Archives and Public History: Issues, Problems, and Prospects: An Introduction

Abstract

THIS SPECIAL ISSUE of The Public Historian explores and analyzes recent developments in the field of archives and interprets them for the broad public history community. The world of archives, sometimes viewed as placid and complacent by outsiders, is today spirited and alive with change. In fact, the momentum of change may at first appear surprising for a professional group that by some measures is nearing middle age-its major professional association, the Society of American Archivists, celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year. Until recently, archival work was a calling, a field of specialization, and a proud occupation. But it was not a fully organized national network or system or a formally established profession. For many archivists, these facts do not really matter. The vital work of saving and passing on the nation's documentary heritage seems to them so important that it matters little how archivists as a community organize themselves to do it. But for other archivists, clearly a growing number, these considerations do matter. These archivists sense an undefined field of endeavor, an unfinished mission, unexploited opportunities, and an overwhelming need for better public understanding and support. They see threats, but also opportunities, in present-day and coming social and technological changes. These concerned, forward-looking archivists bring to their field a growing sense of energy, of deliberation, and of self-understanding. They recognize the need to define clear goals and move toward them. This is a time of change and excitement in archives, and much of that feeling is captured in the articles in this issue of The Public Historian. This new feeling is perhaps most apparent in the earnest interest, amounting almost to a preoccupation, in self-study. Indeed, the past few