SAA Sampler Series

The SAA Sampler Series offers just that—a sample of content from authoritative books on archives published by the Society of American Archivists. Each open access sampler provides an overview of a relevant theme and includes a select chapter from three different books so that readers get a taste of the full publications. Ideal for classroom use, book clubs, and group discussions.

Archival Advocacy Sampler

Archivists must continually explain who they are, what they do, and why archives are important to society. The selected chapters in this sampler offer different approaches and techniques from three books which align with the core goal of advocating for archives. Compiled with an introduction by Cheryl Oestreicher, the content includes:

• "Advocating Within the Institution: 25 Years for the New York Philharmonic Archives" by Barbara Haws, from Many Happy Returns: Advocacy and the Development of Archives edited by Larry Hackman;
• "Media Outlets" by Stephanie Gaub, from Public Relations and Marketing for Archives: A How-To-Do-It Manual edited by Peter J. Wosh et al.; and 
• "Archives 101 in a 2.0 World: The Continuing Need for Parallel Systems" by Randall C. Jimerson, from A Different Kind of Web: New Connections Between Archives and Our Users edited by Kate Theimer.

Click to download the Archival Advocacy Sampler.

Law and Ethics Sampler

All archivists will face legal or ethical concerns throughout their careers. In many cases, we are caught unaware, and pressure is escalated by time crunches or demanding patrons. The chapter from the three books represented here aim to equip archivists to handle these sorts of dilemmas as they arise, by presenting practical information drawn from real-life experiences of archivists. Compiled with an introduction by Lisa A. Mix, the content includes:

• "Copyright and Related Rights Issues: Permissions, Releases, Music, and Moral Rights," from Navigating Legal Issues in Archives by Menzi Behrnd-Klodt;
• "Case Study: The Cigarette Papers," from The Ethical Archivist by Elena Danielson; and
• "Balancing Privacy and Access: Opening the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission Records," from Privacy and Confidentiality Perspectives: Archivists and Archival Records by Sarah Rowe-Sims, Sandra Boyd, and H.T. Holmes.

Click to download the Law and Ethics Sampler.

Social Justice Sampler

As repositories of the objects that make up the historical record, archives have the potential to shape and define our collective understanding of the past. The selected chapters in this sampler consider personal and collective memory as well as examples of political influence over the historical record. Compiled with an introduction by Kathryn Michaelis and Nicole Milano, the content includes:

• “The Role of the Archives in Protecting the Record from Political Pressure,” from Political Pressure and the Archival Record by Chris Hurley;
• “Contesting Remembering and Forgetting: The Archive of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” from Archives and Justice: A South African Perspective by Verne Harris; and
• “Resisting Political Power,” from Archives Power: Memory, Accountability, and Social Justice by Randall C. Jimerson.

Click to download the Social Justice Sampler.