The Power of Archives:
Archivists’ Values and Value
in the Postmodern Age
Archives
In this article, Greene eschews the "intuitive, informal, and cookbooky" approach to information infrastructure and advises archivists to base their work on core professional values (22). He recommends beginning a digital archive project with well-planned policies of selection and collection criteria. Greene also discusses the importance of "activism"—"active shaping of the historical record" and "advocacy of archival issues and values in a variety of settings including the political arena" (25). By defining archivists as activists, Greene contends they are not neutral and that become interpreters and shapers of content when they select and preserve archival materials. In addition to discussing core values, he advocates aggressive pursuit of funding, while also educating the public on the importance of maintaining an open archive in a democratic society.
Greene, Mark A.
Society of American Archivists
2009
Polk, Victoria
The Society of the American Archivists
Online Journal
http://www.archivists.org/governance/presidential/GreeneAddressAug08.pdf
Archives for All: Professional Responsibility and Social Justice
Archives
Jimerson argues that in the information age, knowledge is power, and power is determined by those who determine what information will be preserved for the future, i.e., archivists. Therefore, archivists should use their power to benefit all members of society. He contends that archivists should adopt a social conscience and “promote accountability, open government, diversity, and social justice.” In addition, this social conscience can be implemented through objectivity (he explains the difference between objectivity and neutrality) in which archivists can address social issues without abandoning their professional standards and values. He says their role does not prohibit political advocacy, and Jimerson argues that archivists have both a moral and a professional responsibility to balance the power of the status quo with that of the marginalized. Therefore, they should help restore social wrongs and support the causes for justice and community consciousness among these marginalized groups. They should be public advocates and agents of change because they have a collective responsibility to ensure the preservation of information (or evidence) for “accountability, individual rights, and social justice.” Jimerson believes archivists has two main goals: (1) reflect diverse societies and give a voice to those marginalized, and (2) increase professional membership among marginalized groups. And, these commitments must be international in order to be effective.
Jimerson, Randall
Society of the American Archivist
2007
Polk, Victoria
© 2015
Journal Article
http://archivists.metapress.com/content/m0r3p382j155/
Archives, Documentation, and Institutions of Social Memory: Essays from the Sawyer Seminar
Archives
The Advanced Studies Center of the International Institute of the University of Michigan held a year-long Sawyer Seminar from 2000-2001 to investigate the complicated relationships between archives, forms of documentation, and societies. The program had 100 presentations over 28 sessions with representation from 15 different countries. The focus of the seminar was the role of archives in the production of knowledge. The book is divided into five sections. The first section deals with archives themselves. How does one define an archive? The second section looks at how archives are used in the production of knowledge. The third section is about social memory. These articles explore how archives create knowledge about broader social processes and activities that can be used to explore the past, such as how archives can deliberately limit, shape, or structure certain kinds of social understanding. The fourth section examines archives and political cultures, specifically Canada, the Caribbean, Western Europe, African, and European Colonial Archives. Essays cover the challenge of recovering “memory” in areas of colonialism and postcolonialism, revolutionary events, and evolving stable states. In contrast to section four, the last section covers archives and social understanding in states undergoing rapid transition, such as China, Postwar Japan, Postwar Greece, Russia, Ukraine, and the Balkins. The essays examine the relationship between state archives and governments, and they look at how politics affects archives.
Blouin Jr., Francis
Rosenberg, William R
University of Michigan Press
2006
Polk, Victoria
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license
Book
ISBN-13: 978-0472032709
ISBN-10: 0472032704
Copyright Issues Relevant to the Creation of a Digital Archive: A Preliminary Assessment
Copyright
Besek explains how the collecting and preserving of digital content poses challenges to the intellectual property rights that libraries and archives are use to following. A balance between copyright owners and users is an ongoing process; therefore, Besek offers a paper in which she describes the copyright rules and exceptions. She also focuses on issues those involved with libraries and archives might encounter if involved in the creation of a digital archive. Besek explains that numerous factors exist when determining the copyright implications for works being considered for inclusion in an archive. Some of these factors include: the purpose of the archive, its subject matter, the manner in which it will acquire materials, and who will have access to the archive, and from where, and under what conditions. The purpose of Besek’s paper is not to go in-depth about copyright, but to provide the reader and potential archive creator, with information about basic copyright matters, so that the creator might recognize areas of concern as he/she plans the archive.
Besek, June
Council on Library and Information Resources
2003
Polk, Victoria
Council on Library and Information Resources and the Library of Congress
Report
http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub112/pub112.pdf
Web Archives for Researchers: Representations, Expectations and Potential Uses
Web archiving
In their online article for D-Lib magazine, authors Stirling, Chevallier, and Illien cover issues important to researchers using the web from problems of legitimacy to the functionality of search engines. The authors discuss the changing perceptions to research on the web and focus particular attention to the use of web archiving as a means of legitimate and practical academic research. Guidelines and suggestions regarding content and selection policy of digital archives are of particular use as well as suggestions on providing adequate and useful descriptions of the archives themselves.
Stirling, Peter
Chevallier, Philippe
Illien, Gildas
D-Lib Magazine
2012
Polk, Victoria
Peter Stirling, Philippe Chevallier and Gildas Illien
Online Journal
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march12/stirling/03stirling.html
How Do You Know What You Don't Know? Digital Preservation Education
Pedagogy
This journal article talks about the importance of educating those at the local library or school level who are tasked with a digitizing or scanning project but do not have the proper experience to know how to manage or request the proper resources for such a project and are not familiar with the most current and best practices of digital preservation. Molinaro also warns of the pitfalls of not having an adequate plan when it comes to storage of the large amounts of digital information that is generated during a scanning or transfer project. One example she uses is the digitizing of newspaper microfilm which produced large files of information that the library was not able to handle and thus the file types were changed to fit the space they had and many of the files were lost in the process. In such a case Molinaro says that “In reality, a poorly conceived plan is not better than nothing.” This is in response to a common idea that even if the process of digital preservation is flawed, it is still better than nothing. Molinaro would rather see those responsible for digital preservation projects attend one of the many national seminars on the subject so that those on the local library level can be on the same page as many of the national institutions of higher education are.
Molinaro, Mary
Information Standards Quarterly
2010
Polk, Victoria
NISO
Print
Journal Article
http://www.niso.org/publications/isq/free/OP_Molinaro_Education_isqv22no2.pdf
Managing Preservation for Libraries and Archives: Current Practice and Future Developments
Curation
This book's purpose is to review the historic practices of preservation with respect to artifacts preserved in an archive, but to also show the latest in modern techniques for the preservation of everything from documents to sound recordings. This collection also addresses some of the cultural ideas of “documentary heritage” and how this relates to the ideas about preservation and how those ideas have developed over the years. Other contributions to this collection speak directly to the issue of digital information, its definition and its affects on libraries as well as the differences and similarities between digital preservation and traditional preservation. Ideas and arguments on what the future of preservation will look like and what we choose to preserve in the digital realm are presented in the closing entries in the collection. Discussion of who will be accessing future archives also play a role in what we decide to preserve today.
This book’s approach to the past and future of preservation of archival materials contributes to the discussion of why we choose to preserve certain artifacts and how do we go about preserving them? While the academic nature of this collection is clear, the various contributors, clear language and broad themes give this book a wide appeal to readers.
Feather, John
Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
2004
Polk, Victoria
Book
978-0-7546-0705-2
9780754607052
Campus Guides. ACURIL 2011: The Role of Libraries and Archives in Disaster Preparedness, Response and Research
Archives
Hosted by the University of South Florida Libraries, this conference on the role of libraries an archives in disaster preparedness and response speaks to one of the ways that libraries and archives are so important to the preservation of cultural items and information not only for the future, but in light of natural disasters that may occur to damage those culturally important items. Items are presented in the three official languages of the conference: English, Spanish, and French to represent the international involvement and cooperation of the conference. Along with American universities in the Gulf of Mexico region, the conference is headed by the ACIRIL (Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries). Sessions of the conference include topics such as standards for digitization that would allow information to be accessed by other institutions should the need arise, and how health and disaster preparedness information can be archived by libraries for use by the public. Using libraries and archives as ‘information centers’ for the public during a time of disaster can work in collaboration with government and organizational efforts to assist recovery.
Hanson, A.
Association of Caribbean University Research and Institutional Libraries
2010
Polk, Victoria
Journal Article
https://cibernotasacurilcybernotes.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/acuril-final-programme-may17rev1.pdf
Raytheon Company - John F. Kennedy Library Digital Archive Project
Collective memory
All libraries struggle with how to make their information available to a wider audience, outside of the local area. A couple years ago, the John F. Kennedy Library embarked on making their records, documents, photos, and videos available on the Internet. By creating this digital archive, people no longer have to go to Boston to experience the legacy of Kennedy’s effect on our country. Yet, when doing something new, collaboration is pivotal even if difficult at times. Another challenge is choosing the technology and being conscience of keeping the archives safe. Despite these challenges, being able to experience this archive online will allow people to emotionally connect with the daily lives of the Kennedys. The hope is that younger generations can feel the effect that Kennedy had on his generation. This digital archive seeks to personalize the President for the digital generation.
Raytheon Company
Youtube
2011-01-13
Polk, Victoria
Video Recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSF5-SYcedk
Copyright and Related Issues Relevant to Digital Preservation and Dissemination of Unpublished Pre1972 Sound Recordings by Libraries and Archives
Copyright
This report discusses what archives must do in order to provide access to unpublished sound recordings from 1972 and earlier. Unpublished sound recordings may have been created for private use or broadcast, but were not distributed to the public. They may have been such recordings as live musical performances or interviews. Unpublished sound recordings rights are different from commercial recordings intended for sale. Archives and libraries may have purchased them or have had them donated. Some may be significant because they may be the only recordings of a particular event. The report’s review of copyright law finds that libraries are liable for preserving, copying, and streaming unpublished sound recordings from pre-1972. However, it finds it unlikely that libraries will ever be held liable for these laws, especially since sound recordings and their legal protection vary so much.
Besek, June M.
Council on Library and Information Resources
2009
Polk, Victoria
CLIR
Report
hhttp://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub144