume and Date: 38:1 (Winter 1975)

How has this article influenced you as an archivist?

I became a professional archivist the year this article appeared, although I had put in a few years of student slave labor before that time. Jerry Ham was my professor, boss, and mentor, and I have proudly claimed to be "one of Jerry's kids" ever since.  Jerry practiced what he preached, and the Wisconsin Historical Society was a leading archival repository in many ways - including attention to social action and civil rights, collecting beyond "great white men" earlier than most. I did not appreciate the contribution made by Jerry and that article until years later. 

These days I am an archival educator and assign "The Archival Edge" to my students, as do many of my colleagues. The article continues to resonate with aspiring archivists today, and is still frequently cited in the literature. His exhortation to the profession, to become "activist archivists" is as critical now as it was then. I am reminded of Jerry's words when I listen to discussion about the power of archives and about archival values.