Reading Response One: Macro-Appraisal and Social Value

For my first reading response, I chose to read "Macro-appraisal and Functional Analysis:  documenting governance rather than government" by well-known Canadian archivist Terry Cook.  I wanted to assess an article that focused on appraisal methodology and the role of the archivist plays in the processing of collections.  I am more familiar with appraisal, which deals with specific records, than macro-appraisal, which is done at the collection level.  So this article is both informative and answers some of my questions regarding the impact of archivists themselves in appraisal decisions.  Although not expressly intended or consciously undertaken, archivists do assume some role, small or large, in the creation process of archival collections.

Societal structure and functions of citizens imbue records with their importance.  Correspondingly, archivists act, in some way, as co-creators of collections by choosing those materials to archive and those to destroy.  As the records creation process is invariably a result of the iterations and movements of a functioning society, the role of the archivist as the final determining factor in the social memory must be as objective as possible.  The archivist is charged with appraising, processing, arranging, and preserving the functional memory of government, business, university, etc.; this is done by understanding the provenance and relevance of materials.  Whether top-down macro-appraisal or bottom-up appraisal is better is difficult to ascertain; in any case, those materials selected for the archives will tell the tale for future researchers.

Though the title of the article indicates a government-central theme, the actual content is applicable to a wide variety of businesses.  The main goals of an archivist, no matter the collection or its provenance, is to appraise the materials and leave with only the "best records" remaining.  Cook believes this is possible using the top-down approach of macro-appraisal and functional analysis.  The most intriguing aspects of the article focused upon the role social values and norms play in the record creation and appraisal process.  Cook states the work done by individuals interacting with or within the government (for example) has dramatic influence not only on the types of records created through said interaction but then again influence what records are appraised as archive-worthy.  In each case the values of the citizens interacting with the institution impress their current beliefs into and upon the acts recorded and maintained for posterity.  These social norms are visible through the functions created, maintained, or eliminated as time passes.  As Cook states, "The principal focus is on civil governance and citizen-state interaction, not on documenting the functions of government."  The article can be interpreted differently by each reader, much like one appraising a collection for those "best records."


Terry Cook, “Macroappraisal and Functional Analysis: documenting governance rather than government,” Journal of the Society of Archivists 25, no. 1 (2004): 5-18.

Hollinger Metal Mail, Fellow Interns

Earlier this week I arrived home to find a surprise in my mail.  I will admit to some excitement as I opened my first-ever personally-addressed flier from archival supply company Hollinger Metal Edge:

Certainly the marketing department at Hollinger is to be commended for their efforts!  This graduate student finds it all quite fascinating.

In other news, I want to take time to recognize my internship colleagues this semester.  I have included links to their blogs on the right side of my site.  Friends and aspiring archivists Mike Szajewski and Amanda Hunt are each interning in the University Archives.  My dear friend Brenna Bychowski is interning at IU's Lilly Library, an excellent rare books and special collections repository, this fall.  Brenna is not in the archival program but offers interesting insights into specialized collections activities.  Please take the time to visit their blogs this fall!

Boxes and More Boxes

I ended week two of my internship feeling cautiously optimistic I would be able to finalize a processing plan and perhaps, with a bit of skill and beginner's luck, begin to work processing the Nugent collection this week.  However, somewhere along the way last week I underestimated the sheer amount of materials still waiting to be surveyed.  Along with the 34 boxes in the initial accession I have surveyed, there are a handful of other accessions that add up to 31 more boxes of materials.  The other accessions have been stored at the Auxiliary Library Facility, or ALF, a specially-designed off-campus building with humidity and temperature controls for preservation purposes.  The Indiana University Archives, as well as University Libraries, recall items from the ALF when needed.  Imagine everyone's excitement in the Archives this week when I asked to recall another 31 boxes!  These other accessions have been previously analyzed by others.  However, I believe I should take the time to open each and take a look myself.  Each time I open a box and take notes as to its contents, I develop a better idea of the scope and arrangement of the overall collection.  As this week ends, I can claim progress as well as renewed humility.  Certainly there are more series and sub-series for me to discover in the Nugent collection.

As I survey the nearly half-century of materials in the Nugent papers, I am reminded of the sheer amount of paperwork, correspondence, and memorabilia each of us accumulates during our lives.  Of course, today the concept of "correspondence" has largely entered the digital realm; my generation may be the last to recall sitting down to write a letter by hand.  Those younger do not associate letter composition with pen, paper and postage.  The information age has made correspondence easier but has unintentionally removed this long-standing aspect of social history, as least conceptually.  Socially email is a better, faster, more efficient means of communication, and archivists and records managers will have to continue to be creative in developing preservation techniques.  Imagine if each email, of any type of relevance, was printed.  For most of us, that would mean mountains of material.  One look around the archives today and a few mountains may be visible here and there; I do ponder what an archive will look like in ten, twenty, fifty years.  What types correspondence will exist for those in another half-century, and what new challenges await future archivists like myself during that time?

Moving Along

My second week in the archives began with an email reference query from a patron.  I was asked to find some basic biographical information on a former professor here at IU.  The archives have accumulated several filing cabinets full of background information over the years, and in these I found the information sought.  A short time later the question had been answered.  I was more than happy to help the patron and I'm looking forward to more reference questions in the future.

Once again I delved into papers of the Walter Nugent collection this week.  This accession is currently composed of 34 boxes of personal materials and 7 boxes of reprinted materials (books and articles).  By the end of my time on Tuesday I had completed my survey of the papers.  As I surveyed the accession, I kept a list identifying the primary series, folders, and any other media in each box.  I was able to connect potential series and sub-series during this cursory review.  Though most of the materials are in very good order and follows a clear and organized pattern, some re-arrangement will be required.

I ended my week by typing out a container list.  The opportunity to review notes refreshed my own memory and allowed for the recognition of a few new arrangements.  Each time I survey the papers I become more familiar with the component threads woven throughout.  As a result, I believe I have developed a good plan for processing the accession; now I must take my ideas and put them to paper.  Next week:  a processing plan, and hopefully, execution of said plan!

First Week

Hello to all those interested in Blogging Hoosier History!  I will be publishing this blog as part of my internship in the Indiana University Archives.  Though I do not have much experience in blogging, I am no stranger to writing so this promises to be fun for me and I hope for any readers out there.  I will be posting an entry at least once per week, hopefully more as time allows.

I should begin by talking a bit about myself.  I am beginning the second year of the Master of Library Science program at Indiana University Bloomington, where I am working toward a Specialization in Archives and Records Management.  I do not have any prior experience working in an archive or records center; in fact, I have more experience working on the print and publication side of things!  However, I have always enjoyed historical institutions, archives, and museums.  I am an avid reader of historical literature, specifically works related to Indiana state history.  While earning my degree in history from Purdue University, I decided that if I loved history, then working toward the preservation of the historical record was right for me.  Thus far at IU, I have thoroughly enjoyed learning an array of archival theory and concepts, and I am eager to take those ideas out of the classroom and put them to use.  I have a lot to learn about actually doing archival work!

My supervisor for my internship is the director of the Office of University Archives and Records Management, Phil Bantin.  To begin, Phil went through the basic strategies for processing a collection and discussed the best ways for a newbie like me to begin.  Like all interns at the archives, I will be creating a processing plan prior to undertaking actual processing of the collection.  The processing plan is designed as an exercise to make one think about the organization, arrangement, and any special needs of a collection.  Indeed, I am certain each collection poses its own unique set of challenges.

In any case, I was assigned the paper of former IU Professor of History Walter Nugent as my first collection!  There are dozens of boxes of material associated with this collection to process.  As I began to work through a collection for the first time, I found it both exciting and a bit overwhelming.  However, the best thing to do is to jump right in.  In order to help myself gather a clear idea of potential series or even sub-series may be present, I took notes on folder lists and thematic content.  Dr. Nugent has written several books during his career, and I found it helpful that notes and source materials were mostly organized by research project.  The collection also contains a wealth of multimedia, including photographs, slides, CD-ROMs, VHS, audio cassettes, and a Zip100 drive.  I have a lot to learn about processing and preservation practices for all these data formats.

In my first week I have analyzed a few dozen boxes of material and began to see a general processing plan take shape in my mind.  In my second week, I hope to complete my first run through the collection and then write up a formal processing plan.  I am certain every week interning in the archives will bring something new for me!