Competency F ~
Use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation, and organization of specific items or collections of information.
Statement
A careful survey of the LIS courses I have taken has helped me to understand this competency in terms of archives and records management. The six concepts listed above are specifically related to archival theory (whether the reference is to analog or digital materials) and how archivists and records managers perform their duties. By looking closely at each concept I am able to link one to the next and explain how they are all related, intertwined, and necessary to accomplish the task of establishing and maintaining control, both physical and intellectual, over records of enduring value.
In today's technology rich societies, information is created in many ways and formats by people in every corner of the world. As an archivist or records manager, it is necessary to think of the creation of information in two ways: either analog (or information created using pen and paper or any other analog medium) or digital (whether converted to digital format or items that are born digital). In whatever form information is created, archivists and records mangers are tasked with the job of selecting the material most relevant to their institution's misison and values, understanding the historical context in which the material was created, understanding the uses for which the material was intended, and recognizing any relationships (whether intended or not) to other institutional sources.
For archivists, the evaluation of materials, whether previously or newly acquired, is an ongoing process. New materials must be evaluated for historical significance; appropriateness of subject matter (should complement the institution's mission and values); collections must be evaluated for any internal structure or original order; and material must be evaluated for authority, accuracy, and timeliness. On an ongoing basis, all material must be evaluated and reassessed due to institutional priorities that might change or shift throughout the years.
The selection or acquisition of materials can be discussed as the same process or as two processes that are very similar. When selecting materials to add to the collection, archivists must again consider how the materials will add to the current value or focus of the institution's collections. There must be some method and criteria for selection because everything cannot be saved; as much as we would like to preserve everything, there is just not enough time, money, or space. One strategy is to focus on societal necessity and select the materials that best meet the current and perceived future societal needs or interests. The acquisition of materials also includes a selection process, but when archivists refer to acquisition they are referring to the more formal act of a repository receiving or acquiring materials as a unit. A good acquisition strategy includes informed decision making guided by a sound collection development policy. The selection process is by no means perfect, and will change from institution to institution, so establishing standards and guidelines creates consistency and uniformity for everyone involved.
A knowledeable archivist or professional preservation librarian will have at least a basic understanding of the physical nature of their collections and know why and how they deteriorate. As defined by The Society of American Archivists (2005), preservation is (1) "the professional discipline of protecting materials by minimizing chemical and physical deterioration and damage to minimize the loss of information and to extend the life of cultural property," or (2) "the act of keeping from harm, injury, decay, or destruction, especially through noninvasive treatment." Preservation encompasses activities and responsibilities such as storage and handling, establishing environmental controls, duplicating and reformatting materials, setting security controls, and disaster preparedness. What is most important for archivists to realize is that having a working technical knowledge of appropriate controls and approaches for preservation may enhance and extend the useful life of archival collections.
Archival organization facilitates information retrieval and is also called archival arrangememt. Organization can be viewed as the activity of dividing a collection into distinct units while arrangement relates to the pattern of filing materials within prescribed units making sure to recognize provenance and maintain original order. Questions archivists must ask themselves when organizing a collection are: Who uses the archives? What do the users want to know? Why do the users want the information? How will users obtain the information? Assigning a logical order to archival collections assists researchers in understanding and interpreting the collection. Creating series and subdivisions within collections helps keep collections consistent and manageable for researchers and further facilitates the retrieval of information.
Evidence
The evidence I have chosen for this competency consists of two assignments related to archives and records management. The first assignment is a finding aid I created in LIBR 256 Archives and Manuscripts with Professor Erin Lawrimore. This assignment demonstrates my ability to use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation, and organization of specific items or collections of information. The objective of this assignment was to create a tool that will facilitate the discovery of information within a collection of records. Essentially, I assumed the role of archivist in order to arrange and describe a newly acquired collection of documents so that a repository would have physical and intellectual control over the materials and users will be able to gain access. Even though each record in the collection was its own digital file, I was to think of the collection as analog. To help with this, I printed each record in order to physically evaluate and organize the collection. The finding aid contains a description of the collection including title, corresponding dates (extracted from the records themselves), abstract, and rights and restrictions of use; biographical or historical note; scope and content note describing each record series; and a container list described at the folder level.
At times this project was frustrating; my lack of experience with creating finding aids was a significant road block throughout the process. By referring to course readings and examples, I eventually began to understand and visualize what my finished project should look like and the excitement began to erupt! Although I did make some mistakes, which is to be expected, I learned the process of archival arrangement and description as it relates to analog materials. This hands-on experience allowed me to play the role of archivist and is an experience I will reflect on if I decide to pursue a career as a professional archivist. An important lesson learned and a skill that will carry over into my professional career is the ability to view the collection as a whole. It was not necessary to read every piece of the collection to develop a sense of the story the papers were trying to tell. In the real world of archival work there is not enough time to consider each and every piece when describing a collection. If we did that, backlogs would pile up and there would be more collections waiting to be processed then there would be available for researchers to study. Instead, I learned to skim certain documents taking their formats and dates into account leaving more time to focus on correspondence which required more detailed analysis. Thinking of the materials in terms of groupings and not as individual pieces allowed me to visualize the project in terms of its overall organization. With the successful completion of this assignment I have developed the skills needed to evaluate a collection for content and relevance through careful evaluation methods; to describe a collection to provide researchers with an overview of content through the creation of a scope and content note; to predict what organizational scheme would most benefit researchers through the creation of series and subseries; and to evaluate materials and assign keywords to a collection to facilitate research.
As a second piece of evidence I will discuss an assignment I completed for LIBR 257 Records Management with Professor David de Lorenzo. The assignment was to create an electronic records (e-records) retention and disposition schedule and it demonstrates my ability to consider the creation, evaluation, selection, and organization of digital records. The records for this assignment were to be condisered born digital and were to be digitally evaluated. When we consider the electronic records environment, records managers have to adhere to best practices to assure that records that contiune to have value to an organization are stored, protected, and retained. A records retention program consists of policies and procedures relating to what documents are kept, where and in what type of environments the documents are kept, and how long the documents are to be kept.
For this project I assumed the role of records manager in order to evaluate, select, organize, and help preserve an organization's digital records. Records managers play an important role in the management of an organization's recorded history; they are involved from beginning to end. While archivists do not usually participate in and oversee the creation of records, records managers do. The creation of this e-records retention and disposition schedule helped me to develop the skills needed to determine at what point in the creation of records a records manger should become involved; to evaluate the institutional significance of digital records; to select records to retain according to their immediate, future, and historical functions; and to determine how long digital records should be preserved or retained.
Conclusion
The two assignments discussed above are examples of my ability to perform the elements of this competency in real-life scenarios. I have the skills needed to perform archival and records management duties involving the evaluation, selection, and acquisition of historical documents; the creation and retention of digital records; and the organization and preservation of both analog and born digital materials. The application of these skills in my professional career will allow me to contribute to the cultural documentation of my community as well as facilitate the access and dissemination of information.
References
SAA. (2005). Glossary of archival and records terminology. Retrieved from http://www.archivists.org/glossary/list.asp.
Evidentiary Material
A careful survey of the LIS courses I have taken has helped me to understand this competency in terms of archives and records management. The six concepts listed above are specifically related to archival theory (whether the reference is to analog or digital materials) and how archivists and records managers perform their duties. By looking closely at each concept I am able to link one to the next and explain how they are all related, intertwined, and necessary to accomplish the task of establishing and maintaining control, both physical and intellectual, over records of enduring value.
In today's technology rich societies, information is created in many ways and formats by people in every corner of the world. As an archivist or records manager, it is necessary to think of the creation of information in two ways: either analog (or information created using pen and paper or any other analog medium) or digital (whether converted to digital format or items that are born digital). In whatever form information is created, archivists and records mangers are tasked with the job of selecting the material most relevant to their institution's misison and values, understanding the historical context in which the material was created, understanding the uses for which the material was intended, and recognizing any relationships (whether intended or not) to other institutional sources.
For archivists, the evaluation of materials, whether previously or newly acquired, is an ongoing process. New materials must be evaluated for historical significance; appropriateness of subject matter (should complement the institution's mission and values); collections must be evaluated for any internal structure or original order; and material must be evaluated for authority, accuracy, and timeliness. On an ongoing basis, all material must be evaluated and reassessed due to institutional priorities that might change or shift throughout the years.
The selection or acquisition of materials can be discussed as the same process or as two processes that are very similar. When selecting materials to add to the collection, archivists must again consider how the materials will add to the current value or focus of the institution's collections. There must be some method and criteria for selection because everything cannot be saved; as much as we would like to preserve everything, there is just not enough time, money, or space. One strategy is to focus on societal necessity and select the materials that best meet the current and perceived future societal needs or interests. The acquisition of materials also includes a selection process, but when archivists refer to acquisition they are referring to the more formal act of a repository receiving or acquiring materials as a unit. A good acquisition strategy includes informed decision making guided by a sound collection development policy. The selection process is by no means perfect, and will change from institution to institution, so establishing standards and guidelines creates consistency and uniformity for everyone involved.
A knowledeable archivist or professional preservation librarian will have at least a basic understanding of the physical nature of their collections and know why and how they deteriorate. As defined by The Society of American Archivists (2005), preservation is (1) "the professional discipline of protecting materials by minimizing chemical and physical deterioration and damage to minimize the loss of information and to extend the life of cultural property," or (2) "the act of keeping from harm, injury, decay, or destruction, especially through noninvasive treatment." Preservation encompasses activities and responsibilities such as storage and handling, establishing environmental controls, duplicating and reformatting materials, setting security controls, and disaster preparedness. What is most important for archivists to realize is that having a working technical knowledge of appropriate controls and approaches for preservation may enhance and extend the useful life of archival collections.
Archival organization facilitates information retrieval and is also called archival arrangememt. Organization can be viewed as the activity of dividing a collection into distinct units while arrangement relates to the pattern of filing materials within prescribed units making sure to recognize provenance and maintain original order. Questions archivists must ask themselves when organizing a collection are: Who uses the archives? What do the users want to know? Why do the users want the information? How will users obtain the information? Assigning a logical order to archival collections assists researchers in understanding and interpreting the collection. Creating series and subdivisions within collections helps keep collections consistent and manageable for researchers and further facilitates the retrieval of information.
Evidence
The evidence I have chosen for this competency consists of two assignments related to archives and records management. The first assignment is a finding aid I created in LIBR 256 Archives and Manuscripts with Professor Erin Lawrimore. This assignment demonstrates my ability to use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation, and organization of specific items or collections of information. The objective of this assignment was to create a tool that will facilitate the discovery of information within a collection of records. Essentially, I assumed the role of archivist in order to arrange and describe a newly acquired collection of documents so that a repository would have physical and intellectual control over the materials and users will be able to gain access. Even though each record in the collection was its own digital file, I was to think of the collection as analog. To help with this, I printed each record in order to physically evaluate and organize the collection. The finding aid contains a description of the collection including title, corresponding dates (extracted from the records themselves), abstract, and rights and restrictions of use; biographical or historical note; scope and content note describing each record series; and a container list described at the folder level.
At times this project was frustrating; my lack of experience with creating finding aids was a significant road block throughout the process. By referring to course readings and examples, I eventually began to understand and visualize what my finished project should look like and the excitement began to erupt! Although I did make some mistakes, which is to be expected, I learned the process of archival arrangement and description as it relates to analog materials. This hands-on experience allowed me to play the role of archivist and is an experience I will reflect on if I decide to pursue a career as a professional archivist. An important lesson learned and a skill that will carry over into my professional career is the ability to view the collection as a whole. It was not necessary to read every piece of the collection to develop a sense of the story the papers were trying to tell. In the real world of archival work there is not enough time to consider each and every piece when describing a collection. If we did that, backlogs would pile up and there would be more collections waiting to be processed then there would be available for researchers to study. Instead, I learned to skim certain documents taking their formats and dates into account leaving more time to focus on correspondence which required more detailed analysis. Thinking of the materials in terms of groupings and not as individual pieces allowed me to visualize the project in terms of its overall organization. With the successful completion of this assignment I have developed the skills needed to evaluate a collection for content and relevance through careful evaluation methods; to describe a collection to provide researchers with an overview of content through the creation of a scope and content note; to predict what organizational scheme would most benefit researchers through the creation of series and subseries; and to evaluate materials and assign keywords to a collection to facilitate research.
As a second piece of evidence I will discuss an assignment I completed for LIBR 257 Records Management with Professor David de Lorenzo. The assignment was to create an electronic records (e-records) retention and disposition schedule and it demonstrates my ability to consider the creation, evaluation, selection, and organization of digital records. The records for this assignment were to be condisered born digital and were to be digitally evaluated. When we consider the electronic records environment, records managers have to adhere to best practices to assure that records that contiune to have value to an organization are stored, protected, and retained. A records retention program consists of policies and procedures relating to what documents are kept, where and in what type of environments the documents are kept, and how long the documents are to be kept.
For this project I assumed the role of records manager in order to evaluate, select, organize, and help preserve an organization's digital records. Records managers play an important role in the management of an organization's recorded history; they are involved from beginning to end. While archivists do not usually participate in and oversee the creation of records, records managers do. The creation of this e-records retention and disposition schedule helped me to develop the skills needed to determine at what point in the creation of records a records manger should become involved; to evaluate the institutional significance of digital records; to select records to retain according to their immediate, future, and historical functions; and to determine how long digital records should be preserved or retained.
Conclusion
The two assignments discussed above are examples of my ability to perform the elements of this competency in real-life scenarios. I have the skills needed to perform archival and records management duties involving the evaluation, selection, and acquisition of historical documents; the creation and retention of digital records; and the organization and preservation of both analog and born digital materials. The application of these skills in my professional career will allow me to contribute to the cultural documentation of my community as well as facilitate the access and dissemination of information.
References
SAA. (2005). Glossary of archival and records terminology. Retrieved from http://www.archivists.org/glossary/list.asp.
Evidentiary Material
arrangementdescription_libr256.pdf | |
File Size: | 80 kb |
File Type: |
erecordsretentionanddisposition_libr_257.pdf | |
File Size: | 32 kb |
File Type: |