Defining a Discipline: Archival Research and Practice in the Twenty-First Century, Essays in Honor of Richard J. Cox. Edited by Jeannette A. Bastian and Elizabeth Yakel. [Review

Abstract

In their introduction to this volume, editors Jeannette Bastian and Elizabeth Yakel offer the thought that the maturity of a field of study may be marked by the recognition of its outstanding scholars. So far, few Festschriften honor archivists—a fact that attests to the still-recent maturing and professionalization of the discipline of archival science and its practitioners. During the career of Richard J. Cox, the honoree of this volume, archival science moved forward from many of its older practices and philosophies to become a modern, more mature, and better-defined profession. The growth of degree programs specifically offering archival education, along with the creation and adoption of archival standards and best practices at the national and international levels, continued that maturation. Cox’s career also saw the application of computer technology as a tool for both the creation and management of archival records, which introduced profound and rapid changes as the technology created an ever-increasing volume of digital materials to be added to archival repositories alongside their analog counterparts. Cox entered the field at the beginning of an era of expansive growth for the archival profession, and, when he retired 40 years later, the field had expanded and evolved considerably in response to technology and sociocultural motivators.