Principio Del Continuo

7/24/2019 Principio Del Continuo

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In Search of the Continuum: Ian

Maclean's 'Australian Experience'

Essays on Recordkeeping

FRA! "#$AR%

Introduction: &heory and Experience

In 1958 Ian Maclean, then Chief Archives Officer with the Archives Division of the

Commonwealth National Library, tore! North American an! "ro#ean archival

instittions loo$in% for best #ractices an! sitable #atterns for strctrin% archival

services& It was a #rel!e to the creation of the Commonwealth Archives Office in 19'1as a se#arate entity& (hile there was mch that Maclean %leane! from the overseas tri#,

there seeme! to be little that ma!e him !obt the vali!ity of frther !evelo#in% the

Division)s own a##roach, which was to see$ answers to the #roblems of twentieth

centry recor!s thro%h a #ra%matic mi* of Astralian e*#erience, an n!erstan!in% of

"ro#ean archival theory measre! a%ainst that e*#erience, an! a critical analysis of

overseas #ractice& +he reslt has been an Astralian a##roach to recor!$ee#in% broa!ly

strctre! within conce#ts !erive! from "ro#e, bt with si%nificantly !ifferent

#rinci#les more site! for recor!s of the mi!twentieth centry&

It has ta$en thirty years, an! the a!vent of electronic recor!s mana%ement

consi!erations to the archival scene, for recor!$ee#in% theory to receive the style ofconstant scrtiny an! new e*#ression that it ha! receive! in the Archives Division&

"mbe!!e! in the new Office)s a##roach to archival #ractice was Maclean)s belief that if

archivists ha! a se#arate #rofessional i!entity then it was !erive! from a #rofessional

st!y which revolve! aron! three elements-

the st!y of the characteristics of recor!s materials,

the com#arative st!y of #ast an! #resent recor!$ee#in% systems, an!

the classification #roblems associate! with these&1

Ian Maclean note! that sch theory-

& & & in whatever form it may ltimately ta$e, is also the essential %ron!wor$ of archival

trainin%& I say in whatever form becase I am well aware that, even if its main #rinci#les

contine to stan! # to #rofessional criticism, it nee!s mch clarification an!

a!.stment, not only in terms of lo%ical ar%ment bt also in the li%ht of the #ractical

e*#erience of archivists an! recor!s mana%ers&/

0It is the ob.ective of this essay to carry forwar! the !elaye! #rocess of clarification

an! a!.stment by e*aminin% two articles written by Ian Maclean in which he

commnicate! the Archives Division)s recor!$ee#in% e*#erience to internationala!iences-
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)Astralian "*#erience in 2ecor!s an! Archives Mana%ement) in The American Archivist, vol&//, no&3,Oct& 1959, ##&484318&)An analysis of en$inson)s 6Manal of Archive A!ministration6 in the li%ht of Astralian "*#erience) in

Essays in Memory of Sir Hilary Jenkinson, e!ite! for the 7ociety of Archivists by Albert "&& ollaen!er,19'/, ##&1/815/&

+he first article, which Maclean wrote at the behest of archivists in North America, 4!ealt with the natre of the archival #rofession, the trainin% of archivists, an! the ne*s

between archives an! recor!s mana%ement& +he %reatest em#hasis is #on re%istry

#ractices which the Archives Division ha! hel#e! revitalie !rin% the 195:s& +heir

st!ies ha! stri##e! ot time consmin% corres#on!ence re%istration activities an!

create! a well controlle! metho!olo%y for #reaction filin%& 2ecor!s mana%ement in the

Commonwealth, with the fll s##ort of the ;blic 7ervice


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e*#erience with similar #ro.ects& Maclean ten!e! to re#resent as an easy tas$ the

sccess of the Division)s #erio! as a hnter an! %atherer of archives& +he

Commonwealth %overnment ha! not been forme! ntil 19:1 an!, altho%h it inherite!

some nineteenth centry recor!s, in an international sense it ha! few )ol!) recor!s to !eal

with&

Maclean was not im#resse! with the a##roach a!o#te! by many archivists in the ?7A!rin% the 195:s, which %ave archival #rimacy to the thir! %ro#, the historical

archivist& e ho#e! for an easin% of the tensions between archives an! recor!s

mana%ement case! by the oover Commission re#ort of 1939, ar%in% that with the

re#ort

the new era of recor!s mana%ement was lanche!, in other contries as well as in the

?nite! 7tates@ an! many archivists retreate! to a !efensive #osition in which they

visalise! themselves as historians servin% historians, ma$in% only occasional sorties

into the !omain of recor!s mana%ement with res#ect to the a##raisal of recor!s for

archival #r#oses& 8

In #rivate corres#on!ence Maclean went as far as ar%in% that the tre archivist was the

recor!s mana%er, e=atin% sch #eo#le with the first of his three branches& As he wrote

in 1958 to Dr rover of the ?7 National Archives an! 2ecor!s 7ervice,

It seems to me that the archival #rofession is n!er%oin% si%nificant chan%e& +he so

calle! recor!s mana%ers are really the archivists of the twentieth centry& It is really

necessary to start to thin$ of archivists as we have $nown them to !ate as becomin%

what I mi%ht call, for want of a better term, historical archivists& I say this for two

reasons& In the first case, the recor!s of the mi!twentieth centry are consi!erably

!ifferent in form, =ality an! =antity to the recor!s of the nineteenth centry& In thesecon! case, many archivists have cease! to be concerne! #rimarily with collectin% the

recor!s of the #ast for se by the #resent %eneration an! are now concerne! with

or%anisin% the recor!s of the #resent for se in the imme!iate ftre& 9

Maclean was %reetin% a false !awn& +he sccessfl systematiation of re%istry #rocesses

!iminishe! the nee! for recor!s mana%ers to n!erstan! the ran%e of conce#ts that went

into the !evelo#ment of the system& 2ecor!s mana%ers became #artici#ants in the

#rocesses of a!ministrative recor!$ee#in% an! lm#ers an! carters of the #hysical

recor!& +hey !i! not emer%e as re%istrars, as mana%ers of the recor!$ee#in% #rocesses,

a#art from the few e*ce#tions to the %eneral tren!& 1:
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+rounding the Continuum: Characteristics of Records Materials

+he Division acce#te! en$inson)s conce#t of the archival !ocment as its startin%

#oint, broa!ly a%reein% with the !efinition en$inson offere! in 193> to st!ents of the

new corse at ?niversity Colle%e Lon!on that

Archives are the Docments accmlate! by a natral #rocess in the corse of theCon!ct of Affairs of any $in!, ;blic or ;rivate, at any !ate@ an! #reserve! thereafter

for 2eference, in their own Csto!y, by the #ersons res#onsible for the Affairs in

=estion or their sccessors& 11

Maclean himself, while not wishin% to s#en! time on !efinitions of archives in his

articles, #ro#ose! some interestin% mo!ifications to the en$inson !efinition of archival

!ocments, incl!in% a re.ection of the notion that they ha! to be #reserve! thereafter

for reference& e also #t forwar! a s%%estion that it is not .st their stats as

!ocments that have to be consi!ere! bt also whether sch !ocments achieve archive

Bor recor! stats only when they are ma!e #art of the recor!& or those alert to the

#hiloso#hical nances, Maclean can be rea! as s%%estin% that recor!s creation is not anatral #rocess, bt involves a conscios !ecision to ca#tre a recor!&1/

In ma$in% these s%%estions Maclean stri##e! the !efinition bac$ to its conce#tal

ori%ins, which can be fon! in the te*t of the nineteenth centry Dtch archivists,

Mller, eith an! rin, an! their !efinition of an archief, which in the "n%lish

translation is ina!e=ately !escribe! as an archival collection-

An archival collection is the whole of the written !ocments, !rawin%s an! #rinte!

matter, officially receive! or #ro!ce! by an a!ministrative bo!y or one of its officials,

in so far as these !ocments were inten!e! to remain in the csto!y of that bo!y or of

that official&14

An archive in the Dtch !efinition is a creation bilt # in the con!ct of bsiness, not a

collection, as most #eo#le n!erstan! the term& Maclean)s conce#t of incor#oration into

the official recor! is mch closer to the ori%inal meanin%& An archief of the ty#e

!escribe! in the Dtch manal is produced& It is never collected& +he intention of

$ee#in% the recor! at the time of creation matters, which in a sense !enies the

natralness of the #rocess& Many archivists since the nineteenth centry have ar%e!

that recor!$ee#in% systems collect, rather than ca#tre, recor!s, or have trie! alon% with

en$inson to !istin%ish between archive ma$in% an! archive $ee#in% by %ivin% a

#reservation twist to the latter bt both ar%ments !iver%e from basic conce#tal#ro#ositions abot the natre of an archive in the sense otline! in Mller, eith an!

rin)s manal, whatever they may say abot an archival collection& 13

en$inson ha! never acce#te! that a%e was a test for i!entifyin% the =ality of archives

an! was aware of the artificiality of the archivesErecor!s !istinction an! the manner in

which this was #she! too far by North American archivists& 15 In the Archives

Division there was %eneral a%reement with en$inson)s n!erstan!in% that archives an!

recor!s were, in their characteristics, mch the same thin%, an! this ha! ma.or

ramifications in the manner in which en$inson)s conce#ts of moral an! #hysical

!efence an! continos csto!y were inter#rete!& en$inson ac$nowle!%e! that archives

=ality is !e#en!ent #on csto!ians an! assi%ne! to them the tas$ of settin% asi!ematerial for #reservation in official csto!y& is #ractical %i!ances for moral an!
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#hysical !efence were narrowly csto!ial in that the focs was on recor!s that ha! been

transferre! to an archival re#ository& 1'

or ol!er recor!s, en$inson col! have his ca$e an! eat it too& +he evi!ential =alities

of the material in csto!y !e#en!e! #on #rovin% )an nblemishe! line of res#onsible

csto!ians), bt the best site for sch material was an archives, where #hysical csto!y%ave the archivist the chance to loo$ towar!s both the moral an! #hysical !efence of the

material& 1> en$inson !evelo#e! his #rinci#les within this framewor$, this final

csto!ial characteristic of the recor!s material, bt, as Maclean ha! note! to rover,

twentieth centry %overnment recor!s were )consi!erably !ifferent in form, =ality, an!

=antity), an! this re=ire! a !ifferent view of the csto!ial chain&

en$inson)sManualbriefly ac$nowle!%e! that, for #r#oses of csto!ial continity, the

archivist mi%ht have to %o ot of his way to secre the csto!y of archives with which

he is not #rimarily concerne!& 18or an archival instittion with an interest in crrent

recor!$ee#in%, a brief ac$nowle!%ment can be inter#rete! as an o#en invitation& +he

Archives Division investi%ate! csto!ial continity for recor!s of the #resent tie! to ana##roach base! on the characteristics of the archives themselves an! crrent

recor!$ee#in% #rocesses& en$inson)s !efence conce#ts were thereby lin$e! to

consi!erations of the evi!ential =alities of recor!s in a crrent recor!$ee#in% conte*t,

an! en$inson)s notion of continos csto!y became a #ointer to the nee! to #reserve

the athenticity an! im#artiality of archival !ocments thro%h a recor!$ee#in%

continm& 19 +he a##roach that sbse=ently !evelo#e! in the Commonwealth

Archives Office is enca#slate! well in the followin% comment written by eral!

ischer in 19>/-

In the #resent view of recor!s mana%ement, scarcely any time is left for !st to settle on

recor!s before they are the sb.ect of archival scrtiny, transfer an! control& +here is

often no settlin% !own #rocess for recor!s in a #rely a!ministrative way so that they

fin! their own a!ministrative historical level& More #ryin% than ministers of the Crown

were at royal births, archivists are on the scene from the very #oint of conce#tion of

recor!s& +his is nseemly to say the least an! & & & may well #ro!ce some very waywar!

behavior & & & /:

0In #rece#t, ischer is the en$insonian reiteratin% rles of ob.ectivity& Conce#tally,

however, the Commonwealth Archives Office)s staff col! claim to be the

en$insonians& /1 +hey were hel#in% to establish recor!$ee#in% #rocesses which

atten!e! to the moral an! #hysical !efence of the archives an! #ai! res#ect to notions of

their continos csto!y& 7ome believe! that the !st wol! cho$e those %overnmentarchival instittions which waite! for it to settle on the recor!s of the secon! half of the

twentieth centry&

Finding #ro*enance: the Comparati*e Study of #ast and #resent Recordkeeping

Systems

+he increase in bl$ an! com#le*ity of %overnment recor!s is a %lobal #henomenon, bt

reactions to it in terms of recor!s creation #rocesses have varie! from contry to

contry& "ven within "ro#ean theory, as Davi!


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#ro%rams an! theories of National Archives& On the recor!$ee#in% ma# Astralia in the

mi!twentieth centry can be #lotte! alon%si!e the Dtch an!


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Respect des fondswas a #rinci#le !evelo#e! in rance relevant to the #re#aration of

inventories an! the #hysical %ro#in% of recor!s in re#ositories& It was a classification

system for recor!$ee#in% entities #itche! more at what Chris rley has !escribe! as

the )ambient) level& In its ori%inal conce#tion Michel Dchein has note! that it ha! little

to say on the internal !imensions of strctre relatin% to the #rocess of recor!s creation&

/>As a #rinci#le its fnctionality can be fon! in the manner in which it can !eal withthe .ri!ical Bor le%al entity at a broa! level& +he fonds is the framewor$ in which

recor!s are create!, bt it is not the creatin% a%ent itself& It is a sefl fiction&/8

+heprovenienzprinzip, on the other han! ha! as its com#anion the registraturprinzip,

which im#ose! control on re%istry recor!s, which were the bo!y of official recor!s,

re%istere! before action in accor!ance with a classification scheme base! on the

a!ministrative ob.ects of the or%anisation itself& In a very stron% sense %ermanic

#rovenance %ives e*#ression to #rovenance at the time of recor!s creation& Its

fnctionality as a #rinci#le is !erive! from the re%istration or!er, which reflects the

activities of the entities creatin% the recor!s& 2ecor!s have their internal strctre

im#ose! #on them as a reslt of crrent recor!$ee#in% #rocesses base! on theactivities of the or%anisation that create! them&

+hese #rinci#les seem to have been bro%ht to%ether near the en! of the nineteenth

centry by Mller, eith an! rin within their a##roach to the or!erin% of an archive&

/9


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!evelo#ment of conce#ts an! #rece#ts B%eneral notions an! #ractical rles by which the

#rocess will be carrie! ot, secon! a #lan or schema is nee!e! for im#lementation, an!

thir! im#lementation occrs& +he ob.ect of the e*ercise is cate%oriation, an! the

#lacement of entities within the cate%ories& +his is a fairly obvios a##roach which

#articlar a##lications of the #rocess ten! to obscre& (ithin #rofessional tho%ht

classification has ten!e! to ta$e on #articlar meanin%s& +hs in the nineteenth centry,with %reat clarity an! some ori%inality, Mller, eith an! rin #ro!ce! the manal,

which followe! stan!ar! rational tho%ht of the time abot classin%& It ha! conce#ts an!

rles, an! as !iscsse! above it #ro#ose! a schemata for #reservin% or reestablishin% an

archief)s !orsal s#ine& It was base! on a!ministrative ob.ects as reflecte! in the

strctres of recor!s creatin% entities, was #hysically im#lemente! within re#ositories,

an! was mirrore! in the inventories of recor!s&

+he Dtch wor! se! in the title of the manal, ordinen, can be variosly translate!&

)Or!erin%), )arran%ement) an! )classement) are some of the terms which have been se!&

43+here is a ten!ency, however, for )arran%ement) to !is#lace classification in archival

terminolo%y an! for the !escri#tion of recor!s to become the focs for the !evelo#mentof schema by which recor!s are #lace!& 45+he #hysical #rocesses of #lacin% recor!s

into archival systems have !ominate! ways of thin$in% abot or or!erin% #rocesses&

+he Archives Division)s tho%ht abot the characteristics of twentieth centry recor!s

an! its st!y of recor!$ee#in% systems, s%%este! that or!erin% or classificatory

#rocesses are mltifacete!& In en$inson)s Manual, classificatory #rocesses are wi!ely

!iscsse!, sin% terms li$e !ifferentiation, an! the #lacin% of recor!s& As Maclean

#ointe! ot, this refsal to face # to the com#le*ities involve! in classifyin%

!ocments is a##arent in the writin% of +&2& 7chellenber%& 4'In a recor!s mana%ement

conte*t 7chellenber% claime! that )Classification, as a##lie! to #blic recor!s, means

the arran%ement of them accor!in% to a #lan !esi%ne! to ma$e them available for

crrent se), a narrow se of the term which loses contact with notions of #lacement an!

!ifferentiation&

In the Archives Division, however, a more classical notion of classin% was !evelo#e!&

Maclean was ncomfortable with the #rofessional meanin%s that were !evelo#in%

aron! the term an! !efine! it broa!ly an! with im#recision& e saw 7chellenber%)s

!efinition cite! above as a threat to the #ro#er service #rovision of archivists becase it

!eem#hasie! the evi!ential stats of recor!s an! ma!e se the raison !)etre& 4> It

chan%e! recor!$ee#in%, which involves on%oin% classificatory #rocesses, into recor!s

mana%ement& 2ecor!s mana%ement classification, from a tilitarian #oint of view,

serves a narrow ran%e of #r#oses& (hen it is viewe!, as the Division viewe! it, as a$ey com#onent in the or!erin% of the recor! the focs of its #ractice is %reatly

e*#an!e!& 48

Alternative terms for the meanin% that classification ha! within the Divisions)s

!iscorse incl!e the en$insonian terms )#lacin%) an! )!ifferentiation)& A more mo!ern

inter#retation of the term, as it was se!, mi%ht be )the establishment of #rocesses for

!ocment !iscrimination) an! )the #lacement of !ocments within recor!$ee#in%

systems)& +hs Maclean)s American Archivistarticle !iscsse! classin% in relation to

!ifferentiation into series of recor!s, to filema$in%, to mailhan!lin%, an! to

!is#osition, with an overri!in% em#hasis #on classifyin% the activities which #ro!ce!

the recor!s&
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+his as#ect of the Astralian recor!$ee#in% continm brin%s it in to ali%nment with the

service base! version !evelo#e! by the Cana!ian archivist, ay Atherton some twenty

five years later& Atherton)s continm was a revision of the life history mo!el base!, on

a reco%nition that the #arallels between archives an! recor!s mana%ement were reveale!

if yo switche! from thin$in% abot the #hysical tas$s involve! in mana%in% the recor!

an! tho%ht abot the mana%ement tas$s within a service focs& e #ro#ose! a forsta%e mo!el- creation or recei#t, classification within some #re!etermine! system,

sche!lin%, an! lastly maintenance an! se& +he service focs that Atherton #ro#ose!

was base! on one of the fn!amental characteristics i!entifie! by Ian Maclean an! the

Archives Division that )recor!s are create! to serve an a!ministrative #r#ose, sally to

!ocment a transaction or !ecision)&49

Atherton)s se of the term )classification) is ty#ical of the narrow se which has bro%ht

the term into some !isre#te an!, lin%istically, the focs is still the #hysical recor!

rather than the #rocesses of recor!$ee#in%, bt the elements are similarly )Astralian) in

that characteristics, systems, an! #lacement Bclassification are bro%ht to%ether in an

interrelate! fashion an! a##lie! to recor!s in %eneral, not recor!s in archivalre#ositories alone& In Maclean)s articles classification is !e#loye! across all

recor!$ee#in% #rocesses& +he Archives Division)s service continm was inflence! by

en$inson)s Manual an! the e*tensive treatment it %ave to )Archive Ma$in%)& +o

n!erstan! the !ifference between a continm of the Astralian style an! Atherton)s,

one only has to loo$ at the creation an! recei#t sta%e& In Atherton this is a se#arate sta%e

from classification, whereas in Maclean)s writin% a %enine continm is #t in train&

+he recor!s are transmitte! alon% en$inson)s continos chain& +he #rocess of

transmission is %ron!e! in the characteristics of recor!s, an! their #rovenance can be

fon! in recor!$ee#in% systems or forms of !ocmentation& It is %iven effect by the

classificatory #rocesses involve! in recor!$ee#in% an! !erive! from the #rocesses of

!ifferentiation involve! in #lacin% recor!s accor!in% to their natre an! the available

systems o#tions&

+he first tas$, !rin% the creation or recei#t sta%es, was to !ifferentiate series of recor!s,

which in the Astralian %overnmental conte*t sally meant !ifferentiatin% between

re%istry material an! stan!ar! or form ty#e material which was hel! in se#arate sets

thro%hot the wor$#lace& (or$in% from en$inson)s classic in#t#rocessot#t

mo!el of recor!$ee#in%, 3:an n!erstan!in% of how !ocments became #art of the

recor! was bilt # which was sim#le eno%h bt too$ accont of the com#le*ity of

twentieth centry recor!s which col! be mana%e! thro%h classification #rocesses& In

%oin% abot their bsiness a%encies accmlate !ocments as recor!s in varios ways,the !ocments themselves ta$e many !ifferent forms, an! the ty#es of transactions

#ro!cin% recor!s were tremen!osly varie!& Classin% brin%s some or!er from the

chaos&31

In the avera%e Commonwealth %overnment a%ency, only abot ten #ercent of the

!ocments create! or receive! en!e! # on re%istry files, bt they involve! !ocments

that ha! a natrally !ee#er level of com#le*ity since they col! not be rea!ily hive! off

into sim#le series& +hey also serve! a broa!er ran%e of a!ministrative ob.ects& (ithin

the re%istry, files were constrcte! sin% a classification strctre base! on the

transactions of the creatin% a%ency an! were careflly title! in terms of the action they

wol! cover, the to#ic an! ob.ective of the action, an! any client focs they mi%ht have&+his enable! the !ocments to be #lace! on a file before action in sch a way that the
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se=ence of action was ca#tre! within its covers withot re%istries havin% to %o

thro%h the time consmin% #rocess of re%isterin% in!ivi!al !ocments& +he Division)s

first rle for filin% !ocments was that the se=ence of a!ministrative action shol! be

strictly observe!& 3/

+he Division was aware that not all material in Astralian re%istries consiste! of!ocmentation of or%anisational activity, bt any other #r#ose of sb.ect classification

Bother than the action as sb.ect was clearly sbor!inate& Maclean)s secon! rle for

filin% was that there be a clear line of !emarcation between files that have the #r#ose

of )recor!in% the se=ence of action for #articlar #ieces of bsiness) an! those create!

with the #r#ose of )%atherin% in one #lace information abot #articlar sb.ects)&

Information files may have been se! in the bac$%ron! when actions were bein% ta$en,

or !ecisions ma!e, bt were not #ro!cts of that action& In case we miss the #oint of the

s#ecial featre of %oo! re%istry classification systems, Maclean a!!e! that )in a sense,

what the recor!s staff are classin% are actions rather than written #ieces of information)&

34Classification in this re%istryEset ty#e of a##roach means the a##ro#riate #lacement

of the !ocments into series an! systems, an! sb.ect classin% means #lacement of the!ocments into cate%ories of activity& (ithin the Archives Division)s a##roach to

recor!s mana%ement, the evi!ential stats of recor!s, in the i!eal, was #rotecte! by

attention to form an! series otsi!e of the re%istry, by systematic ca#tre of se=ences

of action in the conte*t of a transaction base! classin% system within the re%istry, an! by

an em#hasis on controlle! an! athorise! !is#osition classin% across all recor!$ee#in%&

&he Series System: )uilding )lock for the Continuum

+he !rivin% force behin! the Division)s !iscorse, .!%in% from the Maclean articles,

was its em#hasis on transmission alon% the csto!ial chain an! the services that are

offere! alon% that chain thro%h a recor!s mana%ement role in a re%istry, in

!ocmentin% an! controllin% the !is#osition of recor!s otsi!e the re%istry, or thro%h

the removal of material from systems towar!s to a final arran%ement of close! %ro#s

within the archives& +he archivist)s contact with crrent recor!$ee#in% isses nee!e! to

be coor!inate! with archival ac=isition #rocesses& Accessionin% #ractices ha! to be

wor$e! ot afresh in accor!ance with a en$insonian res#ect for the characteristics of

the materials bein% !ealt with& +he Division wor$e! on the conce#ts #resent in

"ro#ean theory in the faithfl belief that if one n!erstoo! the characteristics of

recor!s, the recor!$ee#in% systems an! the #lacement of recor!s sb.ect to archival

transmission, new an! more satisfactory #roce!res wol! emer%e& Also #resent was an

n!erstan!in% of the nee! to attach basic arran%ement an! !escri#tion activities to the

transmission of archives in ways which s##orte! !e#artmental se& In this way thecom#le*ities of a!ministrative chan%e an! the shfflin% of recor!s for stora%e #r#oses

col! be mana%e! on an on%oin% basis& +he %oal of the Division was a transmission

#rocess that bilt #on the sta%es of transmission an! en!e! with #ro#er !ocmentation

of close! %ro#s of recor!s& 33

Maclean an! his staff, however, ha! %iven # tryin% to solve the #roblems involve! in

accessionin% within the recor!s %ro# a##roaches of the earlier te*ts an! crrent

archival #ractices& +he recor!s %ro# a##roach was ren!ere! im#otent by the internal

strctres for mi!twentieth centry recor!$ee#in%& As Cornelis De$$er has

commente!, tryin% to arran%e sch recor!s in accor!ance with )!orsal s#ine) a##roaches

is li$e tryin% to fin! a nee!le in a haystac$& 35
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In han!lin% the com#le*ities they face!, the Division saw no reason in overseas #ractice

not to strive for a #rovenance %ro#in% for recor!s creators which o#erate! at a sin%le

layer& Maclean)s overseas st!y tor ha! s%%este! to him that, in #rely mechanical

!etails of !ocmentation, fondsan!sous-fondsan! %ro#s an! sb%ro#s were mch

the same thin%& (hile the #resence of sb%ro#s meant a hierarchical form of

inventoryin% col! be im#ose!, an! while the North Americans mi%ht e*#ress some#hiloso#hical !ifferences in their a##roach to %ro#in%, !ocmentation at the !ifferent

levels an! in !ifferent contries was essentially the same an! the conce#ts behin! the

%ro# variations were sbstantially base! on i!entifyin% a convenient level for the

whole of a %ro# in or!er to set in train the #re#aration of the inventories in which

recor!s were !escribe!& 3'

+he tri# also showe! him that the %ro# a##roach was lin$e! to the #re#aration of

%i!es an! inventories in ways that transferre! massive listin% tas$s to the archival

athority& +he or!er of ma%nit!e #roblem so tellin%ly i!entifie! by Davi! It was #erceive! that en$inson)s csto!ial inter#retation of moral an! #hysical

!efence within a recor! %ro# strate%y ma!e most sense within its own concern with

)!ea!) %ro#s, es#ecially whenever the archival re#ository hel! most of the recor!s from

the %ro# that wol! be receive! in csto!y& It was even #ractical when only small

=antities of material were bein% !ealt with& It was a##arent to Maclean, however, that

even his own office)s small bac$lo%s set # im#ossible wor$ #ro%ram loa!s&38

Altho%h later #blicity has ma!e it a##ear that Astralian Archives) ma.or contribtion

to archival systems has been in han!lin% a!ministrative Bstrctral chan%e, the

Division)s ori%inal contribtion to recor!s system st!y can be fon! in its e*amination

of the way archives col! be fra%mente! in their internal strctre by that chan%e or by

the systematise! stora%e #ractices of mi!twentieth centry recor!$ee#in%& 39 7taff

members analyse! the effect on the strctre of recor! series of the movement of

recor!s from one series of recor!s to another becase of a!ministrative chan%e, or the

removal of sets of recor!s from their crrent conte*t in accor!ance with the nee! to trim

inactive recor!s for the sa$e of a recor!$ee#in% system)s efficiency, a #rocess which

incl!e! transfer to archival re#ositories& )7ets) of recor!s came to be viewe! as

!ifferent from series, sometimes bein% a sbclass create! by the strctre! removal of

recor!s from a series an! sometimes bein% a s#erior class, consistin% of the

amal%amation of recor!s from !ifferent series, an! this view ha! actally re#lace! theseries view ntil 7cott trne! the attention bac$ to series with a metho!olo%y which

han!le! this form of com#le*ity by series re%istration, sin% cross references to

#revios an! sbse=ent series& 5:

+he most notable reslt of the Division)s e*#loration of archival conce#ts was 7cott)s

system of control for the transmission of recor!s, a system which col! be inte%rate!

with, an! incor#orate! into, crrent recor!$ee#in% #rocesses& 7cott)s !iscovery came

after the creation of the Commonwealth Archives Office, at a time when, accor!in% to

Ian Maclean, morale was sin$in% #artly as a reslt of the enormity of the tas$s ahea! of

them an! the failre to %ain a!!itional resorces& 51Ian Maclean, in a retros#ective

comment, claime! that as Chief Archivist it too$ him )not a minte) to consi!er the#ro#osition for the new system #ro#ose! by ;eter 7cott when it was #resente! to him by
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his !e#ty, Feith ;enny& or Maclean it #rovi!e! the final bil!in% bloc$ for the

inte%ration of crrent an! socalle! interme!iate recor!s mana%ement an! )the

fon!ation for the com#rehensive ran%e of activities an! covera%e that !istin%ishes

Astralian Archives)& 5/

;art of the !iscovery)s ori%ins lay in the Office)s n!erstan!in% of re%istry controlmechanisms, a #oint ma!e clear in Chris rley)s article elsewhere in this #blication&

7cott)s a%ency re%istration #rocesses #rovi!e! a measre of stability to metho!s for

!ocmentin% a!ministrative chan%e& +he series re%istration a##roach %ave a way of

lin$in% recor!s to recor! creatin% entities an! of lin$in% relate! series of recor!s,

incl!in% the listin% of the com#onent series within a recor!$ee#in% system& Maclean,

however, also notes that it was a #ro!ct of the lon%stan!in% #rsit of i!eal

classificatory techni=es which he an! Feith ;enny ha! been #rsin%& 54 +he

Division)s st!y of recor!s transmission within an! thro%h the varios sta%es of

csto!ianshi# #ai! a s#ecial !ivi!en!&

&he Reemergence of Recordkeeping &heory+he series system was a #ro!ct of the Archives Division)s !iscorse, which in trn was

base! #on archival conce#ts that ha! also %iven rise to an alternative !iscorse& (ithin

the alternative !iscorse, which has been the !ominant one in the ?7A, the archief

became the archival collection, #rovenance became the or%anisational strctres in

which recor!s were create!, classification became arran%ement, the intention to $ee# a

recor! became confse! with notions of #ermanent retention, an! one essential

characteristic of archival materials stoo! ot G they were thin%s in s#ecial re#ositories

Bor at least !esi%nate! for sch a location& +o!ay the alternative !iscorses col!

#robably be cate%orie! as the )!ocmentin%) a##roach an! the collectin% a##roach

res#ectively, altho%h neither e*ists ninflence! by the other&

+he conce#tal base for the )!ocmentin%) a##roach was not, however, an anti#o!ean

frea$, an! in the mi! twentieth centry was well $nown, an! well n!erstoo!, in the

?7A& (ithin it, the fonds was the entire %overnment recor!, #rovenance relate! to

recor!s creation #rocesses an! the csto!ial chain thro%h which recor!s were

transmitte!, an! the essential characteristic of archives was their connection to the

activities which %ave rise to them& "rnst ;osner, noticin% the emer%ence of elements of

this stran! of archival tho%ht in 193: #ointe! in a!vance to the Archives Division)s

!iscorse when he concl!e! an article with the followin% #assa%e-

If all the #blic recor!s of a nation are one sole n!ivi!e! fon!s, the a%encies that are!estine! to receive an! $ee# them ltimately will be .stifie! in claimin% the ri%ht to

%ive their a!vice as to how the files of %overnment offices shol! be or%anie! an! $e#t

from the be%innin% so as to insre a satisfactory ori%inal arran%ement that will also be

sitable for retention by the archives a%encies& (e may assme that %ra!ally the

archivists will become the nation)s e*#erts who mst be conslte! in all =estions of

#blic recor! ma$in% an! recor! $ee#in% an! li$ewise become the trstees who will

safe%ar! the written monments of the #ast, of the #resent !ay, an! of the ftre& 53

+hs, Maclean, in the 195:s, was not bein% irrational when he #roclaime! his office)s

i!eas as the i!eas of the ftre an! the basis for the !evelo#ment of an archival

#rofession& In the 195:s articles on recor!$ee#in% theory an! #ractice were notncommon in archival literatre an! even the ?7 National Archives an! 2ecor!s
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7ervice was internally !ebatin% its own role in relation to crrent recor!$ee#in%, in

ways which ma!e some connection to the new !iscorse& 55+he conce#ts are not alien

to the archival #rofession an! have ha! varios inflences on archival #ractice in most

contries& (hat was alien to most archival cltres was the strate%ic force with which

the Archives Division an! then the Commonwealth Archives Office #rse! its

n!erstan!in%s within a wholehearte! focs #on mi!twentieth centry recor!s&

Accor!in%ly, the Commonwealth Archives Office for several !eca!es a##eare! to be

somethin% of a maveric$ instittion on the %lobal scene, not really in toch with

archival theory& It was a !isconcertin% #resence becase of its own satisfaction with its

system an! with its strate%ies !rin% a #erio! when so many other archival instittions

were creatin% the or!er of ma%nit!e #roblems mentione! earlier& 5'

On the one han! the Commonwealth Archives Office was a!!ressin% isses in ways that

are becomin% more common#lace in the 199:s, an! a st!y of its #ractices has a new

relevance otsi!e of the framewor$ of the !iscorse& On the other han!, its !iscorse is

conce#tally tra!itional an! its achievements were a #ro!ct of chance& +he a##roachha! been forme! in the mi!twentieth centry when the new conce#t was the #roactive

%overnment archival instittion with an interest in crrent recor!$ee#in%& It ha! a

charter Ban! was %iven resorces to carry ot the csto!ial role for recor!s # to an!

incl!in% (orl! (ar II& It was able to se recently !evelo#e! srvey tactics to ma$e a

lar%e !int in the cor#s of recor!s for which it was res#onsible& In a #rofessional manner

it then set abot analysin% mi!twentieth centry recor!s an! was !oin% so well in

a!vance of other archival instittions& It was, however, a #ro!ct of its times, an! one

can %o too far in labellin% it the first )#ostcsto!ial) instittion& (ith this =alification,

the lin$s thro%h to new mo!els for archival tho%ht are =ite stri$in%& In two cases, the

)characteristics of recor!e! information) an! )recor!$ee#in% systems) the new mo!els are

!evelo#in% an! e*ten!in% the conce#ts& In the thir! instance, classification, as I will try

to show below, there is still a lot we can learn from the Archives Division)s !iscorse, if

we care to !o so&

(hile Davi! a nmber of writers in recent

years have a!!e! to or n!erstan!in% of archival !ocments& (hile the terminolo%y

may vary, sch !ocments are increasin%ly bein% seen as those recor!s which can be

i!entifie! by their natre as evi!ence of social an! or%aniational activity, wherever

they are locate! an! whenever they are create! G which within electronic systems

re=ires an intention to $ee# a recor! in the timehonore! sense of Mller, eith an!rin)s !efinition cite! above& 7ch recor!s are the sb.ect of recor!$ee#in% theory,

which, as my collea%e 7e McFemmish has note!, is increasin%ly focsin% #on-

the natre of recor!s of social an! or%anisational activity

their !ocmentary forms an! strctres, es#ecially as they are affecte! by new

technolo%ies

their athoritative natre as a means of control, of accontability, of %overnin%

social an! or%anisational relationshi#s an! transferrin% cltre thro%h s#ace

an! over time, an! as evi!ence of social an! bsiness activity, an!
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their informational natre, #rovi!e! by their content, strctre an! conte*t,

incl!in% their conte*ts of creation an! se G social, symbolic, fnctional,

or%anisational, an! technolo%ical& 58

+he renewe! n!erstan!in% of the athoritative an! informational natre of recor!s of

activity is lea!in% to a new a##roach to #rovenance which is as mch fnctional asstrctral, em#hasiin% the fnctionality of recor!s at the time of their creation an!

as#irin% to lin$ that fnctionality to the fnctions of an archival instittion an! the

retention of a social an! or%anisational accont of events thro%h the transmission of

the archief& Astralians have #robably ta$en the lea! in !evelo#in% the continm

a##roach becase of the sccess of the series system as a basic bil!in% bloc$& (hile

ay Atherton)s continm reshffle! the com#onents of the life cycle theories of earlier

!eca!es an! revitalise! them by em#hasiin% the service com#onents, the carria%e of

evi!entiality across s#ace an! time has been the conce#tal n!er#innin% for Astralian

notions of a continm&

+he 195:s interest in recor!$ee#in% systems has been relatively !ormant ntil revive!by Davi!


15/26

movement within an! thro%h wor$ %ro#s an! cor#orate information bases

#lacement for stora%e, incl!in% mi%ration thro%h system chan%es

the establishment of )se=ence of action) relationshi#s between !ocments

connecte! to the same bsiness activity, an!

#rocesses relate! to the on%oin% a##raisal of recor!s to !etermine if they have

continin% vale an! to %ive effect to the !eterminations&

+he continm mo!el #rovi!es the strctre for the #lacement of recor!s thro%h

crrent an! ftre activities an! systems& +he characteristics of the recor!s, the

recor!$ee#in% system, an! the or!erin% #rocesses o#erate in an interconnecte! manner

across s#ace an! thro%h time& If I seem to be laborin% the #oint, it is becase the

recor!$ee#in% continm is liable to be misinter#rete! as a version of the life cycle

conce#t sim#ly becase both encom#ass crrent recor!$ee#in% #rocesses& A continma##roach is very !ifferent conce#tally, an! in #ractical terms its im#act #on electronic

recor!$ee#in% #ractices can be sbstantial& A##roaches base! on creation, maintenance

an! !is#osition refer to only some, not all, of the or!erin% #rocesses involve! in

recor!$ee#in%, an! !o not ma$e # a continm&

Maclean has %iven a recent !escri#tion of the ori%ins of the continm, the !evelo#ment

of which he trace! to the recor!s re!ction cam#ai%n carrie! ot by the Archives

Division from 195:-

+hs be%an a transition in Astralia from


16/26

1& Ian Maclean, )Astralian "*#erience in 2ecor!s an! Archives Mana%ement), The American Archivist,vol&//, no&3, Oct& 1959, #&489&/& Maclean, in The American Archivist , #&499&4& 7ee Ian Maclean, )Comments for Dr rover ollowin% Hisit to the National Archives an! 2ecor!s7ervices B, an! in The American Archivist,

#&493&>& Maclean, in The American Archivist , #&489&8& Maclean, in The American Archivist , #&488&9& Maclean, irst Report on !verseas Scholarship "rogramme, A##en!i* 1, #&1&

1:& I !o not $now how many e*ce#tions there were, bt staff at +he Commonwealth Archives Office,Hictorian :s, Allan 7$erman, whotransferre! the ethos of the re%istrar)s scheme so well that many of s left for recor!s an! informationmana%ement #ositions within other %overnment !e#artments, niversities, an! #rivate enter#rise&11& ote! by Maclean, in Essays in Memory of Sir Hilary Jenkinson, #&1/9&1/& Maclean, in Essays in Memory of Sir Hilary Jenkinson, #&1/9&

14& Arthr Leavitt Btrans&, Mller, eith an! rin, Manual for the Arrangement and %escription ofArchives, New Jor$, 193:, #&14& B+&2& 7chellenber% reco%nie! the mistranslation, bt then committe!his own in!iscretion by e=atin% an archief with recor!s of a re%istry office-Modern Archives+ "rinciples

and Techni,ues, Melborne, 195', #&1/&13& Leavett .stifie! the se of the term )archival collection) on the %ron!s that the wor! archiefwas notse! in the same sin%lar sense in "n%lish& I !o not $now to what he tho%ht en$inson)s len%thy section

on Archive Ma$in% in hisManualreferre!, or #erha#s that section was too "n%lish to be rea! in the ?7A&

15& e&%& 7ir ilary en$inson, )7ome 2eflections on +&2& 7chellenber%- Mo!ern Archives- ;rinci#les an!+echni=es) in Selected ritings of Sir Hilary Jenkinson, e!s& 2o%er "llis an! ;eter (alne, Alan 7tton;blishin% Lt!, locester, 198:, #&44934&1'& ilary en$inson, A Manual of Archive Administration, Lon!on, 194>, #&811&

1>& en$inson, A Manual, #&11&18& en$inson, A Manual, #&84&19& Maclean)s two essays have to be rea! to%ether for this conclsion to emer%e& +he en$inson essay!oes not ma$e as many stron% references to crrent recor!$ee#in% #rocesses, bt crossrefers to the

earlier article in The American Archivist &/:& eral! ischer, )Lettin% the Archival Dst 7ettle- 7ome 2emar$s on the 2ecor! ro# Conce#t), The

Journal of the Society of Archivists, vol&3, no&8, Oct& 19>4, #&'33&/1& en$insonian #rece#ts abot ob.ectivity an! the natralness of the recor! are reemer%in% in Cana!ianarchival literatre& On the srface the Astralian )continm) is sb.ective an! )n) natral, yet, as len!aAclan! has note!, it is a lo%ical e*tension of en$inson)s i!eas& +he isses of ob.ectivity an! natralnessare !iscsse! in +erry Coo$, )"lectronic 2ecor!s, ;a#er Min!s), Archives and Manuscripts, vol&//, no&/,1993 Bforthcomin%&

//& Davi!


17/26

(here !oes the actor en!, an! the act be%inK rley)s a##roach offers a way ot of the =estion itselfK/'& In 7e McFemmish)s cha#ter in this #blication, 7cott)s a##roach to #rovenance is !iscsse!& +hecontinity of the Archives Division)s !iscorse on fnctional #rovenance Bassociate! with archival theoryof Northern "ro#e, an! the series system is shown&/>& Michel Dchein, )+heoretical ;rinci#les an! ;ractical ;roblems of Respect %es onds in Archival

7cience), Archivaria 1', 7mmer 1984, #&>>&

/8& +hefondsis !irecte! !efinitionally to the whole, at the a!ministrative bo!y at a le%al, rather than anactal, level& +his le%al )fiction) can then be frther fictionalie! by %ro#in% relate! or%aniations, orse#aratin% ot or%anisations from within the onion rin%s of le%al e*istence& It is not very hel#fl toi!entify Bas the Commonwealth series system !oes the fondsat the level of the oter layer of the onion Gthe whole %overnmental level&

/9& 7ee Cornelis De$$er, )La bible archivisti=e nerlan!aise et ce =)il en est a!ven), in ArchivalScience on the Threshold of the .ear /000 , e!& O!!o


18/26

801 The setseries analysis is set out *y Maclean in Essays in Memory of Sir Hilary Jenkinson+ at

numerous points+ e1g1 pp1342-:+ p134?+ and pp132:-


19/26

Continuo documental

Por Alejandro DelgadoGmez.

Defnicin

"s el Mo!elo %rfico =e e*#lica las com#le.as relaciones =e e*isten entre las

enti!a!es !ocmentales, s ca#aci!a! #robatoria, los a%entes =e %estionan y tilian

!ichas enti!a!es, y las fnciones e.erci!as #or esos a%entes, me!iante la #resentaciPn !e

tales relaciones en catro !imensiones concntricas, corres#on!ientes a las activi!a!es

!e creaciPn, ca#tra, or%aniaciPn y comnicaciPn BQ#lraliaciPnR !e los !ocmentos&

?na a!a#taciPn !el mo!elo ori%inal !e ran$ ?#war!, con breves te*tos e*#licativos,

en- htt#-EE.ohn&crtin&e!&aEsocietyEastraliaE

Estudio

;ara mchos el mo!elo e*#licativo !e los archivos y ss !ocmentos ms e*hastivo y

#ro%ramtico =e e*iste en la actali!a! es el llama!o !el contino !e los !ocmentos,

#roce!ente, como es bien sabi!o, !e la tra!iciPn archivSstica astraliana, !esarrolla!a,

hasta cierto #nto, al mar%en !e las !ems tra!iciones occi!entales&

Antecedentes

An=e el mo!elo !el contino a#areciP, en s e*#resiPn ms conoci!a, en 199', #e!e

rastrearse n #ensamiento ante litteram !es!e los aTos sesenta !el si%lo veinte& "n el

conte*to !e nos archivos !e la Commonwealth confronta!os con la


20/26

res#onsabili!a! =e!ara %arantia!a& Aclan!, #or e.em#lo, animP a la comni!a!

archivSstica a !es#ren!erse !e s rol como enterra!ores !e !ocmentos V3W@

McFemmish e*#lorP la natralea elsiva !el !ocmento y s inclsiPn en marcos

sociales ms am#lios V5W@ #ero fe ran$ ?#war! =ien con ms em#eTo se a#licP a la

tarea !e !esarrollar n mo!elo #or com#leto inclsivo, =e s#erara el mo!elo !el ciclo

!e vi!a, y =e incor#orara to!os los archivos !e la socie!a! en n marco !e

res#onsabili!a! !a!a #or !iversos niveles !e evi!encia& "n 1994 ya habSa e*#lora!o

esta necesi!a!, an=e, =i consciente !e =e aUn no era #osible mo!ificar

ra!icalmente el #ara!i%ma en so, intro!.o al menos la nociPn !e ran%o !e vi!a, na

serte !e contino in nuce V'W& "n 199' #blicP, en !os #artes, y basn!ose en la

sociolo%Sa !e la estrctraciPn !e Anthony i!!ens V>W, s conoci!o mo!elo !el

contino !e los !ocmentos V8W&

El modelo

"l mo!elo, en s versiPn ori%inal, se com#one !e catro !imensiones, re#resenta!as !e

manera concntrica, #ero en #ermanente interacciPn entre ellas- crear, capturar,

organi-ary plurali-ar& A!ems, #resenta catro e.es- el e.e !e la identidad, el !e la

transaccionalidad, el !e la e*idencialidad y el !e los contenedores!e %estiPn !e

!ocmentos, #ara ca!a no !e los cales se !efinen a s ve catro niveles !e

es#ecifici!a!, tambin concntricos& AsS, el e.e !e la i!enti!a! #arte !el actor, #asa #or

la ni!a!, #or la or%aniaciPn, y termina en la institciPn& "l e.e !e la transaccionali!a!

#asa #or la transacciPn, la activi!a!, la fnciPn y el #ro#Psito& "l e.e !e la

evi!enciali!a!, #or la traa, la evi!encia, la memoria in!ivi!al o cor#orativa, y la

memoria social& ;or Ultimo, al e.e !e los contene!ores !e %estiPn !e !ocmentos le

concierne, !es!e la ca#a ms interior a la e*terior, el !ocmento, el !ocmento

archivSstico, el archivo !e la or%aniaciPn o la #ersona y los archivos !e la socie!a!&

"n na lectra alternativa, las ca#as interiores !e ca!a e.e Gactor, transacciPn, traa,

!ocmento se relacionan con la !imensiPn !e crear@ las se%n!as ca#as Gni!a!,

activi!a!, evi!encia, !ocmento archivSstico se relacionan con la !imensiPn !e

ca#trar@ las terceras ca#as Gor%aniaciPn, fnciPn, memoria in!ivi!al o cor#orativa,

archivo se relacionan con la !imensiPn !e or%aniar@ y las ca#as ms e*teriores G

institciPn, #ro#Psito, memoria social, archivos se relacionan con la !imensiPn !e#lraliar& ;ero esto no #e!e afirmarse sin matices- en reali!a!, ca!a no !e los

com#onentes #e!e a!=irir relaciones no #revistas con los !ems, interactar !e

!iferentes maneras, y encontrarse en #er#eto movimiento&

"l mo!elo %rfico !e ?#war! no #e!e leerse en nin%Un caso !e manera lineal& 7

mayor virt! consiste #recisamente en a#oyarse en los #rocesos, incli!os los #ro#ios

#rocesos archivSsticos, #ara establecer relaciones variables entre fnciones, a%entes y

ob.etos, a efectos !e %arantiar evi!encia y memoria con el fin !e a#oyar la

res#onsabili!a!&

Desarrollos posteriores


21/26

"l #rimer mo!elo !el contino !e los !ocmentos ha sfri!o #osteriores refinamientos y

aTa!i!os, incli!a s retiliaciPn #ara elaborar conce#talmente mo!elos !el contino

!e la informaciPn, !e los sistemas !e la informaciPn y !e la #blicaciPn V9W& An=e

ran$ ?#war! no lo ha hecho e*#lScito, n mo!elo !el contino !el conocimiento

!eberSa ser incor#orable a este marco conce#tal, y el #ro#io ator insinUa la ca#aci!a!

!el mo!elo #ara reor%aniar el conocimiento-

Q"l contino #ro#orciona n mo!o !e e*#licar reali!a!es com#le.as en relaciPn con lo

=e se solSa consi!erar como !imensiones se#ara!as !el es#acio y el tiem#o& Como

visiPn, #resenta na a#ro*imaciPn en mUlti#les ca#as y mUlti#les facetas =e #e!e

tiliarse #ara reor%aniar el conocimiento y !es#le%ar habili!a!es& "s ms acor!e con

las comnicaciones electrPnicas y el cambio tecnolP%ico =e la visiPn !el ciclo !e vi!a&

;e!e ca#acitarnos #ara consi!erar cPmo e*ten!er la tensiPn en las estrctras #ara

im#e!ir =e se cola#sen&R V1:W

"n lSnea con esta #erce#ciPn !el mo!elo como marco conce#tal, el contino !e la

informaciPn se .stifica en los si%ientes trminos-

QLos !ocmentos tienen =e %estionarse en el senti!o !e la %estiPn !e la informaciPn,

en la =e el nfasis est en el mo!o en =e el ob.eto es re#resenta!o, recor!a!o y

!isemina!o& "ste mo!elo #ro#orciona na visiPn %eneral !e la %estiPn !e la informaciPn

=e #e!e %iar las #erce#ciones acerca !e los com#onentes !e %estiPn !e la

informaciPn !e la %estiPn !e !ocmentos&R V11W

"l mo!elo !el contino !e sistemas !e informaciPn se .stifica !el si%iente mo!o-

QLos !ocmentos tienen =e %estionarse en el senti!o !e la %estiPn !e !atos, con nfasis

sobre el mo!ela!o !e !atos Venti!a!es !e !atos, ss atribtos y relacionesW, y el fl.o

conecta!o !e ob.etos &&& Los sistemas !e %estiPn !e !ocmentos son n ti#o !e sistema

!e informaciPn en el =e el sistema como instrmento !e #o!er es #articlarmente

evi!enteR V1/W&

J el contino !e la #blicaciPn en estos trminos-

QLos !ocmentos tienen =e %estionarse en el senti!o !e la #blicaciPn, en el =e el

nfasis se #one sobre el alcance y la atori!a! !el ob.eto& "ste mo!elo #ro#orciona na

visiPn %eneral !e los #rocesos im#lica!os en el hacer al%o #Ublico, o en #rote%erlo !el

acceso no atoria!o& "*iste na obvia cone*iPn entre estos #rocesos y el acceso a los

!ocmentos& ?no !e los roles !e la %estiPn !e !ocmentos es conse%ir el XalcanceY

a!eca!o !e los !ocmentos, em#.n!olos a los a!eca!os ti#os !e niPn entre

es#acio y tiem#o, o #ermitin!oles ser em#.a!os a las re%iones a!eca!as V14WR&

Un ejemplo


22/26

Intentemos re#resentar o e*#licar n e*#e!iente convencional, #or e.em#lo, !e solicit!

!e licencia !e obras, !es!e la #ers#ectiva !el mo!elo !el contino !e los !ocmentos&

Crear

La !imensiPn QCrearR se refiere al momento en el =e el !ocmento aUn no ha entra!o

en el sistema !e %estiPn !ocmental !e la or%aniaciPn =e tiene =e %estionar la

licencia, an=e #e!e estar en el sistema !e %estiPn !e !ocmentos !el in!ivi!o =e

va a solicitarla& "ste in!ivi!o es n QactorR =e tiene na QtraaR, !i%amos, la ima%en

!e la casa =e le %starSa tener& ;ara obtener la atoriaciPn re!acta na instancia, =e

aUn no ha envia!o a la or%aniaciPn, =e es n !ocmento& "n este momento #e!e =e

aUn realice !iversas transacciones- con los miembros !e s familia, con n ar=itecto,

etc& "*iste na transacciPn !efinitiva =e im#lica el #aso a la si%iente !imensiPn- la

#resentaciPn !e la instancia y to!os los !ocmentos a!.ntos en el Ayntamiento =e ha

!e tramitar la licencia&

Capturar

De este mo!o, entramos en la !imensiPn !e QCa#trarR& La ni!a! or%aniativa !e

2e%istro eneral estam#a n sello y na fecha en la instancia, !e mo!o =e sta =e!a

ca#tra!a !entro !el sistema !e %estiPn !e !ocmentos !e la or%aniaciPn y se convierte

en !ocmento archivSstico Bn Qrecor!R en in%ls =e !esenca!ena na activi!a! G

intervenir en el rbanismo local& La borrosa traa o esboo =e tenSa el in!ivi!o, el

actor, en mente, !eviene en evi!encia, en !ocmento con valor #robatorio&

Organizar

La !imensiPn or%aniar se refiere a los #rocesos !e %estiPn !e !ocmentos& Drante ella

se e.ectan tales #rocesos !entro !e na or%aniaciPn y, si #roce!e, !entro !el servicio o

ni!a! !e Archivo& No obstante, lo habital es =e sean res#onsabili!a! !e to!a la

or%aniaciPn, =e interviene en to!o o en #arte, #ara e.ectar na fnciPn =e le ha si!o

encomen!a!a B%estionar el rbanismo& "l !ocmento archivSstico #asa a formar #arte

!e la memoria !e la or%aniaciPn, y esto se consi%e a%r#n!olo con otros !ocmentos

en el archivo&

Pluralizar

La !imensiPn Q;lraliarR se refiere a la interacciPn !e los !ocmentos !e este archivocon los !e otros archivos, #or e.em#lo, el !el in!ivi!o =e %enerP el !ocmento, el !el

ar=itecto, los !e otros archivos locales, etc& De ahS =e los !ocmentos #asen !e na

or%aniaciPn, el Ayntamiento, a na institciPn, #or e.em#lo los archivos !e las

or%aniaciones #ertenecientes a la e!eraciPn "s#aTola !e Mnici#ios y ;rovincias&

"ste con%lomera!o son los archivos, =e !e.an memoria #ara to!a la socie!a!, no sPlo

#ara la or%aniaciPn, !e n #ro#Psito !e am#lio alcance, !i%amos la volnta! !e ben

hacer en la %estiPn !el selo&


23/26

Otros puntos de vista

+ambin #o!emos re#resentar el e*#e!iente !e otra manera& Des!e el #nto !e vista !el

e.e !e la QI!enti!a!R- a=l ha #asa!o #or el actor o in!ivi!o, #or la ni!a! !e

2e%istro, #or la or%aniaciPn Ayntamiento y #or la institciPn "M;&

Des!e el #nto !e vista !el e.e !e la Q+ransaccionali!a!R, el e*#e!iente #asa #or

transacciones o ni!a!es !e comnicaciPn mSnimas con si%nifica!o, #or activi!a!es =e

son concreciones !e na fnciPn, #or esa fnciPn encomen!a!a !e manera abstracta a

na or%aniaciPn, y #or el #ro#Psito social am#lio =e sbyace a la fnciPn&

Des!e el #nto !e vista !el e.e !e la Q"vi!enciali!a!R, el e*#e!iente comiena sien!o

na !ifsa traa en la mente !e n in!ivi!o, !eviene evi!encia al incor#orarse a n

sistema !e %estiPn !e !ocmentos, esa evi!encia se convierte en memoria or%aniativa

al incor#orarse al archivo !el Ayntamiento, y en memoria social can!o ese archivo

entra en interacciPn con otros archivos&

;or Ultimo, !es!e el #nto !e vista !el e.e !e los contene!ores !e %estiPn !e

!ocmentos, en #rinci#io el actor crea n !ocmento, =e se convierte en !ocmento

archivSstico al incor#orarse a n sistema& "se !ocmento contribye, .nto con otros

!ocmentos, a crear el archivo !e la or%aniaciPn, y este archivo, al interactar con

otros, tambin contribye a crear los archivos !e la socie!a!&

Notas

1 ConfrPntese, #or e.em#lo, ?#war!, ran$- In 7earch of the Continm- IanMacleanZs [Astralian "*#erience)- "ssays on 2ecor!$ee#in%& ;blica!o #or #rimera

ve en- The Records #ontinuum( &an Maclean and Australian Archives first fifty years&

Clayton- Ancora ;ress in association with Astralian Archives, 1993& +ambin

!is#onible en- htt#-EEwww&sims&monash&e!&aEresearchErcr%E#blicationsEf#trc&html

Bconslta- /11/:1/&

/ ConfrPntese, #or e.em#lo, rley, Chris- +he Astralian B\7eriesZ 7ystem- An

"*#osition& ;blica!o #or #rimera ve en- The Records #ontinuum( &an Maclean and

Australian Archives first fifty years& Clayton- Ancora ;ress in association with

Astralian Archives, 1993& +ambin !is#onible en-

htt#-EEwww&sims&monash&e!&aEresearchErcr%E#blicationsEchtrc1&htmlBconslta- /11

/:1/&

4 7e tilia el trmino fon!o #ara hacer referencia tanto a lo =e en el conte*to

an%losa.Pn se entien!e #or fon!s, como a lo =e se entien!e #or recor!s %ro# y archive

%ro#, bsicamente constrctos conce#tales, no reali!a!es fSsicas, con !iferentes

finali!a!es, #ero con volnta! totalia!ora&

3 ConfrPntese, #or e.em#lo, Aclan!, len!a- Archivist G Fee#er, ?n!erta$er orA!itorK& "n-Archives and Manuscripts, vol& 19, n& 1 BMay 1991& ;& 9195@ Mana%in%
http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/fuptrc.htmlhttp://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/fuptrc.htmlhttp://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/chtrc1.htmlhttp://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/fuptrc.htmlhttp://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/chtrc1.html


24/26

the 2ecor! 2ather than the 2elic& "n-Archives and Manuscripts, vol& /:, n& 1 BMay

1991& ;& 915@ McFemmish, 7e@ Aclan!, len!a- Archivists at 2is$- Accontability

an! the 2ole of the ;rofessional 7ociety& "n-Archives at Risk( Accounta*ility+

'ulnera*ility and #redi*ility+ 3??? Annual #onference of the Australian Society of

Archivists+ July 3???Bconslta- /11/:1/& Dis#onible en-

htt#-EEwww&sims&monash&e!&aEresearchErcr%E#blicationsEarchive1&html&

5 ConfrPntese, #or e.em#lo, McFemmish, 7e- Are 2ecor!s "ver ActalK& ;blica!o

#or #rimera ve en- The Records #ontinuum( &an Maclean and Australian Archives first

fifty years& Clayton- Ancora ;ress in association with Astralian Archives, 1993&

+ambin !is#onible en-

htt#-EEwww&sims&monash&e!&aEresearchErcr%E#blicationsEsmc$trc&htmlBconslta- /1

1/:1/&

' ?#war!, ran$- Instittionalisin% the archival !ocment- A re#blishin%& "n-Archives and Social Studies( A Journal of &nterdisciplinary Research, vol& 1, n& :, #&

3'>394 Bconslta- /11/:1/& Dis#onible en-

htt#-EEsocialst!ies&carta%ena&esEima%esE;DEno:E#war!]instittionaliin%!f&

> La obra !e Anthony i!!ens =e ms ha inflS!o en el #ensamiento !el contino es

)a constituciDn de la sociedad( *ases para la teora de la estructuraciDn&


25/26

1/ ?#war!, ran$, cit&

14 ?#war!, ran$, cit&

Reerencias

ACAND! Glenda. Arc"i#ist $ %eeper! Underta&er or Auditor'. En(Archives and Manuscripts! )**)! #ol. )*! n. )! p. *)+*,.

-anaging t"e Record Rat"er t"an t"e Relic. En(Archives andManuscripts! )**)! #ol. /! n. )! p. *+),.

CEN0RE or 1rganisational and 2ocial 3normatics 4C1235. En( MonashUniversity. Faculty of Information Technology6sitio 7e89. 6Consulta(/):+/*+*9. Disponi8le en("ttp(;;inotec".monas".edu;researc";centres;cosi;

-C%E--32

UPARD! Bran&. 3n 2earc" o t"e Continuum( 3an -acleans AustralianEperienceF( Essa=s on Record&eeping. En( The Records Continuum:Ian Maclean and Australian Archives rst fty years. Cla=ton( AncoraPress in association 7it" Australian Arc"i#es! )**:. 0am8indisponi8le en("ttp(;;777.sims.monas".edu.au;researc";rcrg;pu8lications;uptrc."tml

3nstitutionalising t"e arc"i#al document( A repu8lis"ing. En(Archives and ocial tudies: A 'ournal of Interdisciplinary Research6en l@nea9. Hol. )! n. /! p. :IJ+:*>. 6Consulta( /)+/)+)9. Disponi8le

en(
http://infotech.monash.edu/research/centres/cosi/http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/smcktrc.htmlhttp://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/smcktrc.htmlhttp://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/archive1.htmlhttp://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/archive1.htmlhttp://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/research/groups/rcrg/http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/fuptrc.htmlhttp://infotech.monash.edu/research/centres/cosi/http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/smcktrc.htmlhttp://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/smcktrc.htmlhttp://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/archive1.htmlhttp://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/archive1.htmlhttp://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/research/groups/rcrg/http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/publications/fuptrc.html


26/26

"ttp(;;socialstudies.cartagena.es;images;PDB;no/;up7ardKinstitutionalizing.pd

-odelling t"e continuum as paradigm s"it in record&eeping andarc"i#ing processes! and 8e=ond $ a personal reLection. En( Records

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Principio Del Continuo

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