Archival Practice Research Articles

Come hell or high water: climate action by archives, records and cultural heritage professionals in the United Kingdom

PurposeThis paper aims to evidence the perspectives of information professionals in the UK in relation to environmental sustainability and climate action to catalyse collaborative action.Design/methodology/approachThis study takes an interpretivist stance. Research into archive and record management literature was conducted to establish key themes on climate change within the information sector. These themes informed research questions included in a survey cascaded to UK archivists, conservators, records managers and cultural heritage professionals via national mailing lists. The results were then codified and analysed. The study had research ethics and data protection approval from University College London.FindingsUsing professional ethics as a framework, this paper argues that climate action can protect records from the impact of climate change, ensuring future access. The information professionals surveyed were motivated by duties to preservation and access to mitigate the impact of the information sector on the environment. However, sector-specific climate action, such as introducing passive storage conditions or decreasing collection sizes, is limited by insufficient resources, organisational hierarchies and cultures, sector support and a perceived conflict with the duty to preservation.Originality/valueTo date, there is a growing body of literature from other countries on archival practices and the natural environment. However, the UK in general and the records management sector in particular, have not yet fully engaged in the discussion. This study reviews these knowledge gaps for the UK information sector to appropriately respond to climate change.

Curating Women’s Business: A Feminist Publishing Perspective

This article takes the form of an interview with Polly Russell, the Lead Curator for Contemporary Politics and Public Life in the Manuscripts and Archives department at the British Library 2015–20, who is also British Library partner to the Business of Women’s Words project, led by interviewer Margaretta Jolly. Russell discusses if and how archival practices capture radical business histories and how they could be developed to further connect and communicate them. This includes debates over enhancing collection records, privacy, law and reputation management, and links with professional and social movement networks. She points to the creative use of archival materials from Virago, Spare Rib and other feminist publishing businesses in a digital map, radio programmes, schools and professional training workshops, and a major public exhibition at The British Library. We conclude by considering the future of the radical business archive in an age of digital technology.

Соціальні мережі й архівні практики

The purpose of the article is to explore the content, functions, model of Internet communication based on social networks, the main directions and prospects of relevant archival practices in Ukraine. The research methodology is based on modern basic scientifi c approaches of interdisciplinary, sociocommunicative, system content and a set of general scientifi c methods, including methods of deduction, induction, modelling, abstraction, structural-system analysis, synthesis, comparative studies, etc. The general tendencies of development of network communication are investigated, its features, functions, role of social networks in a life of professional corporation, establishments on an example of profi les of archival institutions of Ukraine and abroad are defi ned, their content is analyzed, strong and weak points are pointed out, other kinds of application of information and communication technologies are offered in order to modernize the archival industry. At the same time, they used comparative, generalizing, structuralsystem methods. The object-subject sphere of research led to the application of a socio-communicative approach, which made it possible to present the archive as a complex information system. The scientifi c novelty of the study lies in the actualization of the latest trend in archival practice – communication based on social networks. Priority social networks have been identifi ed, the content of profi les has been analyzed, quantitative indicators of user audiences of accounts of archival institutions of Ukraine and foreign countries have been compared, the main types and forms of work of managers with visitors, readers of personal records have been clarifi ed. Conclusions. By «network communication» we mean a hub of data translators through Internet channels, which are characterized by high capabilities of information fl ows and the ability to accumulate huge amounts of information and its intensive exchange for the widest audience of users united by the communication platform. The main functions of network communication are information and communication. Its specifi city is the ability of the recipient to be at the same time a communicator. An important role in network communication belongs to the manager of social networks and the result is determined by the correct targeting of the audience, successful contact with users and the content that should be useful and interesting for them. Advertising, public relations, branding, crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, and other marketing technologies can become a priority for archival institutions in the areas of communication mediated by social networks. We do not consider the issue of the presence of archival institutions in social networks to be the main one, but today it is relevant and needs attention.

Toward Best Practices for Unstructured Descriptions of Research Data

AbstractAchieving the potential of widespread sharing of open research data requires that sharing data is straightforward, supported, and well‐understood; and that data is discoverable by researchers. Our literature review and environment scan suggest that while substantial effort is dedicated to structured descriptions of research data, unstructured fields are commonly available (title, description) yet poorly understood. There is no clear description of what information should be included, in what level of detail, and in what order. These human‐readable fields, routinely used in indexing and search features and reliably federated, are essential to the research data user experience. We propose a set of high‐level best practices for unstructured description of datasets, to serve as the essential starting point for more granular, discipline‐specific guidance. We based these practices on extensive review of literature on research article abstracts; archival practice; experience in supporting research data management; and grey literature on data documentation. They were iteratively refined based on comments received in a webinar series with researchers, data curators, data repository managers, and librarians in Canada. We demonstrate the need for information research to more closely examine these unstructured fields and provide a foundation for a more detailed conversation.

Connecticut State Library Spotlight

Connecticut State Library Spotlight

Markus Friedrich, The Birth of the Archive: A History of Knowledge, trans. John Noël Dillon. [Review

Markus Friedrich’s volume illustrates the diversity of archival practices in late medieval and early modern Europe. Large institutions associated with royal courts served as models, but archives “had a variety of local . . . causes and manifestations” affecting an increasingly large proportion of the population “on multiple political and social levels” (p. 48). Merchants and municipalities, churches and monasteries, and corporations and rulers all maintained records. The Birth of the Archive is a praxis-oriented study of the history of European archives circa 1200 to 1800, concentrating on developments in Italy, France, and various German-speaking principalities. It looks at how archives in those regions adapted to different contexts and how they functioned over time. Markus Friedrich, a professor of early modern history at Hamburg University, indicates that although a comparative, worldwide study of archival history would be highly desirable, his current investigations do not extend beyond Europe.

Концептуалізація електронного архівознавства в контексті цифровізації українського суспільства

The purpose of this article is to clarify the subject matter of electronic archival studies as an innovative concept of archival science and practice, which has become a priority in the digital society, as well as plays a key role in researching the digitalization of archival affairs, scientifi c substantiation of electronic documents creation, establishing the electronic document management, e-governance, digitalization of archival resources, along with the foundation and activity of electronic archives. The research methodology includes consistent adherence to the principles of interdisciplinarity and integrative scientifi c knowledge, historicism, continuity, comprehensiveness, as well as civilizational, synergistic, and systemic approaches with applying methods of analysis and synthesis, comparative studies, modeling, generalization of experience, expert assessments, social observations, and forecasts. Scientifi c novelty. The authors’ interpretation of the subject fi eld and functions of electronic archival science is highlighted from the scientifi c and research practice point of view; electronic archival science is outlined as a relatively separate fi eld of knowledge and academic discipline with the specifi cs of didactic tasks. A signifi cant place is given to the analysis of historical, scientifi c, and theoretical bases of electronic archival science, its subject and objects, source base, methods, and means of learning. Authors traced the specifi c characteristics of scientifi c knowledge application and its basic principles in the electronic fi eld of archival studies, its history and current state of affairs, and revealed the research potential of electronic archival science, its scientifi c tools, and category apparatus. The research pays special attention to various concepts, such as digitalization of archives and document management, electronic document, electronic archives, electronic resource, electronic information, electronic management in archival studies, electronic communication. Conclusions and prospects for further research. The research outlines the national and foreign experience of electronic archival science conceptualization, its signifi cance in the context of informatization and integration processes within the EU. Authors formulated several proposals for further development of theoretical, methodological, and didactic principles of electronic archival science as a fi eld of scientifi c knowledge and academic discipline, innovative basis for computerization of archival practices, along with the modernization of educational programs for new generations of archivists and document scholars.

Decolonising the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine's Archives Service

ABSTRACT This article will give an in-depth analysis of our journey in decolonizing the archives of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) which began in 2019 and is ongoing. It will give readers the opportunity to understand how an institution created by the Colonial Office is confronting its history and its colonial legacy, and how the Archives Service is changing its practices in a way that seeks to confront and disrupt the colonial narrative. This has been achieved through an overview of the colonial history of the School by a research fellow and the development of decolonizing principles covering cataloguing practice, archival practice, dissemination, education and inclusion.

Antiracism and black memory in the archives: a project to preserve black organization collections at the University of Campinas (Brazil)

ABSTRACT This article describes the anti-racist project developed by the Arquivo Edgard Leuenroth (AEL — Edgard Leuenroth Archive) at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil that involves assembling collections pertaining to black social organizations in the state of São Paulo for preservation and dissemination. The project understands the relation between archives and anti-racism in two dimensions. One considers the very gesture of incorporating materials into the archival apparatus and the other involves the search for a new participatory paradigm for archival practices and decision-making. The collections enable us to reimagine the role of black organizations in the history of the country and its future, thus preserving and ensuring access to them is part of a broader initiative to redefine the place of the archival institution in policies aiming to dismantle racism.

Record-Making and Record-Keeping in Early Societies

Record-Making and Record-Keeping in Early Societies

The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most

The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most

The Broad Scope of Design Records

It is with immense pleasure that I address you today, journal readers. The last time that American Archivist offered a section focused on articles about design-centric records was in 1996, volume 59, number 2. At that time, the Society of American Archivists' (SAA) Design Records Section was the Architectural Records Section; that issue's articles, therefore, were suitably focused on architectural records. As the section name-change implies, the section has since broadened its focus measurably.This issue of American Archivist is the culmination of several years of planning and the efforts of many contributors. In February 2018, Christopher “Cal” Lee, former American Archivist editor, issued the call for any member of the Editorial Board to serve in the role of guest editor. He invited board members to indulge in their special archives interests with the ultimate goal of focusing an issue, or a segment thereof, on a particular subject. At that time, I was a member of the Editorial Board, serving in that capacity from 2016 to 2020. Before that tenure of service, I was a peer reviewer of American Archivist articles, and today, I still serve in that capacity.Knowing how long it had been since the journal focused on design records, and given the broader scope of the Design Records Section, and considering my own dedicated archives practice in this subject area, I raised my hand in that 2018 meeting and volunteered to take on this exciting role.Over many months and after a number of calls for author and reviewer participation, we have accumulated what I think is an engaging and useful array of content. All that considered, the most profound message my collaborators and I want to send to you, the readers of the journal, is that many, if not most, archivists will manage design records of some sort and at some point in their careers. Whether the records are blueprints, floorplans, built environment system diagrams, fashion or costume illustrations, interior design schemas, or patterns of various creations, these creative aspects or elements of the human experience will be made evident in—and find themselves a part of—the archival record, probably your records.In this special section, you will discover scholarly narratives reflecting a wealth of archival practice as seen through the creative and often beautiful lens of their peers who manage design records. You will explore how the built environment at the University of California, Santa Barbara, informed the social evolution of the campus. In addition, you will be exposed to digital collections management of unusual complexity and learn how born-digital design records enhance visual literacy skills. Archives instruction, outreach, and appraisal are also discussed at length.In fact, we elected to make the most use of the new online format and leverage its advantages. Perhaps of special interest are the downloadable templates that accompany “Design Records Appraisal Tool,” bringing a wonderful dynamism to your reading experience.I would like to thank Cal Lee, former American Archivist editor, for the invitation to be a guest editor and the valuable and necessary tutoring he gave to me. I would also like to thank the current American Archivist editor, Amy Cooper Cary, who continued my editor instruction; Abigail Christian, Archival Outlook editor and SAA production coordinator; and Teresa Brinati, SAA director of publishing, for their most able and generous assistance along this marvelous journey.So, welcome, readers, to volume 84, number 2 of American Archivist. My collaborators and I hope you enjoy and use the content in a capacity equal to the joy we experienced in bringing it to you.

Quilting Voices

Quilting Voices

Reflections on Elizabeth Cook-Lynn's Anti-Indianism in Modern America : A Voice from Tatekeya's Earth and Her Influence on My Curatorial Librarianship

Abstract: Elizabeth Cook-Lynn's Anti-Indianism in Modern America: A Voice from Tatekeya's Earth asks Native Americans in university positions to critically reflect on how their work shows responsibility toward Native Americans in the university. Libraries and archives are foundational places where Native American students access information across disciplines that include Native American collections. The job of the curator of Native American Collections for the University of New Mexico, University Libraries, is to document how the library and archive will respectfully shape collections and make active efforts to contact tribes regarding cultural content in archival collections. Influenced by the scholarship and activism of Cook-Lynn, this essay reflects on the words of Cook-Lynn in the area of transforming library and archival practices to build more trustworthy relationships with Native American people and nations.

Writing as an Act of Community

Writing as an Act of Community

Mixtapes from Heaven: The Global Duke Ellington Fandom and the Music they Preserved

The Rhodes S. Baker, Jr. Collection of rare and unissued sound recordings at the University of North Texas Music Library demonstrates that, in archival settings, the incidental content that is often deleted from commercial releases is actually “a feature, not a bug,” so to speak. This article elaborates on two reasons for the desirability and necessity of such content: First, it often provides the context necessary to make sense of a given recording, determining a date and release status, especially for recordings that are not well labeled. It also provides lasting evidence of the human activity underlying every aspect of the performance, capture, distribution, and preservation of a recording.
 The Rhodes S. Baker, Jr. Collection’s unissued recordings of Duke Ellington and other major jazz artists, packed onto reel-to-reel tapes like the “mixtapes” of decades later, have obvious intrinsic value. Still, preserving and acknowledging the human activity that compiled them adds value: doing so provides a window into the depth and intensity of the “fandom” (or community of fans) that thrived for Ellington even in his sixties, along with the multifaceted efforts to preserve his live performances.
 Ellington and his music created an international fan community, and their story augments his own. This article describes historically significant content from the Rhodes S. Baker, Jr. Collection, digitized in early 2016, in the context of the social participation of Baker and other fans and collectors, including the prominent Swedish collector and discographer Benny Aasland. The preservation and description of the collection demonstrates a complementary relationship between archival practice and musicologist Christopher Small’s concept of musicking. Insights from Pauline Oliveros and John Cage further inform an approach to musicking inclusive of incidental sounds and other artifacts of recorded live performance which might otherwise be dismissed as “noise,” but are essential to the full context of the captured performance.

Diagnosing Desire: Mental Health and Modern American Literature, 1890–1955

Abstract This second book project argues that psychological diagnosis drives literary and scientific innovation in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century US. I demonstrate how experimental modernism and biomedical development both deploy and resist evolving classifications of mental life. These underappreciated cultural dialogues generate authoritative models of cognitive and corporeal health determined by race and gender. I take up four such medicalized types and establish how these pathologized figures embody anxieties about social change, particularly related to race, gender, and sexuality. Synthesizing literary fiction with transatlantic medical discourse and computational methods with traditional archival practices, this project rethinks the cultural politics at work in biological schemas of wellness and disorder, while highlighting the stumbling blocks of interpretive practices shared by the sciences and the arts.

The dead archive: governance and institutional memory in independent Mozambique

AbstractTranslated from the Portuguese expressionarquivo morto, the dead archive is a site where files that have lost their procedural validity are stored for a determined number of years before they are destroyed or are sent to permanent archives. In Mozambique, where awareness and institutional capacity for proper archival procedures are still being developed, a common feature of the dead archive is the way in which files are untidily piled up with old typewriters, furniture, spare parts and other material debris of bureaucratic work and administration. In these archives, more than forty years of institutional and public memory lie ignored in leaky, damp basements across the country and in serious danger of irreparable damage. Drawing from various stints of historical and anthropological field research conducted between 2009 and 2016 in Maputo, Niassa and Inhambane provinces, this article examines the dead archive in order to explore the relationship between institutional memory and governance during the long period of austerity in Mozambique. Based on our investigation of the multiple layers of the dead archive, we argue that the Mozambican post-socialist government has sought to control institutional memory as a way to keep the ruling party in power in the context of multiparty politics. While the public sector has experienced conditions of austerity since independence, we show how, during the socialist period (1975–90) of single-party rule, the state's relationship with institutional memory was more progressive, with transparent and communicative archival practices. In contrast, despite the combination of public sector reforms and progressive legislation regarding the right to information, the multiparty democratic period (1990 to the present) has seen an exacerbation of administrative secrecy leading to less transparent and communicative archival practices.

Co-Constructing Digital Archiving Practices for Community Heritage Preservation in Egypt and Iraq

AbstractWe document cultural heritage to preserve cultural heritage, to ensure its survival by pushing back against the entropic forces of forgetting and neglect. These entropic forces are particularly acute for intangible cultural heritage preserved in digital form and produced in fragile and conflict-affected settings. And whilst professionals from across the “memory” professions have responded to these challenges, based on our experience of development work with young people in Egypt and Iraq, they have done so in ways that are ill-suited to the worldviews, cultural practices, educational experience and learning models of those outside centres of archival power. This paper describes the delivery of “digital archiving” workshops, training, support and resources developed by an interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral collective of academics, practitioners, community leaders and community participants. Working at the intersection of development studies, heritage management and digital preservation, this paper argues that cultural heritage practices are enriched by foregrounding particular place-based and contingent activities that productively peel back the provincialism of the canons of enlightenment memory work.

Blake and Exhibitions, 2020

2020 exhibitions placed Blake within artistic traditions of drawing in The Artful Line at the Harris and of wood engraving in Scene through Wood at the Ashmolean. His role within a surrealist genealogy was reinterpreted in British Surrealism at Dulwich Picture Gallery, which took the International Surrealist Exhibition of 1936 as a starting point and measured its impact on British surrealists since then. Facsimiles of his Gray watercolors were the inspiration for contemporary poets in The Bard: William Blake at Flat Time House. While the Tate retrospective reconstructed Blake’s coordinates through a very detailed account of the artisanal, artistic, and commercial communities around him in his several London locations, The Bard rooted Blake in Peckham, reenergizing creative and critical psychogeographic approaches. Trianon Press facsimiles were put to different uses, prompting reflection on the role of reproduction as a medium that can extend the circulation of Blake and bypassing the conservation restrictions that limit the exposure of works and require intervals between loans, as well as other conditions relating to the loan of originals. As noted, unbound Trianon facsimiles facilitated a dialogue with contemporary poetic practice at Flat Time House. The National Gallery of Canada’s William Blake, 1757–​1827: Illustrated Books used them to juxtapose originals and copies, enabling comparisons between monochrome and color versions and between technologies of print and reproduction, while also documenting the archival practice of complementing originals with reproductions.