The Power of Archives:
Archivists’ Values and Value
in the Postmodern Age

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

Greene, Mark A. "The Power of Archives: Archivists' Values and Value in the Postmodern Age." American Archivist 72, no.1. (2009): 17-41. http://www.archivists.org/governance/presidential/GreeneAddressAug08.pdf