archival outlook...Katrina recovery efforts, Harry Whittington made a mistake when he separated...

archival outlookarchival outlook NEWSLETTEROF THESOCIETY OFAMERICANARCHIVISTSMAR/APR 2006

2 | archival outlook • march/april 2006 www.archivists.org

features

Digital Cameras in Reading Rooms Diane Kaplan . . . . . . . . . 6

PAT Project Lessons Learned, Part 2: IT Professionals’ Perspectives Mark Conrad et al. . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Let’s Get Together: DC 2006 Joint Meeting DC 2006 Program Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

What’s Up in SAA:

Advocating for Archives and Archivists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Honor Roll of Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

SAA Council Refines Strategic Priorities, Establishes “MayDay” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Strategic Priorities “Radar Screen” Reviewed, Updated . . . . . . . 12

MayDay: Saving Our Archives, May 1, 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Landmark Chicago Church—and Records—Destroyed by Fire . . 14

Books for All Seasons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

columns

President’s Message: Identity and Diversity: What Is an Archivist? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

From the Executive Director: With Apologies . . . and Thanks! . . . . . 4

From the Archivist of the United States: President Proposes $338 Million in FY 2007 for NARA. . . . 16

departmentsWashington Beat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17National News Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18World View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Currents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Professional Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

on the coverLost. A fire destroyed the landmark Pilgrim Baptist Churchon Chicago’s South Side in early January. Gospel music wasborn at Pilgrim Baptist during the great migration when mil-lions of Black southerners headed to Chicago, bringing alongtheir music traditions. Also lost in the fire were churchrecords, including, original sheet music for hundreds ofgospel tunes written by the church’s legendary long-timedirector, Thomas A. Dorsey. In response to this tragedy, SAAand representatives of the DuSable Museum of AfricanAmerican History are exploring the possibility of developinga workshop for Chicago’s “community of churches” thatwould highlight the value of archives. See related story onpage 14. Photo by LEE BEY. ©2006 by Lee Bey.

the society of american archivistsserves the education and information needs of its

members and provides leadership to help ensure the identification, preservation

and use of the nation’s historical record.

NANCY P. BEAUMONTExecutive Director

[email protected]

TERESA M. BRINATIDirector of Publishing

[email protected]

SOLVEIG DESUTTEREducation Director

[email protected]

BRIAN P. DOYLEDirector of Member and Technical Services

[email protected]

RODNEY FRANKLINPublications Assistant

[email protected]

LEE GONZALEZOffice Assistant

[email protected]

VERONICA PARRISHEducation Coordinator

[email protected]

CARLOS SALGADOProgram Coordinator

[email protected]

JEANETTE SPEARSMember Services Coordinator

[email protected]

Archival Outlook (ISSN 1520-3379) is published sixtimes a year and distributed as a membership benefitby the Society of American Archivists. Contents of thenewsletter may be reproduced in whole or in part provided that credit is given. Direct all advertisinginquiries and general correspondence to:

Teresa M. Brinati, Director of Publishing, Society ofAmerican Archivists, 527 S. Wells St., 5th Floor,Chicago, IL 60607; 312/922-0140; fax 312/347-1452;[email protected]; www.archivists.org.

∞ Archival Outlook is printed on paper that meets the requirements of the American National StandardsInstitute—Permanence of Paper, ANSI Z39.48-1992.

archival outlookarchival outlooktable of contents

archival outlookarchival outlook NEWSLETTEROF THESOCIETY OFAMERICANARCHIVISTSMAR/APR 2006

www.archivists.org archival outlook • march/april 2006 | 3

How often have you been asked, “What is anarchivist?” Many outside the profession have littleidea what archivists do. As often as not, the publicthinks that we are conservators. How often have I beenasked for advice on preserving or restoring a docu-ment? How seldom have I been asked for my thoughtson the organization of historical records, the preserva-tion of context, or appraisal?

The question surfaced on the Archives andArchivists List in the late 1990s. In one exchange, Holly

Hodges answered, “It’s what youget when you cross a librarianwith a historian.” She noted thatthe answer does not apply to allarchivists, “But it works for me inthose situations that imply a onesentence response.”1

I’m not much for soundbites; it’s impossible to reducecomplex topics to a sentence. Butwe must be able to give a simple,concise answer if we want thegeneral public to have a goodidea about what we do. We

archivists can (and do!) wax eloquently about our pro-fession when speaking to each other. But when othersask the question of us, they often want something less.We must be able to tell others who we are and whatwe do in terms that they understand and—if we wanttheir support—in terms that they find compelling.

The discussion on the A&A List was often couchedin terms of who is not an archivist. Participants debat-ed whether it is necessary for archivists to have specif-ic education, and whether that education must be inarchival science, history, library science, or some com-bination. Participants also discussed whether it is nec-essary to be certified to be considered an archivist. Asa result, many who considered themselves archivistsfelt alienated. Saying that a library degree does notmake one an archivist diminished those who came tothe field from a library school; arguments that experi-ence is not enough discounted those who had been inthe field for years. Although the argument has growntired, we are left without a positive answer to the ques-tion, “What is an archivist?”

There is some irony in that, while the argumentswere mediated by technology, the participants oftendid not recognize how that very technology was affect-

ing the profession. As one of those who was active onthe list at the time, that’s certainly true for me. As weworried about who could call themselves archivists,technologists were doing many of the things thatarchivists did without a thought to our profession.They began to worry about which records to keep,how to store and find records, and how to ensure thatthe records remained reliable over time.

As more and more records remain in digital formatsthroughout their life cycle, I wonder again “What is anarchivist?” What is my own simple, concise answer?

Each time I try to compose the answer, I beginwith “Archivists preserve . . . ,” and then I stop.“Preserve” reinforces the confusion between conserva-tors and archivists. Conservators are essential allies inour work, and perpetuating that confusion is a disserv-ice to both professions. So I begin again with“Archivists keep . . . .”

What do we keep? Records, of course. But if thedefinition of any term is more hotly contested than“archivist,” surely it is “record.” More important, forpurposes of a simple, concise answer for the generalpublic, the term is not particularly clear. When confront-ed with a blank look by a non-archivist, I find myselfadding, “like at the county courthouse . . . deeds, birthcertificates, and the like.” The expansion is insufficientbecause archivists keep more than government records.And the example focuses on documents, whereasarchivists keep records in all formats. “Records” and myexamples lack emotional impact; few people get excitedabout the dusty papers of bureaucracy.

In fact, we don’t just keep “records.” We selectrecords, and we often decide not to keep records.Archivists keep documents, photographs, sound record-ings, and other records that are valuable as reliable evi-dence of the past. We used to say “permanently valu-able.” As it seems “permanently” has been devalued tomean something around 10 years in the vernacular, Itend to say “enduring value.” (In the context of my ownjob, the phrase “As long as Arizona is a state” is muchmore effective than “permanent.”)

We also arrange and describe the records, we helppeople find the records they need, and we—in the nar-rower sense—preserve them. For something simple andconcise, “arrange,” “describe,” and “preserve” can besubordinated under “keep.” However, reference andoutreach point to an essential concept that’s not yetaddressed—the people who are the beneficiaries of our

Identity and Diversity: What Is an Archivist?

president’s message Richard Pearce-Moses, Arizona State Library and [email protected]

We must be able to tell others who we are and what

we do in terms that theyunderstand and—if we

want their support—in terms that they

find compelling.

continued on page 261 Archives and Archivists List, 13 November 1997. Checked 5 February 2006.


Mistakes. We all make ‘em. Some people more than others;some mistakes bigger than others. Just this morning onNational Public Radio: FEMA “made some mistakes” in theKatrina recovery efforts, Harry Whittington made a mistakewhen he separated himself from his quail-hunting party, DickCheney made a mistake when he pulled the trigger on his friend.

The mistake I’m regretting at this moment is associatedwith the “Honor Roll of Donors” that appeared in the last issueof Archival Outlook. It’s always dangerous to publish a list;inevitably someone is left off. But this mistake was a whopper,as it involved more than 50 names.

There is no excuse for our error, but there is an explana-tion. I’ve written before about SAA’s outmoded associationmanagement software (AMS) system and I’ve shared the goodnews that the Council approved purchase of a new system thisyear. The process is underway, as we recently selected and are

negotiating with a vendor—with the hope of implementing atransition immediately following DC 2006 in August. We can’twait! Our current cobbled-together system for tracking donorsinvolves databases, spreadsheets, and word processing docu-ments that don’t speak to each other, and thus updates don’tnecessarily occur in every place where data are stored. Ourcurrent AMS is not an adequate recordkeeping system, anddoes not help us remember key pieces of information aboutour members and other “customers” or our operations.

Published on the facing page is a roster of individuals andorganizations that stepped up to the plate between July 1 andDecember 31, 2005, to support scholarships, awards, innova-tions, and their colleagues’ recovery from the ravages of hurri-canes Katrina and Rita. We are very grateful for their generosi-ty. And I am very sorry that some were not recognized whenthis list first appeared. �

With Apologies . . . and Thanks!

from the executive director Nancy P. Beaumont • [email protected]

It's been an especially busy couple of months for SAA'sadvocacy efforts on behalf of archives and archivists. Fromsuch fundamental issues as NHPRC funding and reclassifica-tion of records at NARA to the finer points of copyright law,the SAA Council has taken action—with a lot of advice andhelp from individuals and organizations with special expert-ise. Here are a few things that have been going on:

• SAA will once again join forces with the Council of StateArchivists, the National Association of GovernmentArchives and Records Administrators, and regional andlocal organizations to offer support for the NationalHistorical Publications and Records Commission, whosefunding has (again) been zeroed out in the BushAdministration's proposed budget for FY 2007. We are cur-rently working on a communication strategy that must beimplemented immediately, as Appropriations Committeetestimony is due April 14. If you are willing and able towrite a letter or make a phone call to key Senators andMembers of Congress, please visit the SAA home page forsome tips on who to contact and how to make your com-munication effective and compelling. There you will alsofind information about the “Partnership for the AmericanHistorical Record,” a new initiative that we hope can befunded as part of NHPRC's activities in FY 2007.

• SAA prepared a letter to the editor of the New York Times insupport of Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein'sdecision to place a moratorium on reclassication of recordsat NARA that previously had been released to the public.(See the website for the draft text.)

• The Council agreed to join in an amicus curiae brief for anappeal to the California Supreme Court in a matter thatcould set a precedent for the indefinite liability of archivesand libraries for potentially libelous statements in oral his-tories. More information to come on this hot issue!

• SAA's very active Intellectual Property Working Group pre-pared a response to proposed changes in Section 108 of thecopyright law, which governs reproduction of materials byarchives and libraries. Richard Pearce-Moses will representSAA's view at a March 8 public roundtable discussion ofthe proposed changes in the law.

• And the SAA Council agreed to sign on to testimony thatwill be presented to the House of Representatives on a proposal to amend copyright law to address the issue of“orphan works” (ie, works for which an owner cannot beidentified or located).

More on each of these issues can be found on SAA's website(www.archivists.org) via the home page. �

Advocating for Archives and Archivists


Richard M. AdamJodi L. Allison-BunnellDebra AndersonJeffrey L. AndersonBarbara AustenJohn AttanasioStephen C. BartoRoland BaumannNancy BeaumontKaren Benedict, CAEdmund BerkeleyWilliam E. BigglestoneFrank BolesAlison E. BridgerMary BrooksCharlotte B. BrownLauren BrownBruce BruemmerMary Lynn BryanNicholas C. BurckelDebbie Mieko BurnsKathleen BurnsJeanie F. Child Bernadette G. CalleryRichard A. CameronStuart Campbell, CAConnie L. CartledgeSu Kim ChungGwynedd CannanJanet M. Carleton

La Nina M. ClaytonThomas Connors, CATerry CookEmmett CorryRichard J. CoxMiriam I. CrawfordLeslie CzechowskiDeborah L. DandridgeElena S. DanielsonPolly C. DarnellW. N. Davis JrCheryl DayMegan DesnoyersBr. Larry Eberhardt,

OFMLinda EdgerlyAnne EngelhartEllen M. EngsethElaine EngstTimothy L. EricsonAimee M. FelkerSr. Maria Rita C.

Ferraris, RVM CAMeyer H. FishbeinJohn A. Fleckner, CAJane P. FranckJania GarciaMargaret B. GardinerEdward L. Galvin, CAEllen Garrison

Nancy GaussLucinda A. GlennJane GrahamMark A. GreeneSusan Grigg, CAPeter GottliebJennie Diaz GuilbaudSr. Mary Joan DyerBrenda GunnMelissa HaleyKaren R. HeinichLinda HenryJulie HerradaLinda HockingSue HolbertThomas HyryPaula JablonerCarol JacobsJennifer JohnsonKatherine JohnsonEmily JonesLouis E. Jones, CACatherine M. KeenShelly KellyAlan KingKathy J. KochRegina L. KoehlerRoberta KovitzKatherine KraftJoan D. Krizack

Christine T. LabaJeanine LawrenceBenjamin LetzlerCynthia P. LewisHoward LowellWaverly LowellKathy MarquisKevin MartinMarian MatynDavid F. McCartneyMichael McColginDennis E. MeissnerTeresa MoraEva S. Moseley, CAKathryn M. NealMargaret F. NicholsCatherine Greer

OBrionBarbara O’BrienSr. Mary Brendan

O’DonnellJane H. OdomKenneth OroszChris A. Paton, CASusan PevarSeymour Pomrenze, CADiane RabsonBob RazerCathy ReigleDeborra A. Richardson

Carol RoarkCarol RobertsKathleen RoeDavid A. RookJanice E. RuthPhillip M. RunkelAngelo J. SalvoHelen W. SamuelsGary SaretzkyJessica SaultGerrianne Schaad, CA Robert L. SchaadtAmy K. Shaffer Mark Shelstad Ruth J. SimmonsDaardi G. SizemoreMichael O. SmithCindy SmolovikDavid SolomonKaren M. SpicherRobert SpindlerKristy SorensenSusan SoyBrenda SquareAmy StemplerKaren StevensDavidde StrackbeinLorraine A. StuartLeon J. StoutKatherine Tane

Nancy J. TaylorMark G. Thiel, CAHelen R. TibboSue R. ToppF. Jason TorreDeborah A. TorresJoyce P. TovellGregor Trinkaus-

RandallI. Bruce TurnerAnna UremovichSr. Lucy Marie VagaJoan Van AlbadaSr. Mary Alma

VandervestVictoria County

GenealogicalSociety

Michale VitaleSandra WaxmanSarah J. WeatherwaxLisa WeberBonita WeddleCarolyn M. WeigelDonna WestleyCheryl K. Williams Stephanie WilliamsLinda A. WhitakerDeborah WytheElizabeth Yakel

Contributions of Up to $100

Elizabeth W Adkins, CAT. Juliette AraiNancy BartlettDanna Bell-RusselThomas BrownJames B. ByersVirginia J. H. Cain, CACapitol Area Archivists of

New York William C. CarpenterDaria D’ArienzoSusan DavisSusan D’EntremontDelaware Valley Archivist

Group

Jackie M. DooleyMark DuffySuzanne DurhamLoretta GreenePeter B. HirtleRachel HowseRandall JimersonMark H. JonesMartha Everman JonesKristine KaskeDiane LachatanereWilliam W. LeFevre, CALori Ann LindbergBrenda S. McClurkin

Ben PrimerThe SAA StaffBonnie SchererIda C. ScottDeborah S. SkaggsRobert SloanSociety of Alabama

ArchivistsAlison StankrauffDarwin StapletonCarla M. Summers, CACarolyn Hoover Sung, CACiaran TracePeter J. Wosh

Contributions of $101 to $500

Academy of Certified ArchivistsARMA Central Texas-Waco ChapterConference of Inter-Mountain

Archivists

Maygene F. Daniels, CAFynnette L. EatonCaroline Loughlin

Contributions of $501 to $1,000

ARMA InternationalMary Virginia CurrieMid-Atlantic Regional Archives

ConferenceRichard Pearce-Moses

and Frank LoulanScott Schwartz

Society of American Archivists

Society of Ohio ArchivistsSociety of Rocky

Mountain ArchivistsSociety of Southwest

Archivists

Contributions of $1,000 to $5,000

F. Gerald Ham

Contributions of $5,001 and Above

Honor Roll of ContributorsJuly 1–December 31, 2005


This past semester I was approached by a researcher fromout of town, who requested permission to take copies ofdocuments in our collection using his digital camera. Theadvantages to him were obvious. He wouldn’t have to spendprecious research time completing our photocopying orderforms, he could have images in color, his extensive copyingwould not cost him our standard $.25 per page, and he wouldtake copies with him when he left, not needing to wait for hisorder to come to the top in our copying backlog. What mostintrigued me was his comment that other repositories allowedthe use of cameras in their reading rooms asstandard operating procedure.

This last comment sparked my curiosityabout the policy at other institutions andhence my December 5, 2005, query to SAA’sReference, Access and Outreach Section list:

Has anyone ever considered the use of digitalcameras by patrons in our reading rooms, inlieu of requiring them to order photocopies orother forms of reproductions. We had aresearcher recently who said this was beingdone elsewhere, but I’m having trouble identifying suchinstitutions by reviewing websites. If cameras are allowed, isthis a posted policy or done ad hoc. If allowed, are any spe-cial forms of permissions required?

I received an overwhelming volume of responses. SusanMcElrath sent the message at 9:02 a.m., and within minutes,my in box was flooded. As archivists in each time zone got towork the messages kept coming. In two days I had sixty-fivemessages, and it took me quite a while to read and analyzethem. I appreciate the generosity of my RAO colleagues, whotook the time to respond with thoughtfulness and detail. Ilearned that the American Library Association’s PublicServices Discussion Group of the Rare Books and ManuscriptsSection had discussed these questions at its midwinter meetingin January 2005. Many people responded that they had beenthinking about this question and were eager to learn aboutwhat others were doing.

Range of Opinion and PolicyThere was quite a range of opinion on this topic. At least

three respondents said they would never allow cameras in theirreading rooms. At the other end of the spectrum were institu-tions that not only have a stated policy allowing use of camerasin the reading room but also provide suggestions on how best tocreate images. The National Archives and Records Administra-tion in College Park, Maryland, provides researchers with guid-ance on reproducing textual documents using personal scannersand hand-held cameras, providing the equipment meets NARAstandards. The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library provides detailedinstruction online for the use of digital cameras in the reading

room (http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/Digital%20Camera%20Info.htm). Some institutions have their owndigital camera and copy stand available for patron use.

I suspect that a respondent’s position on this spectrumwas affected by the respondent’s place of employment. Stateand federal archivists were much more likely to allow camerause in their reading rooms than archivists working for privateresearch institutions. A repository’s willingness or ability toprovide copying services also influenced the archivist’s posi-tion on the issue. Those who already allow self-service photo-

copying were quick to point out that readerscreating copies through digital photographywere akin to readers taking materials to aphotocopier. Some of these institutions alsoallow researchers to bring personal scannersinto the reading room.

Most institutions still operate on a moread hoc basis, as has been the case inManuscripts and Archives in the YaleUniversity Library. In the past, we allowedcameras only upon application and in someinstances, by special arrangement. We

refused some applicants, if we could meet their needs by ournormal reprographic services. We tried to accommodate ourstudent photojournalists, who, like the professionals, workedwith short deadlines, but we wanted to curb videotaping inour reading room since the crews with their bulky equipmenthad been extremely disruptive. More recently, and mainlybecause we had brought in several architectural collections, weallowed researchers to photograph architectural plans anddrawings and posters. Our options for reproducing images ofthese oversize items were too limited to allow us to quicklysupply a student or faculty member with a needed image for aclassroom presentation at a reasonable cost.

The year Yale will move from this case-by-case approachto a posted policy allowing cameras in the reading room. Thischange has come about only after careful consideration of theconcerns expressed by many respondents to my query, includ-ing proper handling of the material, copyright, loss of controlof images, and loss of revenue.

There is a nearly universal agreement that any form ofreproduction be considered only if it can be done withoutdamaging the original materials. As one respondent aptly putit, “The needs of the materials come before the technical needsof the camera work, i.e., accommodate the camera to thematerials and not vice versa.” Repositories use forms and sig-nage to inform patrons of the requirements for proper han-dling of their materials. They clearly state that the repositoryreserves the right to deny permission to copy based on condi-tion of the material or donor restrictions. Most repositoriesspecifically prohibit the use of a direct flash.

Those institutions allowing self-service copying with cam-

Digital Cameras in Reading RoomsDIANE KAPLAN, Head of Public Service, Yale University Libraries

There is a nearly universalagreement that any form

of reproduction be consid-ered only if it can be done

without damaging theoriginal materials.


eras, digital or film, report that readers have been very goodabout handling the materials they copy. They are positive thatthere is less potential for damaging materials being copied inthis way. They require fragile bound volumes to be supportedin a book cradle; no pressure can be applied to the bindings.Documents are not subjected to the light required to obtainphotocopies.

Copyright IssuesTo those considering a change in their policy, copyright

issues appear to be a major concern. Linda McCurdy, Director ofResearch Services for the Rare Book, Manuscript, and SpecialCollections Library at Duke University shared opinions she hadsolicited when her institution was considering its policy.

From Peter Hirtle (Intellectual Property Officer, Instruction,Research, and Information Services Division, CornellUniversity Library):

I think you are right on target when you suggest that Section108 may apply, but I think you have picked the wrong section.You confuse the preservation copying that the library may dounder 108(b), which results in copies that are restricted to thepremises of the library, with copying done by users. The rele-vant section in this case is 108(f): Nothing in this section-

(1) shall be construed to impose liability for copy-right infringement upon a library or archives or itsemployees for the unsupervised use of reproducingequipment located on its premises: Provided, That

such equipment displays a notice that the making ofa copy may be subject to the copyright law

The law was written with the assumption that the equipmentwould be owned by the archives and not by the user, but onecould also argue that a digital camera owned by a researcher isstill “reproducing equipment located on its premises.” Thequestion of the notice is a trickier one, but many libraries andarchives have interpreted this to extend to the requisite noticehung on the wall above the photocopy machine (rather thanactually having the notice on the piece of equipment).

I would hope that as long as you have the required copyrightsign posted, and so long as the patron use is unsupervised (inthe sense that you do not know precisely what or how muchthe patron is copying), the institution would be immune fromliability, regardless of what the patron might do with the digi-tal files later. It would actually be safer than making copiesfor patrons.

Of course, even if 108 didn't apply, fair use might apply. I thinkit would be very hard for an archives to determine if digitalphotography undertaken by a patron exceeded the bounds offair use—especially if such copying is unsupervised.

From Laura N. Gasaway, Director of the Law Library andProfessor of Law, University of North Carolina:

If a researcher makes his or her own copy of a work or aportion thereof with a digital camera it is no different thancopying the work by hand or making a photocopy. It may

continued on page 25


The Persistent Archives Testbed (PAT) Project is a collabora-tive initiative, funded by the National Historical Publicationsand Records Commission and the National Archives andRecords Administration, whose goal is to conduct case studiesthat test the feasibility of using data grid technology to manageelectronic records, with archival and technological functionspractically and appropriately allocated in a distributed network.

Several common themes emerged when we asked PATProject participants, “What skills/knowledge should ITprofessionals have to work with archival records andarchivists?”

Archivists must collaborate with computer scientists if we are goingto address the challenges posed by electronic records. Effectivecommunication is essential to the success of this collaboration.Therefore, we need to understand our colleagues’ perspectivesabout archival principles and practices.

According to Adil Hasan, formerly of the Stanford LinearAccelerator (SLAC), now of the e-Science Centre, RutherfordAppleton Laboratory (UK):

“One of the most important tasks is to understand theprocess of archiving: the process an archivist goes throughin archiving paper records and how that process can relateto the archival management of electronic records.Understanding what information an archivist needs toextract from the electronic documents, how the docu-ments are to be arranged, and how they would beaccessed are essential components in building tools to helpautomate the archival management of electronic records.

“In the area of electronic records, it's very helpful tobuild simple prototypes that model particular parts of thesystem to allow the archivists the opportunity to see howthe tools would work in reality. It's essential to build sim-ple prototypes to get a quick response from the archivistsas to whether the tools meet the need.

“Understanding the archival processes or workflows alsocan help in identifying repetitive tasks that could be goodcandidates for automation, allowing the archivist to concen-trate on more technical tasks rather than repetitive ones.

“For the IT people, an abundance of information on howarchivists go about their work of archiving records andtheir honest experience with software tools will help to pro-duce better tools that will equip the archivist with a toolkitcapable of combating the deluge of electronic information. “

According to Richard Marciano, SDSC:

“Based on the development of collaborative projects witharchivists over the last eight years, it became clear fromthe very start that developing a common frame of refer-ence between IT folks and archivists was a necessary firststep. It is a rather daunting first step, to be honest, giventhe very unique culture of archives and very distinct tradi-tions of archivists.

“Wrapping one's ‘IT’ brain around the concept of collec-tions entails a definite learning curve, overcome by manya discussion and practical experiences building prototypeswith electronic records, especially when you consider thatterms like ‘collection’ easily have five or six meaningsbased on the context of use: digital libraries, archives, dif-ferent IT frameworks, etc. Recent and ongoing efforts indeveloping glossaries of archival and records terminologyrepresent very useful developments. (See, for example,Richard Pearce-Moses. A Glossary of Archival and RecordsTerminology. Chicago: Society of American Archivists,2005.) Additional mappings and semantic crosswalks thatcan lead to implementations that are much needed.

“Archival materials, created in the process of doing busi-ness and embodying rich contextual information stemmingfrom accepted archival principles of provenance andrespect for original order, are initially akin to alien, super-natural, and mythical objects for one with a strict IT back-ground, certainly not something easily observable ‘in thewild.’ Understanding the nature of such materials in theend seems to require some degree of mentorship fromarchivists, and it frankly takes sustained exposure to beimbued by such principles as ‘respect des fonds.’

“In the PAT Project, we are studying the opportunities forautomation across the lifecycle of records—examiningarchival functions and engaging in considerations of trust-

PAT Project Lessons Learned, Part 2: IT Professionals’ Perspectives

This second article about lessons learned during the Persistent Archives Testbed (PAT) Project focuses on the following question:“What skills/knowledge should IT professionals have to work with archival records and archivists?” It follows on “PAT ProjectLessons Learned: Archivists’ Perspectives” in the October/November 2005 issue of Archival Outlook, which asked: “What special-ized skills do you think archivists need to work with electronic records?”



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Funkmaster George Clinton once said of the eccentric jazzmusician Sun Ra, “He’s out to lunch, but we eat at thesame place.” The “same place” for members of the Council ofState Archivists, the National Association of GovernmentArchives and Records Administrators, and the Society ofAmerican Archivists (COSA, NAGARA, and SAA) is DC 2006:The Joint Annual Meeting, where archivists of all stripes canget together—perhaps even for lunch!

As the first Joint Annual Meeting of our three organi-zations, DC 2006 offers unlimited chances to broadenour perspectives, learn something different, and meetsomeone new.

The DC 2006 Program Committee took some chances, withrepresentatives of all three organizations reviewing a record143 proposals and selecting something for everyone--and espe-cially some things that are new. The program emphasizes ourcommon interests (that is, what all archivists and recordsmanagers face) as well as topics that represent our uniqueconcerns. And it reflects the vision of the Joint Conferenceorganizers by offering many sessionswhose speaker lineup provides ablend of different types of archivistswho are tackling the same issues.

Although there is no overalltheme for the conference, the pro-gram corresponds readily to the top-ics of each day’s plenary sessions:Technology, Public Awareness,and Disaster Preparedness andRecovery. Because developments ininformation technology affect allarchivists on one level or another,many sessions will tackle such coreissues as electronic records, descrip-tion systems, and digitization. Andbecause these challenges are almostalways too daunting to be solved byindividual institutions, there is a

clear bent toward developing and fostering collaborations. The pressing need to raise public awareness of, and to

advocate for, archival programs, missions, and initiatives canbe seen in a multitude of sessions that delve into the roles thatarchives play in society. These sessions address national fund-ing initiatives, government secrecy, and outreach programs,among other topics. Attendees will also have the opportunityto attend two Council of State Archivists “incubator” sessions,which offer everyone the opportunity to contribute to someinitiatives that could shape how archival programs of all kinds,in every state, are perceived and supported.

The catastrophic effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Ritahave put disaster preparedness on the front burner of archivalconsciousness. In addition to a plenary session on this topic, twoconsecutive sessions will address the impact of the hurri-canes on archives, libraries, and museums and cover the les-sons learned from dealing with these tragedies. We will alsohave a session that focuses on the broader concern of recap-turing the history and culture of New Orleans—the city thathosted the SAA Annual Meeting so magnificently last August.

We’re excited to continue a “new tradition,” begun at lastyear’s SAA conference, of providinga track of four “Archives Seminars”that provide in-depth examinationsand discussions of complex topics.This year’s line-up features seminarson the “Archives for Justice” initia-tive; the problems and possibilitiesassociated with digital history andcollections; the challenges of devel-oping partnerships for digital preser-vation; and advanced archival man-agement. Although the high volumeof excellent proposals received by theProgram Committee necessitated thatSAA's “Archives Unplugged” seriestake a year off, there is no shortageof programming geared at anintroductory level, including ses-sions on copyright, replevin, andinternships.

Women belong in the House . . . and the Senate! Femalemembers of the 84th U.S. Congress get together on the steps ofthe Capitol, January 1955. (Washington Star Collection,Washingtoniana Division, D.C. Public Library)

DC 2006 PROGRAM COMMITTEE

. . . the program corresponds readilyto the topics of each day’s plenary

sessions: Technology, PublicAwareness, and Disaster

Preparedness and Recovery.


Due to both the high quality and the large number of pro-posals for one-hour special focus sessions, the ProgramCommittee decided to devote one time slot exclusively to thissession type, which allows speakers to present a currentresearch project or practical initiative. The formats forthese sessions encourage audience feedback, so be prepared toparticipate in stimulating discussions on a variety of topicssuch as documenting the disabled, teaching with primarysources, and providing professional expertise to local govern-ment archives and historical societies.

As befits a conference held in our nation's Capital City,representation from the international archives communitywill be extensive enough that we might hold our own ArchivalOlympics! Archivists from Canada, Australia, China, SouthAfrica, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Iceland,Norway, Puerto Rico, and England will participate in sessionsthat cover a myriad of topics, including archival education, thecultural condition of archives, the “new” International Councilon Archives, and handling of case files.

The program also showcases the continuing focus ondiversity issues in the archives and records profession, withsessions on protocols for handling Native American materials inarchives and libraries, discovering and describing records relat-ed to Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgendered history, andthe history of African-Americans in Washington, D.C.

And if all that isn't enough . . . come learn about Yizkorbooks, the pharmakon, blogs, fallen politicians, and so muchmore!

The DC 2006 Program Committee members worked hardand well to pull together this outstanding program, and we aredeeply in their debt. Drawn from the three sponsoring organiza-

tions, members served as a microcosm of the Joint Conference,putting aside differences to reach a broad consensus on the bestdirection for the program. Committee members enjoyed puttingthis together, learning from each other, and getting a taste ofall the different things that we archivists do.

We think you'll enjoy the program, too—as well as themany other opportunities for meeting, learning, and growingas professionals that the Host Committee and conferenceorganizers are planning.

Please join us August 2–5 for DC 2006, the first-ever JointAnnual Meeting of NAGARA, COSA, and SAA! �

NAGARA, COSA, and SAA Thank the DC 2006 Program Committee!

Robert Horton, Co-ChairMinnesota Historical Society

Tom Hyry, Co-ChairYale University Library

Margaret O. AdamsNational Archives and Records Administration

Marisa BourgoinCorcoran Gallery of Art

Brenda BanksGeorgia Archives

Terry BaxterMultnomah County (Oregon) Archives

Michael Bullington, CAMcDonalds Corp

Deborah DandridgeSpencer Research Library, University of Kansas

F. Gerald HandfieldWashington State Archives

Brenda LawsonMassachusetts Historical Society

Michelle LightUniversity of Washington

Candace LoewenNational Archives of Canada

Barbara TeagueKentucky Department of Library and Archives

Danna Bell-RusselLibrary of Congress

(Ex officio—SAA 2007 Program Committee Co-Chair)

Becky Haglund Tousey, CAKraft Foods, Inc

(Ex officio—SAA 2007 Program Committee Co-Chair)Citizens of all stripes meet at the ballpark. President Calvin Coolidge shakes handswith Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson at Griffith Stadium, 1924.(Washington Star Collection, Washingtoniana Division, D.C. Public Library)

The DC 2006 Preliminary Program will be available online beginning April 1 at www.archivists.org/conference/dc2006

SAA Council Refines StrategicPriorities, Establishes “MayDay”

SAA’s Council met in Washington, D.C., in early January toconduct a second full round of strategic planning using its“Radar Screen” (see related article on page TK) and to addressa variety of issues related to public awareness and SAA admin-istration.

Council members agreed that SAA should initiate a newproject, designated “MayDay,” that encourages all archives andrecords professionals to take time once ayear—on May 1—to do three things tohelp ensure that they are prepared torespond to a disaster affecting their col-lections: 1) update contact lists with up-to-date phone numbers and emailaddresses; 2) conduct a drill so that staffmembers have experience in respondingto a fire, earthquake, flood, or other disas-ter; and 3) survey physical facilities, sup-plies, and collection conditions to identifyproblems that must be addressed in thecoming year.

SAA will invite other professionalorganizations with an interest in culturalheritage to participate in this project bypromoting awareness of the MayDayProject in their publications and encour-aging their members to participate. Theproject will be launched in mid-March,for implementation on May 1, 2006.

On January 6, Council memberswere joined by Archivist of the UnitedStates Allen Weinstein and NARA staffmembers David Brown, Debra Wall, andDavid McMillen (newly named ExternalAffairs Liaison) for a discussion of FY07funding prospects for NHPRC; develop-ment of NARA’s strategic plan; and waysin which SAA and other archival organi-zations might work with NARA tostrengthen public awareness of archivesand archivists.

In other action, Council members:

• Agreed to provide support for train-ing within the Iraq NationalArchives by funding provision of upto 25 free publications and enroll-ment of INA staff in SAA web semi-nars at no fee for two years. Thiseffort will be undertaken in collabo-ration with ARMA International.

• Adopted a mission statement for SAA’s Special Funds andasked the Development Committee to proceed with consider-ation of converting the 501(c)(3) funds to a foundation.

• Reviewed a draft, prepared by the Committee on Ethicsand Professional Conduct, of a sample guideline that mightassist members in applying the principles cited in the SAACode of Ethics to the work done by the profession.

• Appointed a task force to develop recommendationsregarding an appropriate structure to support SAA’s nonser-ial publishing program, given the decision by Richard Coxto resign as Publications Editor effective June 30, 2006.

• Charged the Fellows SteeringCommittee to review a report onRetaining the Designation of Fellow ofthe Society of American Archivists andprepare for Council consideration a rec-ommendation regarding whetherFellows whose memberships lapseshould retain their “Fellow” designation(per Section III. Membership. B.Fellows, in the SAA Constitution).

• Selected Thomas Battle, Linda Henry,and Helen Samuels to serve on the2006 Committee on the Selection ofSAA Fellows. Other committee mem-bers are past presidents TimothyEricson (chair), Leon Stout, StevenHensen, Peter Hirtle, and RandJimerson.

• Established a Student ProgramSubcommittee of the ProgramCommittee to oversee and formulatepolicy recommendations for graduatestudent paper and poster sessions at theSAA Annual Meeting.

• Approved establishment of a new SAAStudent Chapter at DominicanUniversity in Chicago.

• Conducted the executive director’sannual performance appraisal.

Minutes of the August 2005 Councilmeeting are available online atwww.archivists.org/governance/index.asp. Thedeadline for materials for consideration atthe May 4-7, 2006, Council meeting inChicago is April 7. Materials or queriesshould be sent to SAA President RichardPearce-Moses at [email protected] orExecutive Director Nancy Beaumont [email protected]. SAA membersare welcome to attend Council meetings;contact Beaumont for details. �


SAA Council meeting in D.C.(From top) U.S. Archivist Allen Weinstein and SAAPresident Richard Pearce-Moses. Council membersCarla Summers, Peter Gottlieb, and treasurerFynnette Eaton. Councilors Kathryn Neal and ChrisPaton. Councilors Aimee Felker and Peter Wosh.Photos by Teresa Brinati.

SAA’s Strategic Priorities “RadarScreen” Reviewed, UpdatedRAND JIMERSON, SAA Immediate Past President RICHARD PEARCE-MOSES, SAA President

Incorporating valuable suggestions and comments from SAAmembers and leaders on a draft Strategic Priorities docu-ment, the SAA Council has moved forward with refining andupdating the “radar screen” of critical issues that the profes-sion faces. At their January 4–7 meeting in Washington, DC,Council members spent a full day reviewing and discussingthe strategic issues statements that were first distributed toSAA members via Archival Outlook in July 2005. Written com-ments received from individual members and from sections,roundtables, and other groups before and after the annualmeeting in New Orleans in August have been a criticallyimportant contribution to the process of defining the profes-sion’s strategic issues. The depth and quality of these respons-es indicated that the SAA Council achieved its goal of gettingmembers to think about and discuss these professional issues.

Consultant Jim Dalton helped us frame a “radar screen” ofstrategic issues that “will have the greatest impact on the asso-ciation’s membership and that are within the association’scapacity to act upon effectively.” To emphasize the importanceof connecting strategic thinking to strategies for action, theseissues have been presented as single-sentence statements thatcapture a force at work in the environment that creates a com-pelling, urgent need to act. The priority concerns that theCouncil identified in 2005 focus on technological change, diver-sity (of the record and of the profession), and public awareness.

The draft statements presented in Archival Outlook raisedlegitimate concerns about a negative (“the sky is falling”) tone,which recurred throughout members’ comments. As Daltonnoted during the Council’s January 2006 review, “A strategicissue and its corresponding strategy constitute a negative/posi-tive relationship in that the issue is stated in terms of anopportunity for improvement (i.e., negative) and the strategy iswhat you do to make that improvement happen (i.e., positive).While the initial listing of strategic issues carried some dramaand drew attention to their seriousness, they may have beencast in a tone resembling a ‘lament.’ Now that the SAA Councilhas recast them to more objective statements and is ready torepresent them in the context of strategy, they [are more likelyto be] seen in a proactive light.” Council members believe thatit is essential for archivists to appreciate that these issues, ifnot addressed, pose a genuine threat to the profession. At thesame time, we also believe that the profession can addressthese issues successfully. The next version of the strategicissues document will balance the language of motivation(threat), encouragement (opportunity), and confidence (beliefin our ability to respond effectively).

The focus of our planning session in January was to revisethe strategic issues based on what we’ve heard from members

and to begin developing actions plans to address each of thepriorities.

Several responses to the draft suggested other strategicissues. The themes of professional identity and of the need forfunding and resources surfaced several times. Council mem-bers spent considerable time discussing these issues, and itwas clear that they believe these issues are important. In fact,we noted that the full “radar screen” includes these issues,although sometimes in different words. To ensure that theseissues are addressed, we identified where outcomes and actionplans can support the three highest-priority issues.

Based on what the Council learned during the first year,we are working to ensure that everyone has a better sense ofhow the planning process works, how members can haveinput on the ideas, and how the strategic issues will affectSAA’s activities. Articles in upcoming issues of ArchivalOutlook will outline the next steps and invite comments on therevised strategic issues statements and action plans. Staytuned. Your thoughts and participation are welcome—and criti-cal to preparing the profession to address these challenges andopportunities. �


* Heritage Preservation: A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report onthe State of America’s Collections, 2005. See www.heritagepreservation.org.

Protecting collections is one of your fundamentalresponsibilities as an archivist.

Last year’s visits from Katrina, Rita, and Wilma certainlyprovided a wake-up call, reminding us of the very realimportance of disaster preparedness. Ironically, the HeritageHealth Index,* released soon after the hurricanes, reportedthat few institutions have disaster plans. And for those thatdo, often the plan is out of date. Given human nature, it’s easyto put off disaster planning as we devote our attentions totasks with more immediate “payback.”

The Society of American Archivists hopes that you, yourcolleagues, and your repository will join archivists nationwide


Landmark Chicago Church—and Records—Destroyed by FireSAA to work with “community of churches”

Afire destroyed the landmark Pilgrim Baptist Church onChicago’s South Side in early January. Designed in 1890as a synagogue by architects Louis Sullivan and DankmarAdler, the outside bore their trademark archway entrances.A soaring ceiling, pillars accented with gold, and woodenpews were featured on the inside. The building became achurch during the great migration, when millions of blackSoutherners headed to Chicago, bringing along their musicaltraditions. Among them was Pilgrim’s music director for 50years, Thomas A. Dorsey, who wrote “Take My Hand,Precious Lord” and hundreds of other gospel tunes.

According to an article in the Chicago Tribune(01/09/06), Glenn Broadhead, a professor at the nearbyIllinois Institute of Technology, and a group of studentsbegan working with the church to help archive Pilgrim’sdocuments in 2002. In the article Broadhead said thatamong the items found were the original sheet music fornumerous gospel and classical arrangements and a rarecopy of Dorsey’s self-published autobiography. Broadheadalso said that the church kept meticulous records of mem-bers’ attendance and donations from the 1920s to the pres-ent. He said that eventually everything was going to bearchived in a building across the street from the church.However, the bulk of the material still had been housed inthe church and almost certainly was destroyed in the fire.

In response to this tragedy, SAA and representativesof the DuSable Museum of African American History are

exploring the possibility ofdeveloping a workshop forChicago’s “community ofchurches” that will highlight thevalue of archives and assist inidentifying, documenting, andmaintaining the types of recordstypically found in religious envi-ronments. At this time, plannersare looking at dates in May. “Itis particularly gratifying to be apart of a project that is in totalalignment with the mission ofSAA and its strategic priorities,”said SAA Education DirectorSolveig DeSutter. �

for MayDay—a collaborative campaign to improve our readi-ness to respond to disaster.

Join us in setting aside one day—May 1, 2006—to do some-thing—even if it’s something simple—to help ensure that you’re pre-pared to respond to a disaster.

MayDay focuses on doing something simple – somethingthat can be accomplished in a day but that can have a pro-found impact on your repository’s ability to respond. Here aresome ideas:

• If you don’t have a disaster plan, this may be the year tocommit to developing one. Set aside a portion of the dayto develop a timeline for completing your new plan.

• If you do have a plan, take some time to dust it off andmake sure it’s up to date.

• Read key policy documents so that the information isfresh in your mind.

• Review the MayDay information posted on SAA’s websiteto get ideas for improving your policies and plans.

• Conduct a building evacuation drill to ensure that every-one knows the plan and can identify problems with it.

• Update your staff contact information.

• Create a wallet-size version of your emergency contactroster so that you can locate people when time is critical.

For a list of suggested activities, as well as other materialsand important links, click on the MayDay graphic atwww.archivists.org.

On May 1, 2006, you can make a difference in saving ourarchives! �

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S P R I N GArchives and the Public Interest:Selected Essays by Ernst PosnerARCHIVAL CLASSICS SERIESedited by Ken Munden, with a new introduction by Angelika Menne-Haritz (ca. 214 pp.)

S U M M E RArchitectural Records: Managing Design and Construction RecordsWaverly Lowell and Tawny Ryan Nelb(ca. 250 pp.)

Photographs: Archival Care and Management Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler and Diane Vogt-O'Connor, with Helena Zinkham,Brett Carnell, and Kit Peterson(ca. 500 pp.)

FA L L Archives and Justice:A South African PerspectiveVerne Harris with a preface by Terry Cook

Understanding Archives and Manuscripts ARCHIVAL FUNDAMENTALS SERIES IIJames O'Toole and Richard J. Cox

W I N T E RArchival Facilities for the 21st Century:Balancing Collection and User NeedsThomas Wilsted

The Imperative to Preserve: Competing Definitions of Value in the World of Film PreservationKaren F. Gracy

Legal Issues for Archives and Manuscripts Menzi Behrnd-Klodt

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President George W. Bush has sent to Congress a pro-posed Fiscal Year 2007 budget for the NationalArchives and Records Administration that seeks$338,054,000, an increase of $12,519,000 over NARA’sFY 2006 appropriations of $325,535,000.

The president’s budget request will provide neces-sary funding for the National Archives to make contin-ued progress on meeting most of the goals in our strate-gic plan and to fulfill our role as the nation’s recordkeeper.

The Electronic Records Archives (ERA) program, akey NARA strategic initiative aimed at providing a meansto preserve and make accessible electronic records far intothe future, is funded in the FY 2007 request at$45,455,000, which is $7,920,000 over the FY 2006 appro-

priated level.This higher funding level will

allow NARA to build the first incre-ment of ERA and to ingest in theiroriginal formats a number of veryimportant electronic records.Subsequent versions of ERA willaddress long-term preservation andaccess issues.

As you know, the importance ofERA and the technology it is expect-ed to create is enormous—not just toNARA, but to other federal depart-

ments and agencies, state and local governments, andcountless private institutions. Without ERA and its tech-nology, many electronic records could be lost forever.

On another front, the president’s FY 2007 budgetrequest provides no funding for grants and staff supportfor the National Historical Publications and RecordsCommission (NHPRC), NARA’s grant-making arm. Overthe past four decades, NHPRC has awarded more than$168 million to 4,200 projects involving state and localgovernment archives, colleges and universities, and indi-viduals to preserve and publish important non-federalhistorical records that document American history.

It is important that the commission receiveadequate funding, for an NHPRC grant can have aprofound impact on the preservation of importanthistorical records that is far out of proportion to itsmodest dollar value.

For example, last year, NHPRC provided grants to

Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas to help in recoveringand preserving records damaged by the Gulf Coast hur-ricanes. And in the past, NHPRC grants have gone tosuch projects as The Adams Papers and collections of thepapers of other Founding Fathers as well as those ofother notable Americans, such as politicians, explorers,inventors, educators, and innovators. These are impor-tant pieces of the story of our democracy.

For NARA’s overall operating expenses, the presi-dent’s budget proposes $289,605,000, an increase ofmore than $7,000,000 compared to this year. However,this additional money will be needed to fund staff payraises as well as increases in the cost of rental spaceand security measures.

In addition, $655,000 of the operating funds will goto support the Public Interest Declassfication Board.This board was originally authorized by Congress in2001 to serve as an advisory body to the president andthe executive branch in matters regarding declassifica-tion of federal records. It is now authorized through2008, and the Information Security Oversight Office isserving as its executive secretariat.

The FY 2007 budget request also includesfunds for bringing two presidential libraries intothe NARA system.

The president has requested $3,692,000 for thestaffing, operation, and maintenance in FY 2007 of theNixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California,which is scheduled to be transferred to NARA later thisyear. In 2004, Congress changed the law governingRichard M. Nixon’s presidential records to allow themto be moved to a NARA facility outside the Washington,D.C., area.

The foundation that operates the private NixonLibrary is now retrofitting its facility to meet NARArequirements, and that work is expected to be completedthis year. Once NARA determines that the facility meetsprescribed standards, NARA will send Congress a propos-al for acceptance of the Nixon Library by the government.

The President is also asking Congress for$6,900,000 toward construction of an archival storageaddition to the Nixon facility that will house the Nixonrecords now in our College Park, Maryland, facility.Those records will be transferred to Yorba Linda instages through 2010.

“. . . the President's FY 2007budget request provides nofunding for grants and staff

support for the NationalHistorical Publications and

Records Commission . . .”

from the archivist of the united states Allen Weinstein

President Proposes $338 Million in FY 2007 for NARA



washington beat by Bruce Craig, Director of the National Coalition for [email protected]

The National Coalition for History (NCH) has received a$20,000 grant from the National Archives and RecordsAdministration (NARA) for support of a pilot project to system-atically search manuscript auction and sales websites, listings,and print catalogs to identify missing, stolen, or otherwisealienated government records. Once identified, these docu-ments are brought to the attention of NARA officials (if thedocument appears to be a federal record) or referred to offi-cials at other appropriate repositories (i.e., state or other gov-ernment archives), who then decide whether to seek recoverythrough donation, replevin, or other legal means.

Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein said, “I ampleased that the National Archives is partnering with theNational Coalition for History on this critical issue. It is imper-ative that the entire historical and archival community remainvigilant in identifying and reclaiming materials that have beenstolen from our nation’s repositories. This agreement is a stepforward in helping the National Archives recover unique his-torical documents that we hold in trust for our citizens.”

NCH has informally and rather haphazardly monitoredsuch sites over the last three years, but until now has not hadthe staff or resources to systematically monitor the sale of doc-uments and other manuscript materials for sale through vari-

ous means. As part of this initiative, NCH contract staff havelooked at 9,000 items and brought nearly 180 items that appearto be federal, state, and foreign government archival docu-ments to the attention of NARA, State Department, HomelandSecurity, and state officials. This is not to say that all the itemsidentified have gone missing or are stolen. The vast majority ofdocuments that at first appear to be from governmentalarchival holdings have been legitimately acquired or are notpart of NARA’s scope of collections, and are legally beingoffered for sale by manuscript, autograph, and document deal-ers and collectors.

In other actions to protect and recover historical records,NARA has launched the “Recover Lost and Stolen Documents”web page (www.archives.gov/research/recover/), which providesinstructions to researchers and the general public on what todo if they suspect an item has been stolen; hosted a meeting ofinternational institutions to discuss issues of document securi-ty; placed additional security controls in National Archivesresearch rooms nationwide; published a pamphlet to educatethe public about how to identify federal documents; and givenpublic recognition to individuals who help the NationalArchives recover alienated documents.

White House Issues New FOIA Executive Order On December 14, 2005, the Bush Administration issued a

new Executive Order on the Freedom of Information Act(FOIA) (see www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12.20051214).According to a White House press statement, the order seeksto improve and heighten responsiveness to members of thepublic who are seeking information through FOIA. However,the EO's refinements in administrative procedures do not grap-ple with root FOIA problems inherent at the agency level thathinder the expeditious processing of requests.

While the impact of the new EO on the filing and process-ing of FOIA requests is minimal, according to Hill insiders, thechanges requested by the Bush White House at the agencylevel may be an indication that the White House “is feelingsome pressure to do something positive on the FOIA front” inlight of the pending Corynan/Lehey FOIA reform bill—a meas-ure that has garnered considerable bipartisan interest by somemembers of the Senate.

NHPRC Switches to Grants.GovOn January 4, 2006, the National Historical Publications and

Records Commission (NHPRC) announced that it has switchedits application process to Grants.gov, the federal website designedto accept online grant applications. In the past, the printed guide-lines were distributed to potential applicants who then wouldmail in their completed forms. Now the process can be donecompletely online. Applicants who cannot access Grants.gov, candownload the forms and submit applications via e-mail directlyto NHPRC or by delivering completed printed applications. Foradditional information, visit www.archives.gov/nhprc.

Nixon Library Agrees to Deed of Gift for Nixon Political MaterialsNARA has released a copy of the draft deed of gift agree-

ment that it will enter into with the Richard Nixon Library andBirthplace Foundation once the private library is absorbed intothe presidential library system. That donation is expected totake place later this year. According to NARA officials, “TheNixon Foundation has agreed to the terms [of the agreement]and will sign the deed at the time of transfer of the NixonLibrary to the National Archives.”

History Coalition to Monitor and Help Recover Missing, Stolen,or Alienated Documents


Southeast Archives Education Collaborative To ContinueIn November 2005, five universities signed on to continue

the Southeast Archives Education Collaborative (SAEC), thusensuring the future of the course-sharing initiative establishedby Elizabeth Dow at Louisiana State University (LSU). Theparticipants include three schools of library and informationscience—LSU, Indiana University (IU), and the University ofKentucky (UK)—and two history departments—AuburnUniversity (AU), Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).

Under the agreement, each school offers one class per aca-demic year to the collaborative partners and, in return, receivesthe classes offered by the other schools. SAEC classes addressadvanced topics in archives management and are limited to 35students each. The partnership uses compressed video deliv-ered via Internet 2 to conduct the classes live, in real time.Each student enrolls at his or her home institution, pays homecampus tuition, and receives credit from the home school.

The fall 2005 classes included “A-V Archives” from UK,taught by Deidre Scaggs, and “Advanced Appraisal” from AU,taught by Joseph Turrini. The spring 2006 classes include“Electronic Records Management,” taught by Phil Bantin at IU,and “Electronic Description of Archival Materials,” taught byElizabeth Dow at LSU.

Each school offers its own foundation course—”Archives101.” To ensure that all students taking the advanced classesbring similar backgrounds to the SAEC classes, the foundation

course instructors regularly meet for weekend sessions with aninstructional designer to “harmonize” the educational objec-tives and units of study for the foundation course.

As expected, the SAEC has substantially deepened thearchives education students at partner schools can attain.Students have consistently rated it as a highly valuable oppor-tunity which greatly enhances their ability to find a job in anarchival institution.

While students acknowledge that distance education hasits drawbacks, they believe the benefits substantially outweighthe short-comings. They also report that the compressed videoformat, which allows verbal and sight interaction among theconnected sites, provides a more thoughtful and richer educa-tional experience than the Web-based classes they have taken.For more information, visit slis.lsu.edu/saec/saec.html.

Columbia to Offer Graduate Archives ProgramColumbia University’s School of Continuing Education

will launch a Master of Science in Information and ArchiveManagement in fall 2006. The program is designed for mid-career professionals who already work in information environ-ments and want to systemize and enhance their knowledgeand skills. For more information, visit www.ce.columbia.edu/infoarchive/.

CoSA Launches “Closest to Home” ProjectThe Council of State Archivists (CoSA) has received a two-

year grant from the National Historical Publications andRecords Commission (NHPRC) which includes $170,869 tosupport a project designed to lay the groundwork for strongerlocal government archives in each state. The project will ana-lyze current conditions and determine what services, stan-dards, and funding strategies will work best to ensure the long-term preservation of and access to local government records.

Local government records represent the foundation of theU.S. archival system and are truly “Closest to Home,” createdand used in the communities in which we, as citizens, live andwork. They are arguably the records that most affect our dailylives and those of our neighbors, documenting our marriages;the education of our children; the homes, land, and businesseswe own; the social services we receive; and civil and criminallegal proceedings in our communities.

A nine-member Task Force will oversee the project. KayeLanning Minchew, Director of the Troup County (GA)Archives, and Roy H. Tryon, State Archivist and RecordsAdministrator of the South Carolina Department of Archivesand History, will co-chair the Task Force. Three Expert Panelswill support the work of the Task Force, each representing asector with a strong interest in improving archival programsfor local government records: local government officials, usersof local government records, and archivists who work directlywith local government records. The Task Force will alsoengage three consultants to prepare reports on the key issues


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affecting local government records of long-term value.Additional details are available at www.statearchivists.org/lga/.

Harvard to Develop Global Digital Format RegistryThe Harvard University Library has received a grant of

$600,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for thedevelopment of a registry of authoritative information aboutdigital formats. The two-year project will result in a newGlobal Digital Format Registry (GDFR), which will become akey international infrastructure component for the digitalpreservation programs of libraries, archives and other institu-tions with the responsibility for keeping digital resourcesviable over time. For current information and updates onGDFR, visit http://hul.harvard.edu/gdfr.

Independence Seaport Museum Receives GrantThe Albert M. Greenfield Foundation has awarded

Independence Seaport Museum’s maritime library a $50,000grant for a one-year project to organize and catalog two recent-ly acquired primary source document collections—the recordsof Seamen’s Church Institute of Philadelphia, a “home awayfrom home” for seafarers since the 1840s, and the records ofJohn E. Hand & Sons Co., a major supplier to the U.S. Navyduring World War II and a local manufacturer of nauticalinstruments dating back to 1873. Finding aids will be createdto enable researchers to locate the specific materials they need.For more information, visit www.phillyseaport.org.

Bancroft Centennial Exhibition“The Bancroft Library at 100” commemorates the library’s

arrival on the University of California, Berkeley, campus in1906 and celebrates its evolution as the most accessible andheavily used special collections library in the country. Fromvaults, print files, and shelves of cartons and boxes, the

Bancroft’s curators selected an array of rare materials thatruns the gamut from ancient Egyptian papyri to the earliestmaps of California to photographs documenting the construc-tion of the new span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.The exhibition is arranged thematically, incorporating itemsfrom all aspects of the Bancroft’s collections. The themesinclude Exploration and Natural History, Indigenous World,Landscape and Environmentalism, Literary Manuscripts,Political Encounters, and Campus Life and History. In show-casing some of the treasures of the Bancroft Library, the exhi-bition articulates the library’s distinguished past while envi-sioning its future as an active collecting institution. For moreinformation, visit http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/events/program.pdf.

William G. Myers Collection Opening and ExhibitsThe Medical Heritage Center at the Prior Health Sciences

Library at The Ohio State University Medical Centerannounces the May 2006 opening of the William G. Myers,MD, PhD collection. Myers was a pioneer in the field ofnuclear medicine. His contributions to the profession includethe development of radioactive gold seeds for interstitial thera-py and the introduction of more radioisotopes (eleven) intonuclear medicine than any other individual.

MHC’s website will feature a Myers virtual exhibit and anew digital library with the Myers Collection serving as thepilot collection. Visit http://mhc.med.ohio-state.edu/. In addi-tion, on May 25, 2006, as part of the opening festivities, HenryWagner MD (a long-time associate of Myers, and author ofAtoms for Life: A Personal History of Nuclear Medicine), will lec-ture on the history of nuclear medicine and Myers’s role inthat history. For more information, contact Mary Manning [email protected] or 614/292-9966.

Getty Fund for New OrleansThe Getty Foundation has established a special fund of

$2 million to assist visual arts organizations in New Orleansas they recover from the impact of Hurricane Katrina and thesubsequent flooding. (While this special fund has beendesigned to provide concentrated assistance in New Orleans,the Foundation will also consider support through its regulargrant categories for other organizations in the region dam-aged by the storm.) Grants will range from $5,000–$250,000depending on the scope of the project and size of the organi-zation. For more information about the Fund for NewOrleans, visit www.getty.edu/grants/fund_for_new_orleans/index.html.

Research Center EstablishedThe University of Southern Mississippi’s newly estab-

lished Hurricane Katrina Research Center will provideresearchers and others with a definitive source for informa-tion about the worst natural disaster to hit the United States.The center will serve as a repository that collects, preserves,and provides both physical and virtual access to documentaryevidence related to Hurricane Katrina. Faculty and staff atthe university are already working to build a comprehensivearchive of research materials in a variety of formats, includ-ing photographs, oral histories, architectural records, andstorm and recovery video, among others. The center is active-ly seeking donations of these items and others. For moreinformation, contact 601/266-4241 [email protected].

In Hurricane Katrina’s Wake . . .



world view Thomas Connors, University of Maryland

Nelson Mandela’s “Prison Archive”Penguin Books has published A Prisoner in the Garden –

Opening Nelson Mandela’s Prison Archive. This beautifully writ-ten and designed book tells the story—by means of photo-graphs, document facsimiles, and text—of the time NelsonMandela spent in a variety of South African prisons, startingfrom his first incarceration in 1952 to his 1990 release fromVictor Verster prison where he’d been carrying out a life sen-tence. Photos include those of his family and of his comradesin the anti-apartheid struggle as well as of himself at RobbenIsland. Documents include pages from his prison journal andfrequently redacted correspondence. There are also many photosof Mandela in his current role as founder of the Nelson MandelaFoundation. A Prisoner in the Garden is the product of theMandela Foundation’s Centre of Memory and Commemoration.This book is the first of what will be a series of publicationsdedicated to enriching social memory through the dissemina-tion of unique archival materials.

Salamanca Civil War Archive Returns to CataloniaIn mid-January, Spain’s leading court decided that thou-

sands of documents from the Salamanca Civil War Archive canreturn to Catalonia 67 years after their removal by Francoistsfollowing the defeat of the Republican forces in the SpanishCivil War. A first batch of some 500 boxes of documentsarrived at the National Catalan Archive at Sant Cugat delValliès in Barcelona at the end of the month. Other installmentsare expected to arrive later this year. The action of the NationalCourt followed a number of legal battles in Spanish courts overthe ultimate disposition of papers of anti-fascist individuals,political organizations and labor unions seized by Franco. Thepapers had been housed at the Colegio de San Ambrosio inSalamanca and at the Audiencia Nacional in Madrid. In June2005, around 100,000 people demonstrated in Salamanca

against the move to replevin the archive. The demonstration,organized by the Salamanca city government, was led by themayor and local business and social leaders.

Two Canadian Archival Organizations to CollaborateThe Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) has agreed to

provide administrative and management services to theNational Archival Appraisal Board (NAAB) in October 2006.The NAAB assists Canadian repositories in the monetaryappraisal of materials being offered to them. Originally an armof the Canadian Historical Association, NAAB became inde-pendent in 1976. The CCA is a national non-profit organizationdedicated to nurturing and sustaining the work of over 800archival organizations across Canada. The appraisals arrangedby the NAAB are often used to establish monetary value fordonors wishing to take advantage of the relevant sections ofthe Canadian Income Tax Act.

Family History Day in ScotlandA Family History Day was held in Edinburgh on February

11, 2006, as a joint activity of the National Archives of Scotlandand BBC Scotland. It tied in with the current popular BBC pro-gram “Who Do You Think You Are?” which shows viewers howto research their family history. ScotlandsPeople, the GeneralRegister Office for Scotland, the Court of Lord Lyon, and theLiving Memory Association also were represented at the event.On Family History Day, archivists and genealogical expertshelped people trace their family trees, design Coats of Arms,examine artifacts that their ancestors may have owned andused, and view historical family photographs. BBC FamilyHistory Days also were held in London and other UK cities incooperation with local and national archival institutions.

9 Million Pages on National Archives of Australia WebsiteThe enlistment form of Private Lance Gardner, who joined

the Australian army in August 1940, has become the nine mil-lionth page to be digitized and loaded onto the NationalArchives of Australia website. Among the millions of digitizedpages are Prime Ministers’ files, Cabinet records, trademarks,and immigration documents. The most frequent requests fordigitized documents are for war service records. The Archivesdigitizing team scans and loads an average of 134,000 docu-ments each month. For more information, visit www.naa.au/.

Archives of Central EuropeThe most recent issue of Comma (2004.3–4), the journal of

the International Council on Archives, focuses on “Archives ofCentral Europe” and is co-edited by Nancy Bartlett, Jörg Ludwig,Lothar Saupe, and Anna Svenson. SAA is exploring making thisissue available in its catalog. Stay tuned for details. �

Chinese Translation of Two American Archivist ArticlesSichuan University in Chengdu, China, requested per-

mission to translate two of SAA’s Theodore Calvin PeaseAward-winning articles from the American Archivist and topublish them in a Chinese archival periodical. The 2002award winner, “A Comparison of Jenkinson andSchellenberg on Appraisal” by Reto Tschan (AmericanArchivist 65:2) made its Chinese debut in Archives andConstruction (2005/1), which is published under the auspicesof the Jiangsu Provincial Archives Bureau and the JiangsuProvincial Archives Society. Next up is the 2003 PeaseAward winner, “Trusting Archives: The Role of ArchivalEthics Codes in Establishing Public Faith” by GlennDingwall (67:1), which is slated to appear in another issueof that same periodical.

EDITED BY

Margaret ProcterMichael Cook

Caroline Williams

The 20 essaysin this volume resulted

from an important international conferenceheld in 2003 at the Liverpool University Centre for

Archive Studies in the United Kingdom. The contribu-tors come from a breadth of disciplines (history, archives, the

law, social and anthropological sciences) and from a wide-ranginggeographical area (Australasia, Asia, Europe, Africa and NorthAmerica). Topics addressed include use of records as a tool of govern-ment; destruction of records as a political act; effects of corruption orideology on the record; secrecy and accountability; and the nature anduse of records resulting from repressive policies.

“Each of the essaysin this book is acompelling case studydemonstrating how tocope with both the powersof the record and the politi-cal pressure by governmentaland non-governmental powersin any society. Reading thisbook—and discussing the issues—will strengthen the moral sensitivityand professional ethos of every archivistand recordkeeping professional.”

— Eric Ketelaar, Professor of Archivistics,University of Amsterdam, andHonorary Professor, MonashUniversity, Melbourne, Australia

POLITICAL PRESSUREARCHIVAL RECORDARCHIVAL RECORDand the

Society of American Archivists (2005)345 pp., Soft cover

US$42.00(US$29.95 for SAA members)

Product Code: 480

To order this title, or browse 200+ archival titles, visitwww.archivists.org/catalog



currents

LAURIE BATY is the new Director ofMuseum Programs at the National LawEnforcement Museum in Washington, D.C.The museum is due to open in 2009 and willhelp to generate a better understanding andappreciation of the vital contributions lawofficers have made to the nation. Baty was

formerly Deputy Director, Collections, Special Projects, at theUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

PAUL CONWAY, Director of InformationTechnology Services at Duke UniversityLibraries in Durham, N.C., was the recipi-ent of the 2005 Paul Banks and CarolynHarris Preservation Award, which recog-nizes the contribution of an outstandingprofessional preservation specialist who has

been active in the field of preservation and/or conservation forlibrary and/or archival materials. Conway began his professionalcareer in 1982 as an archivist in the Gerald R. Ford PresidentialLibrary. Throughout his career he has continued articulating thenature of preservation for digital content and exploring theapplication of digital tools in preservation through numerouspublications, professional service, and public speaking. In all ofhis work as a leader, administrator, and teacher, Conway isknown for his creativity, intellectual curiosity, analytical ability,and unflinching desire to ask and tackle the toughest questions.

JIM CORRIDAN was appointed Director of the IndianaCommission on Public Records (ICPR) and State Archivist inJanuary. Corridan has served as interim director of the agencysince August 15, 2005. Previously, Corridan was president ofThe Corridan Group, a management consulting firm, and hasalso served as executive vice president of the Sigma PiEducational Foundation. He is currently a member of theboard of governors of the Vincennes (Indiana) Historical &Antiquarian Society and is a director of the Vincennes/KnoxPreservation Foundation.

The Minnesota Historical Society hasappointed MICHAEL J. FOX as its DeputyDirector. His responsibilities now includeall library, archives, museum, historicsites, marketing, historic preservation,publications, and web programs and facili-ties. He formerly served as the Assistant

Director for Library, Archives, and Publications.

LUCIANA DURANTI, Professor in thegraduate programs at the University ofBritish Columbia (UBC) School of Library,Archival and Information Studies since1987, will be honored in March as one ofthe recipients of the UBC Killam ResearchPrize. This prestigious award is made

annually to prominent researchers at UBC in recognition oftheir outstanding achievements. Duranti is being cited for hercontributions to the field of archival studies as it addresses thechallenge of the long-term preservation of the authenticity ofrecords created and maintained in digital form. She has initiat-ed and led two internationally-funded research projects,InterPARES (International Research on Permanent AuthenticRecords in Electronic Systems) I and II. She has also receivedfunding from UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme tosupport the dissemination of the InterPARES Project’s results inthe Caribbean and Latin America.

JOHANNE PELLETIER was recentlyappointed to the position of Secretary-General of McGill University, where shewill coordinate and facilitate effectiveoperations of university governance,including both Senate and the Board ofGovernors, providing guidance and sup-

port on all university activities conducted by these governingbodies. An alumna and member of the McGill communitysince 1997, Pelletier served as University Archivist andDirector of Archives and Records Management, and recentlyas Associate Secretary-General. Prior to joining McGill,Pelletier served as Archives Advisor with the Ontario Ministryof Culture and Communication.

PATRICIA LYN (PAT) SCOTT retired inDecember as Manager of the RecordsAnalysis Section at the Utah State Archivesafter 21 years of service. Her most signifi-cant achievement was creating Utah’s localgovernment records program and directingit for 20 years. After graduating from

Wayne State University in 1977 she began her professionalcareer at the Salt Lake City Public Library. A Certified Archivist,Scott remains active in the Conference of IntermountainArchivists, Society of California Archivists, and SAA. Sherecently co-edited with Linda Thatcher Women in Utah:Paradigm or Paradox? (Utah State University Press, 2005). Allprofits from sales of the book will be used to create an annualaward to recognize the best article on women’s history in Utah.Scott will be continuing her career in historical writing as wellas a consulting archivist.

SHELLEY SWEENEY, Head of the University of ManitobaArchives and Special Collections, was recently appointedSecretary General of the Bureau of Canadian Archivists. Thebur

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