Best Practices Exchange 2013: advocacy

The Best Practices Exchange (BPE), which brings together archivists, librarians, attorneys, information technology professionals, and other people seeking to preserve born-digital state government information, is my favorite archival professional event. The 2013 BPE, which is being held in Salt Lake City, Utah, began this morning, and today has -- for me, at least -- centered upon advocacy and working with stakeholders.

In the interest of keeping this post to a manageable length and getting to bed at a reasonable hour, I'm going to devote this post to this morning's plenary address. I attended a great session on working with stakeholders this afternoon, but I'm too worn-out to do it justice at this time.

Plenary speaker Bob Bennett, who represented Utah in the U.S. Senate from 1993-2010, offered some great advice for archivists and records managers who work with elected officials or who seek to obtain legislative support for their programs:

• If you're seeking to acquire the records of legislators, approach them at the very beginning of their tenure, while they're still "blinky-eyed." Appeal to their ego and offer to help them set up their record-keeping systems. 
• One of the most important things to understand about the word "lobbying" is that it's a constitutionally protected liberty. Every citizen has the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. 
• Never ask a lawmaker to do something that is not in his or her best interest. Tailor your request in terms of what he or she needs, not what you need, and discuss how you're prepared to meet that need. You can almost always find a way to frame your request so that the legislator concludes that it would be good for him or her to do it. 
• Be nice. People remember and respond to kindness, and you never know when someone will eventually end up in a position of power. Bennett, a conservative Republican, was able to persuade a liberal Democratic legislator to embrace one of his policy positions not only because he framed the issue in terms that appealed to her but also because, years ago, he had treated her courteously when she testified before a committee on which he served. He had forgotten that she had appeared before the committee, but she vividly remembered his civility -- and the harsh treatment she received from the other Republicans on the committee. 
• Be mindful of the legislator's overall outlook and pet causes. If your political views differ from those of the legislator, don't draw attention to this fact. Focus on what you want the legislator to do and on how doing it will benefit him or her. 
• Understand that you're always competing with someone else for money. Don't pick on someone else's budget item in an effort to obtain funding for your own cause. Instead, highlight how wise investment will save money in the long run. Bennett and other legislators garnered conservative support for Medicare Part D, which solid research showed would reduce hospitalization costs, by emphasizing that funding Part D would actually decrease Medicare outlays -- a key conservative goal. 

Bennett also gave insightful answers to a couple of questions that frequently confront archivists and librarians seeking to preserve digital content:

• When asked how we can get legislators to understand that we need more money just to maintain the status quo, Bennett replied that former Librarian of Congress James Billington came to Congress with statistics regarding the volume of born-digital documents being created and the extremely short lifespan of digital files. Billington emphasized that if the Library of Congress didn't receive more funding, it would cease to be relevant within X amount of time. The library would continue to be a national treasure, but it would not remain a current resource for the nation and centuries of past investment would culminate in creation of a relic. He then asked whether the current members of Congress wanted the Library of Congress to become irrelevant on their watch. 
• When asked how archives and libraries, which tend to focus on "quality of life" concerns, can make the case for investment in electronic records management, Bennett noted that Vietnam is the worst-documented of America's wars. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara was the most data-driven individual ever to occupy a high-level government position, and the data that propelled his decision-making was stored on open-reel magnetic tapes that can no longer be read and encoded in formats that no one knows how to render properly. Military historians, the military academies, and the armed forces would all like to access this data, but they can't. Don't talk about quality of life. Talk about historical analysis that can inform future decisions and emphasize that libraries and archives ensure that the "seamless web of history" remains intact and accessible to future generations.

Image: Side view of the Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah, 13 November 2013. The Salt Lake Temple, which was completed in 1893, is the largest temple ever constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and is an international symbol of the Mormon faith. The building's style is rooted in Gothic and other classical forms but is unique and deeply symbolic; for example, the six spires represent the power of the church's priesthood.

Teachout on the Detroit Institute of Arts: some lessons for archival advocacy

When times are tough, it can be really difficult to make the case for supporting cultural heritage institutions.  However, it can and must be done—and Terry Teachout, whose Wall Street Journal column focuses on theater and the arts, has some great suggestions

As most of you know, Detroit, Michigan filed for bankruptcy protection from its creditors a few weeks ago.  The city, which has experienced a decades-long downward spiral of industrial decline, population loss, public corruption, and racial conflict, is having difficulty providing even the most basic services.  Forty percent of its streetlights don't work, two thirds of its ambulances are out of commission, and less than nine percent of the crimes reported to the city's police department are ever solved.  The city's employee pension fund is underfunded by $3.5 billion, and it's all but certain that city retirees—who receive an average of $19,000 per year—will be compelled to accept benefit reductions. 

As battered at the Motor City is, it's not completely defeated:  corporations and professionals are moving back into the city's downtown, and young people are streaming into southwestern Detroit (and meeting with some resistance from longtime residents who fear that gentrification will drive them out of their homes).

Detroit is also home to the Detroit Institute of Arts, which is by any standard a world-class art museum.  In most cities, such institutions are non-profit organizations whose operations would be largely unaffected by a municipal bankruptcy declaration.  However, the Detroit Institute of Arts is a city-owned institution, and the city's emergency financial manager has hired Christie's to appraise the museum's collections and assess their cash value.  Although no one in a position of authority has advocated selling off any works of art—at least at this point in time—the museum and its supporters are deeply worried.

Not surprisingly, the hiring of Christie's has sparked intense debate in Detroit and throughout the nation.  Several commentators have argued that the sale of the museum's collections might bring much-needed billions into the city's coffers and that world-class art belongs in dynamic, growing cities, not places like Detroit.  Others emphasize that it's hard to defend keeping works of art when people who receive modest pensions are likely to take a brutal financial hit and basic services range from ineffectual to non-existent.  Others assert that the Detroit Institute of Arts, which enjoys strong regional support, is one of the city's bright spots.

Unfortunately, most of the people opposed to selling off the collections aren't making a solid case for exempting the Detroit Institute of Arts from the coming slaughter.  Terry Teachout is a notable exception.  Twelve days ago, he advanced two excellent arguments against selling off the collections.  Both of them could, with modest reworking, be repurposed by people seeking to defend public archives against cost-cutting legislatures or other cultural heritage institutions that have fallen upon hard times:

• Contrary to popular belief, any money derived from the sale of the DIA's art collection would not be used to turn on the streetlights of Detroit. It would go straight into the bottomless pockets of the city's Wall Street bondholders. Why slaughter a world-famous museum for their sake?
• If you truly believe that Detroit has a postcrisis future, then it's your duty to preserve at least some of the things that help make the city worth living in—and visiting. Would you auction off the National Archives' original copy of the Declaration of Independence to help pay down the national debt?

Teachout makes one more excellent point:  it's all well and good for outsiders to condemn the potential gutting of the Detroit Institute of Arts, but the threat of disaster is so pressing that Detroit's business and political leaders really need to step up to the plate:

. . . Such arguments shouldn't be coming from me. They've got to come from Detroit's leaders—and not the corrupt, swinish pols who recklessly mortgaged its future in the first place, but the serious men and women who have to make the hard choices without which the city has no hope. If a no-sale consensus emerges among Detroit's leadership class, and if the smartest and most articulate members of that class can sell it to the public, then it could become politically difficult for Mr. Orr to dispose of any of the DIA's major pieces. But if they shirk their responsibility to the city's future, then Detroit can kiss [Rembrandt's] "The Visitation" goodbye.

Teachout doesn't say it, but there is a role for less prominent people in this process: Detroit's curators, archivists, librarians, and art lovers need to do whatever they can to capture the attention of the city's leaders and drive home the points that he articulated. Those of us who live outside of the region can stress to anyone who will listen that we have no interest in visiting any city that opts to plunder its cultural heritage institutions and will spend our tourist dollars elsewhere.  In addition, we can keep Teachout's points in mind as we combat other misguided efforts to sell off materials of enduring cultural and economic value in an effort to resolve crises that, in the final analysis, are mere blips on the radar screen of history.

Future of the Georgia Archives is still uncertain

Today is the first day of American Archives Month, and the news out of Georgia remains deeply worrisome.  Two weeks ago, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced that, in response to a directive to cut his agency's expenditures by 3 percent, the Georgia Archives will be closed to the public effective 1 November.  Shortly afterward, news that Kemp was planning to lay off 7 of the Georgia Archives' 10 employees ricocheted around various listservs and social media sites; appalling as this news is, it takes on added resonance when one remembers that that as recently as 2006, the Georgia Archives had a staff of 47.

A few days after Secretary Kemp made this announcement, Governor Nathan Deal raised the hopes of family historians, scholars, attorneys, land surveyors, scientists, and other users of the Georgia Archives when he stated that the Georgia Archives would remain open.  However, in Georgia the office of the Secretary of State and the office of Governor are constitutionally separate, and Governor Deal doesn't have the authority to rescind layoff notices issued by the Secretary of State or to dictate how the Secretary of State expends its allocated funds.  Secretary Kemp opted to make the Georgia Archives bear the entire brunt of the 3 percent budget cut; other divisions overseen by the Secretary of State will continue to operate as they did before the budget cut was announced.

Georgia's legislature is ultimately responsible for approving the proposed budget cuts, but the next legislative session won't begin until January -- well after the layoffs go into effect.

As of 1 November, anyone seeking access to the holdings of the Georgia Archives will have to make an appointment in advance -- and might not be able to secure one in a timely manner.  At the time of this writing, the Web site of the Secretary of State indicates -- unsurprisingly -- that "the number of appointments could be limited based on the schedule of the remaining employees."

What a wretched state of affairs.  As noted above, the holdings of the Georgia Archives are used by a wide array of users.  Some are interested in the histories of their families.  Some are scientists trying to figure out how to best to reintroduce the American chestnut in Georgia.  Some are local historians conducting research in connection with the Civil War sesquicentennial -- and helping to pave the way for an influx of tourist dollars into the state's coffers.  Some are lawyers -- in many instances representing the State of Georgia or one of its local governments -- preparing for trial.  If they can't obtain the records they need in a timely manner, the state and its localities will likely be forced to enter into costly out of court settlements even if they are squarely in the right.

Moreover, reducing the staff of the Georgia Archives to a mere three people will have devastating effects.  There's simply no way three people can respond to more than a handful of inquiries at any given time.  Moreover, the Georgia Archives, which has already suffered crippling hemorrhages of expertise, is going to lose even more of its institutional knowledge.  We archivists struggle mightily to pour our knowledge of our holdings into finding aids, MARC records, and accession files, but as yet there's no substitute for deep familiarity with the content and quirks of one's own holdings.  This familiarity comes slowly and once lost it's incredibly hard to reconstruct. 

Finally, one can't help but wonder about the long-term effects of the closure and layoffs upon Georgia's historical record.  When people think of historical records, they think of linen or cotton paper bearing elaborate handwriting, ornately bound record books, and manuscript maps.  They don't think of the masses of paper records created ten years ago or the ever-increasing number of digital files that Georgia's state agencies and local governments create in the course of conducting the people's business.  However, some of these records are every bit as valuable as those record books and manuscript documents, and the Georgia Archives is responsible for working with records creators to identify records of enduring value, ensure that they are managed properly, and arrange for their eventual transfer to the archives.  There's simply no way that three people can simultaneously provide access to the existing holdings of the Georgia Archives, provide records management guidance to local governments and state agencies, and continue to take in new accessions of archival records and make them accessible to researchers.

(By the way, Georgia is not the only state affected by such challenges.  Last week, Kim Severson of the New York Times asserted in a must-read article that "an amalgam of recession-driven budget cuts and fast-moving technological changes could result in a black hole of [state] government information whose impact might not be understood for decades.")

In honor of American Archives Month, I encourage you to do the following:

• Sign the online petition Leave Our State Archives Open to the Public.  You do not have to be a Georgia resident to do so.
• "Like" the Facebook group Georgians Against Closing State Archives, which has been a consistently excellent source of up-to-date information about the impending closure and the struggle against it.  (It's also a great source of protest cartoons, among them the cartoon featured at the start of this post).
• Check out the Web site of Friends of Georgia Archives and History, which has been instrumental in coordinating the campaign against the Georgia Archives' closure.  (Pay particular attention to the slideshow presentation outlining the importance of the Georgia Archives -- its clarity, coherence, and visual attractiveness make it a useful model for other advocacy efforts.)
• If you're going to be in Atlanta on 3 October, attend the "Support the Archives / Save the Seven" rally that will be held in the State Capitol Rotunda at noon.
• Write letters to Governor Deal and Secretary of State Kemp or call their offices and explain why you object to the closing of the Georgia Archives.  Letters and phone calls still mean a lot to politicians.  If you need some help composing your letter or preparing your comments, be sure to check out the action alert issued by the National Coalition for History.
• If you're a Georgia resident, call or write your state senator and assembly representative.  All of Georgia's legislators serve two-year terms, and there's an election coming up in a few weeks.  Now really is the time to make your concerns known to them.  The Society of Georgia Archivists has put together a series of handy tips for legislative contacts.

Help save the Georgia Archives!

On 13 September, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced that the Georgia Archives will be closed to the public as of 1 November 2012.  Georgia agencies have been instructed to reduce their budget expenditures by 3 percent, and Secretary Kemp has opted to take the required cut of $750,000 entirely and only from the State Archives.  Staff reductions will be announced soon.

The Georgia Archives was among the first state archives established (1918).  It has won many awards for its programs and state-of-the-art archival facility and has been a respected leader in archives, government records programs, and research use.  It's also done some important electronic records work.  However, in recent years, the Georgia Archives has repeatedly suffered budget cuts, staffing reductions, and reductions in public hours.  At present, the repository is open to the public only two days a week.  Secretary Kemp now wants to make it virtually impossible for Georgia's citizens to access their own history.

Georgians appalled by this proposal have started an online petition protesting against these cuts and are sharing information via a new Facebook group, Georgians Against Closing State Archives.  Please sign the petition and "like" the group, but keep in mind that online activism simply isn't enough.  Elected officials pay more attention to paper letters, faxes, telephone calls, and in-person visits than to e-mail messages or online petitions.  Given the seriousness of this situation, I urge you to write, call, or visit Georgia's Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Secretary of State and urge them to reverse this devastating decision.  If you're a resident of Georgia, you should also write, call, or visit your state Representative and your state Senator.\
When you call, write, or visit the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, or legislator, ask him or her to:

• Restore a minimum of $1 million to the Georgia Archives budget.  Doing so will enable the repository to open its doors five days a week and avoid projected staff reductions.
• Reverse the Secretary of State’s proposed budget cuts to the Archives to ensure uninterrupted service to the public after 1 November.

You should also focus on a few of the points below, putting them in your own words and using your own examples -- particularly if you are a Georgia citizen:

• The Secretary of State was directed to reduce his budget expenditures by 3%.  The entire sum needed to accomplish that has been taken from the Archives budget alone and will result in the termination of all public hours.   The proposed "access by appointment…limited based on the schedule of the remaining employees" effectively denies access based on "reasonable time and place" required by Georgia law.
• Access to government records promotes government accountability and safeguards the legal rights of citizens:

• The proposed closure deprives citizens of regular and predictable access, as mandated in the Georgia Public Records and Open Records Act which states that all public records "shall be open for a personal inspection by any citizen of this state at a reasonable time and place, and those in charge of such records shall not refuse this privilege to any citizen."
• It is contrary to the practice of government transparency by depriving citizens of predictable and ready access to the records that are essential to providing evidence of government accountability.
• It deprives citizens, as well as Georgia’s own government, of access to records needed to support due process of law.   The Georgia Archives holdings have been used in a range of court cases, including land claims, boundary disputes, utility right-of-way, and claims against state agencies.
• Access to records is essential to avoid costly litigation that will result if records cannot be located or accessed.

• The proposed closure will also hamper efforts to research the history of the state and its citizens:

• As the Civil War Sesquicentennial begins, researchers need access to the historical record in the Georgia Archives to provide accurate, factual evidence of that experience.  Many of Georgia’s governmental records were destroyed during Sherman’s March.  Closing the Archives similarly deprives Georgians of access to their heritage—but this time the fault does not lie with an invading army, but with Georgia officials themselves.
• The Georgia Archives holds records actively sought by genealogists and family historians; in particular, they provide essential evidence for African-American history and genealogical research not available in many private historical collections.
• The Georgia Archives has been an essential resource for environmental research and activities, including efforts to reintroduce the American chestnut tree in the state and issues relating to pollution.
• The Georgia Archives has been the site of research for television and films, including episodes of the popular NBC series Who Do You Think You Are featuring Paula Deen and Spike Lee, as well as Emmy award-winner Ben Loeterman’s documentary The People v. Leo Frank.

Here's where to direct your letters, calls, and visits:

Governor Nathan Deal
203 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone:  404-656-1776
Fax:  404-657-7332
E-mail ("Contact Us" form):   http://gov.georgia.gov/contact-us-0

Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle
240 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone:  404-656-5030
Fax:  404-656-6739

Secretary of State Brian Kemp
214 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone:  404-656-2881
Fax:  404-656-0513

The Web site of the Society of Georgia Archivists provides detailed contact information for individual Representatives and Senators and legislative committee heads as well as tips for communicating effectively with them.

Georgia archivists are trying to keep track of advocacy efforts relating to the Georgia Archives, so please be sure to send copies of any letters you send or summaries of any contacts you make to Kaye Lanning Minchew [kaye-at-troupcountyarchives-dot-org] of the Troup County Archives.

The text of this post is based upon a draft action alert developed by representatives of the Society of Georgia Archivists, the Council of State Archivists, the Society of American Archivists, the National Coalition for History, and other organizations.  The image was created by Georgians Against Closing State Archives.

Why you shouldn't become an archivist

There are lots of reasons to become an archivist: a passion for ensuring that the past is adequately documented, a desire to help people find information they need and want, and -- for those interested in working in government archives -- the need to safeguard the rights of citizens and to hold government accountable for its decisions and actions.

However, there are also some good reasons not to become an archivist, and Rebecca Goldman, who blogs over at Derangement and Description (and whom I got to meet at MARAC a couple of weeks ago--yay!) and Amy Schindler have produced a video that trenchantly and hilariously enumerates them.

As Rebecca cautions, this video doesn't provide the whole picture; it's best thought of as a counterweight to all the pie-in-the-sky pronouncements made by silver-tongued graduate school admissions directors. I nonetheless recommend it to anyone contemplating becoming an archivist, particularly at this economically grim moment in time. (Oh, and by the way, if you watch this video and still want to be an archivist, keep in mind that you'll not only be dealing with the voluminous paper records of the postwar era but also with the burgeoning electronic records of the digital age. Enjoy!)

I also recommend it to archivists who have the immense good fortune of having reasonably secure employment and extensive professional networks. It's all too easy for those of us who have somehow managed to establish ourselves to avoid thinking about how our profession looks to those going from contract job to contract job, working as technicians despite having mad archival knowledge and skills, or getting out of grad school at a time when the job market seems unremittingly wretched.

Finally, I would be remiss if I neglected to point out that this video isn't the only great thing that Rebecca has done lately. During the dozen-odd years I've been an archivist, I've been moved to tears twice by records that I've processed and once by a post on an archivist's blog. Rebecca's contribution to the It Gets Better Project is astounding, and you owe it to yourself to check it out -- and then share it with your friends.

MARAC Fall 2010, day one

Market Street Bridge over the Susquehanna River, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 12 November 2010. The Ionic columns at the entrance of the bridge were salvaged from the old State Capitol building, which burned down in 1897.

The Fall 2010 meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference got underway today. I'm offering only a few highlights from a jam-packed and rewarding day:

• Colgate University, the Rockefeller Archive Center, and Syracuse University are investigating the possibility of developing a New York State EAD consortium, with particular emphasis on assisting repositories that have some EAD knowledge and experience but are having problems with publishing their finding aids and securing adequate technical support. If you're interested in seeing how this project proceeds or in contributing your expertise, contact Colgate University Archivist Sarah Keen at skeen - at - colgate.edu

• Kathleen Roe (New York State Archives) delivered a great plenary address on the importance of advocating for archives. Noting that we all need to explain -- to administrators, boards of directors, or local, state, and federal politicians -- the value of archives and what we need to do our jobs as effectively as possible, she offered some practical words of advice:
• Learn the rules of engagement and accept them for what they are. You don't have to compromise yourself or your principles, but you do need to learn how to find your way through established channels. For example, if you're seeking Congressional support for legislation, you simply have to accept that you'll be making your case to the incredibly bright twenty-somethings who run Congressional offices.
• Archival issues are generally poorly understood, and you need to explain, clearly and succinctly, the value of archives: records safeguard rights and benefits, influence major policy decisions, enable people to connect to family and community history, help to document and correct longstanding injustices, and, in some instances, help to save lives. When dealing with legislators, make the story local -- how do records help their constituents? Have records helped constituents secure benefits to which they're entitled? Are archives attracting tourist dollars to their districts?
• Archivists have substantial competencies and qualifications that can be of use to legislators and other stakeholders. We can help legislators manage the ever-increasing volume of records that they create and can help all stakeholders care for electronic materials.
• Don't listen to people who tell you that you can't do what you need to do; just go ahead and do it. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results.
• Don't forget to state plainly what you want. Legislators, administrators, and board members aren't mind readers.

• In "Replevin: Pros and Cons," Joseph Klett discussed the New Jersey State Archives' new Document Recovery and Amnesty Web pages, which encourage holders of alienated state government records to convey them to the State Archives without penalty, lists records known to be missing, and lists records that have been returned to the State Archives. Most of the missing records listed are enrolled laws of the Royal Colony of New Jersey (1703-1775) and the State of New Jersey (1776-1804), which were alienated from state custody a long time ago and which have been sold openly for decades; in fact, the listing on the Web site is based upon auction catalogs from the 1950s onward. Making these lists, which have been shared with law enforcement, readily accessible alerts dealers and members of the public to the fact that the listed records are the property of the State of New Jersey. This is a good thing -- after these Web pages went live, several people contacted the State Archives and voluntarily returned listed records that they held -- and I hope other states follow New Jersey's lead.

• In "Compulsory Candor? Open Records Laws and Recordkeeping," Pennsylvania State Archivist David Haury noted that new ways of doing government business can eliminate documentation of how things are done. For example, press releases, which were once issued and retained in paper format, are now issued electronically -- and even the electronic master copies may be deleted after the releases are posted on the Web. Archivists and records managers have yet to come to grips with the transitory nature of modern recordkeeping.

South Carolina Department of Archives and History needs your help!

Reading room of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, early evening, 18 November 2009.

Earlier this week, Governor Mark Sanford issued a series of vetoes that threaten the state's records management and cultural heritage institutions. The vetoes include three cuts to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH) budget totaling $980,945; the State Legislature had approved a fiscal year 2010-2011 budget of $2,445, 764 in state funds plus $200,000 in stimulus funds for the agency for FY 2010-2011. Funding for the state's Confederate Relic Room and Military History Museum was eliminated entirely.

I know several archivists who work for SCDAH. All of them are whip-smart, devoted to their work, kind, and fun-loving, and I can't even begin to imagine how these cuts will impact their lives. However, the people of South Carolina will, in the long run, pay the greatest price. If allowed to stand, the governor's vetoes will make it all but impossible for SCDAH to fulfill its mission "to preserve and promote the documentary and cultural heritage of the state through archival care and preservation, records management, public access, historic preservation, and education." Anyone interested in ensuring government accountability, researching South Carolina ancestors, promoting meaningful and fact-based history education, or visiting historic sites is going to suffer as a result of these vetoes.

If you are a South Carolina resident and have used or plan to use SCDAH's programs or services, please contact your legislator and let him or her know how these cuts will affect you. Also, please contact Representative Dan Cooper, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee and Representative Chip Limehouse, who chairs the House subcommittee that deals with SCDAH. The Legislature will be in session on Tuesday, 15 June to consider Governor Sanford's vetoes, so time is of the essence.

If you are an out-of-state resident, consider contacting Cooper and Limehouse and letting them know that you have either used or plan to use SCDAH's resources and that cutting its services will eliminate your incentive to spend your lodging, restaurant, shopping, and transportation dollars in South Carolina.

Attention: U.S. archivists (New Yorkers and Utahns excepted)

On April 19, S.3227, the Preserving the American Historical Record (PAHR) bill, was introduced by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Carl Levin (D-MI). This is a huge step forward: although PAHR legislation has twice been introduced in the House of Representatives, is the first time that the Senate has taken action on PAHR, which, if passed, will create a formula-based grants program supporting archival programs in every state in the Union.

At present, only five other Senators have signed on as co-sponsors:

• Robert F. Bennett (R-UT)
• Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY)
• John F. Kerry (D-MA)
• Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)
• Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

More co-sponsors are needed! If you live or work in any state other than New York or Utah, please take a moment to re-acquaint yourself with PAHR and write letters (sample text here) asking each of your Senators to support this important legislation. Better yet, call each Senator's Washington office, ask to speak with the Legislative Director, explain how PAHR will benefit your state and your repository (handy talking points here), and ask that each Senator become a PAHR co-sponsor. (FYI, you'll find your Senators' contact information here.)

When writing or calling, be sure to specify that your Senator should contact the following people in order to sign on:

• In Senator Hatch’s office: Bryan Hickman, 202-224-5251, Bryan_Hickman[at]judiciary-rep.senate.gov
  
• In Senator Levin’s office: Harold Chase, 202-224-6221, Harold_Chase[at]levin.senate.gov

We archivists know that records are essential to documenting the rights of citizens, keeping government honest and transparent, promoting wise use of resources, and safeguarding our history and culture, and we now have the chance to ensure that essential records get better care and are made more widely accessible. C'mon, people, let's make PAHR happen this year!

One last thing: if you are a New Yorker or a Utahn, don't rest on your laurels. Is your Representative a PAHR co-sponsor? If not (click here and scroll down for list), a letter or a phone call is definitely in order. And if your Representative has indeed signed on, consider writing your Representative -- and your Senators -- brief but heartfelt letters of thanks.

An archivist responds to Jon Stewart

As you all know, a few weeks ago, Jon Stewart had a little fun at the archival profession's expense. Now, the Woody Guth3 (who may or may not be archivist/lyricist David Kay) explain -- for the benefit of Mr. Stewart and all the other uninformed souls out there -- what we do and why most of us have at least one graduate degree:

Happy Thanksgiving

"World War II-Kids Reenacting Thanksgiving." Image courtesy of the New York State Archives. (New York (State). Dept. of Health. Bureau of Communications Production. Photography Unit. Photographic prints and negatives of department officials, facilities, and activities, ca. 1920-1983. Series 14655-88, Box 58.)

Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, I wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Blogging is probably going to be light during the next few days, so here are a few holiday-related links to tide you over:

• The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration offers a handy explanation and digitized records that detail how Thanksgiving came to be a national holiday. The process wasn't as straightforward as you might think: for the first two thirds of the 19th century, the day of observance shifted around quite a bit, and in 1939 and 1940 some states celebrated it on the second to last Thursday of November while others waited until the last Thursday of the month. The current day of observance -- the fourth Thursday of November -- was enshrined in federal law in 1941. (Somewhere, someday, someone's going to win a trivia contest because s/he knows this.)
  

• The State Library of Massachusetts has posted on its blog a listing, with images, of some of its Thanksgiving-related holdings, which date from ca. 1650 to the present day. (If you're a Bay Stater, please let your legislators know that you're thankful for your State Library and that you want it to remain open! Contact info is here.)

• The Navy Department Library has digitized menus documenting Thanksgiving (and Christmas) meals served on several ships and at several bases from 1905-1950.

• The New York Public Library has digitized lots of great 19th and early 20th century Thanksgiving-related material: photos of parades and other observances, hotel and railroad menus, engravings and holiday postcards such as the Arts and Crafts beauty below.

"Thanksgiving Day Greetings." Image courtesy of the New York Public Library. Vintage Holiday Postcards Collection. Mid-Manhattan Library -- Picture Collection. Record ID 1065827. Digital ID 1588308.

Wanted: Grateful Dead archivist

It's really rare that archival job postings get much attention outside of the archival community, but the University of California-Santa Cruz's recent announcement that it was seeking an archivist to manage its Grateful Dead Archive has gotten more media coverage than the recent confirmation of David Ferriero as the 10th Archivist of the United States. The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and lots of other media outlets are all over the story.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
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Last night, Jon Stewart (who needs some help with the pronunciation of "archivist") got into the act. As evidenced by the reactions posted to the Daily Show site itself and the Archives and Archivists listserv, reaction is mixed: some archivists think it's hilarious, while others are insulted by the offhand manner in which Stewart dismisses our profession. FWIW, I'm in the former camp. Yeah, the "alphanumerically?" bit is kind of snotty, but this is a man who, upon receiving an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, said: "As a person, I am honored to get it; as an alumnus, I have to say I believe we can do better."

The job itself sounds like a great opportunity for a really high-energy archivist, who will work with approximately 600 linear feet of archival records, news clippings, artifacts, photographs, posters, audio and video recordings, and publications by and about the band and correspondence and art contributed over the years by their fans.

Why do I say "high-energy"? Well, the person who takes this job will be responsible, among other things, for:

• Developing overarching arrangement and description policies that conform to accepted national standards
• Developing digitization plans and digital access mechanisms
  
• Dealing with rights clearances and permission issues
• Creating and maintaining ties to the band's fan community and potential donors
• Providing reference services to academic researchers and members of the general public
• Curating exhibits and overseeing the loan of materials for exhibit purposes
• Planning conferences and other events
• Developing a volunteer/intern program that will tap into the fan community's knowledge and expertise
• Maintaining the Grateful Dead Archive's Web 2.0 presence
• Helping to set policies governing the operations of the Department of Special Collections and Archives, of which the Grateful Dead Archive is part
• Serving on appropriate University Library committees

As the Toronto Star points out, the successful candidate will likely have to perform another job function: "acting as the world's most chilled out bouncer." Ever since the surviving members of the Grateful Dead transferred the materials that comprise the archive to UC Santa Cruz last year, people have been traveling to Santa Cruz in hopes of getting access to the material. However, the Department of Special Collections and Archives -- quite rightly, I think -- is turning people away until they can establish some basic intellectual control over the collection.

What a great challenge -- and what a great opportunity. How many of us have large numbers of people clamoring for access to our holdings? Moreover, despite the stereotypes associated with Grateful Dead fandom, the band's following is drawn from all walks of life. I realize that the new Grateful Dead archivist and his/her colleagues in the Department of Special Collections and Archives are going to be struggling mightily to meet the immediate demands of researchers -- and, in all likelihood, to deal with some ongoing media attention -- but I hope they devote at least a little attention to educating the Grateful Dead Archive's users about the nature and value of archives in general.

The Department of Special Collections and Archives's other holdings, which include 16th-century Italian books, works of art by Lawrrence Ferlinghetti and others, mammoth photographic collections, materials relating to the history of feminism, and local history materials, would make a great teaching tool. Even if the users of the Grateful Dead Archive don't actively use any of the other holdings, I'm sure a lot of them would, with a little gentle nudging, grasp the value of preserving and providing access to these materials. Some of them could, with a little more nudging, become effective stakeholders and advocates. I, for one, would love to recruit a few advisory committee members, PAHR pushers, State Historical Records Advisory Board members, and other champions whose taste in casual wear runs toward tie-dyed t-shirts and Birkenstocks.

If you've got a master's degree in library science or archives management, are familiar with established professional standards and know how to put them into practice, supervisory experience, expert knowledge of modern American vernacular culture and music, first-rate organizational and communication skills, and lots and lots of energy, this job may be for you. You've got until December 4 to submit your application.

Help save the State Library of Massachusetts!

At a press conference on Thursday, 29 October, the Massachusetts Governor's Office announced that Governor Deval Patrick is considering closing the State Library of Massachusetts as a cost-saving measure. This closure will have a monumental impact on the Commonwealth's cultural heritage.

Open to the public since 1826, the State Library has developed comprehensive collections in the areas of government documents, law, Massachusetts history, and public and current affairs. From the Bradford manuscript "Of Plimoth Plantation" to an ever-expanding digital repository, the holdings of the State Library shed light on the Commonwealth's past, present, and future.

There are several ways you can help:

• Show your support for the State Library by signing its online petition.
• Contact the Governor directly via his website and ask that he keep the State Library open.
• Consider making a donation to the Friends of the State Library of Massachusetts.

In addition to doing the above, you Bay Staters out there might also want to consider contacting your legislators.

For the most recent information about the fight to save the State Library, check out its blog and follow Save Your State Library! on Facebook.

It's Archives Month!

October is American Archives Month. Archivists throughout the United States will make a particular effort to highlight the ways in which archives and archivists help to protect the rights of citizens, promote government accountability and transparency, capture family and community histories, and make possible new scientific and other discoveries.

Archives Month was born in New York State, which in 1989 designated the first week of October New York Archives Week. Other states quickly started their own Archives Week or Archives Month celebrations, and in 2006 the Society of American Archivists launched the first American Archives Month celebration.

In honor of American Archives Month, archives throughout the United States are offering special exhibits, tours, lectures, family history days, and many other special events throughout the month of October. Information about these events can be found on events calendars and online bulletin boards maintained by state archives and public library systems and, in many instances, local news media. Doing a Web search that combines the name of your state with "Archives Month" ought to generate lots of results.

Looking for information about New York Archives Month events? The following resources will get you started:

• Capital District Library Council October 2009 Archives Month Schedule
• New York State Archives Calendar (click on "Events and Activities"
  
• Northern New York Library Council Archives Month 2009 (scroll down)
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration--New York City Archives Month 2009 Events

SAA 2009: Leadership Orientation and Forum for SAA Section, Roundtable, and Committee Officers

View from the 19th floor, Hilton Austin Downtown, late morning, 12 August 2009.

Even though my term as co-chair of the Lesbian and Gay Archives Roundtable ended a few hours afterward, I attended this morning’s leadership orientation session. I’m glad I did.

Owing to the time-sensitive nature of some of the information conveyed, I’ll start this post by focusing on the last section of the meeting, which concerned on the work of the Government Affairs Working Group (GAWG -- yes, GAWG) and its draft advocacy agenda. Bob Sink indicated that advocating for archives is a huge task. Now that the advocacy agenda is almost complete, GAWG will focus its energies upon developing resources that archivists can use when speaking with local, state, and federal legislators and other policy-makers.

Kathleen Roe then spoke about the Partnership for the American Historical Record (PAHR) federal legislative initiative, which if passed will dramatically increase the amount of federal funding for archives. She noted that PAHR will come up for a vote in the House of Representatives during the fall session and that the next two weeks are really crucial: PAHR supporters need to write or arrange to meet with their representatives within the next two weeks. (Background info, your representative’s contact info, and sample letters are available here.) Moreover, PAHR still lacks Senate sponsorship, so people really need to reach out to their senators as well.

Kathleen noted that her daily drive to work takes her past a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute sign that asks, “Why not change the world?” and asserted that if 19 and 20 year-old techies can dream of changing the world, we can certainly dream of improving funding for archives!

The middle portion of the meeting focused on the draft Strategic Priority Goals and Outcomes FY 2010- FY 1013 document that Council has drafted. The discussion ranged from the very specific to the very broad, but there was a strong consensus that a) many sections and roundtables want to work collaboratively and that such collaboration should be supported and that b) efforts to ensure that the historical record reflects the diversity of American society should include outreach to and support of repositories that grow out of the communities they seek to document. I hope Council takes these suggestions to heart.

The first segment of the meeting was devoted to discussion of section and roundtable leadership, and three current and former leaders discussed their experiences and lessons that they had learned during their tenure:

• Danna Bell-Russell of the Reference, Access, and Outreach Section (RAO) outlined RAO’s efforts to support National History Day (NHD), which grew out of Council’s decision to endorse NHD. In 2007, RAO established a subcommittee that created a survey instrument that assessed the extent to which SAA members participated in NHD events and a Web page that pointed to appropriate resources and documented members’ involvement in NHD. It also reached out to teachers and learned that they wanted online guides to using archives, finding repositories and materials of interest, locating the person who is best able to help students, subject lists, and special guides to visual materials. It has issued a final report outlining possible next steps for both RAO and SAA and is thinking about creating an online tutorial, working with SHRABs to develop online lists, and collaborating with other sections and roundtables.

• Russell James of the Records Management Roundtable detailed how he ensured that his roundtable worked effectively: he made sure that its Steering Committee was 10-15 strong, and he made it plain that he expected a substantial time commitment (average of 2 hours/week) from each member, he was open to input from members, and kept track of everyone and everything via e-mail. He also discussed a couple of projects that the roundtable has undertaken. In keeping with one of its core goals -- promoting records management within SAA -- the roundtable contacted the former heads of sections and roundtables and asked them whether they had any materials in their possession. As a result, 13 roundtables and 7 sections now have complete records in the SAA Archives at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. It has also undertaken a diversity initiative; pamphlets focusing on working with archivists with physical disabilities will go up on its Web site soon.

• Rebecca Johnson Melvin, the former co-chair of the Congressional Papers Roundtable, outlined a number of large projects that her roundtable has completed, including a full-fledged documentation strategy; a full chronology and select publications are available on the roundtable’s Web site. The roundtable’s current project, which is supported by the NHPRC and SAA itself, focuses on production of guidelines on the ethics of acquiring and managing Congressional papers; determining that these guidelines would focus on best practices took a lot of painful but necessary internal discussion and debate -- which Melvin learned is sometimes necessary -- but the final document focuses on best practices.

All good stuff, and an auspicious start to SAA 2009.

"History is just so fascinating": archives as a teaching tool

In today's Washington Post, there's a splendid article by John Kelly that outlines how the Stuart-Hobson Middle School, a highly regarded public school within the District of Columbia, uses its own archival records to interest students in the history of the school and their community.

The old attendance books, photographs, and other materials were discovered about three years ago, and an enterprising parent wrote a successful Institute of Museum and Library Services grant application that enabled the school's librarian to hire a couple of part-time processing archivists. Once processed, the records became the focus of a wide array of student projects.

Working with the records has forced the students to confront the school's segregated past and contrast the professional careers of their own parents with those of the blue-collar workers who sent their children to the school during the mid-20th century. It has also them to appreciate present-day traces of the past: one student marveled that students who attended the school decades ago lived in homes that are still standing today.

A lot of students are quoted in this article, and it's plain that they are really fired up about working with these records. One student Kelly interviewed stated that "history is just so fascinating," and all of the others were equally enthusiastic. It's also evident that their studies have led them to reflect upon the ongoing nature of historical change: Kelly asked a couple of students how future Stuart-Hobson students will view them, and they readily recognized that in 2050 their clothes will seem as old-fashioned as those of the students of 1950 seem today.

Reading this article brought to mind something that I heard a few years ago when I sat in on a meeting of Western New York archivists. Ken O'Brien, who teaches history at the College at Brockport, SUNY and sits on the New York State Historical Records Advisory Board was one of the attendees. Although I'm not sure he remembers me, I don't think I'll ever forget something he told me in passing. He discussed how each student at an area school had used school records and other materials to research the life of a student who had attended the same school a long time ago, and mentioned in passing that such projects mold character as well as minds. At the same time as students learn a lot about local history and broader historical trends, they learn to look beyond the old-fashioned clothes and given names. They come to recognize that people who lived in the past had varied talents, interests, and goals and experienced joy and sorrow as intensely as they themselves do. In sum, projects such as these help to develop students' capacity for empathy -- which our culture desperately needs but doesn't always encourage.

Kelly's piece also made me start thinking about the long-term impact of such projects. I have the sneaking suspicion that in about twenty years, a substantial number of young archivists will trace their choice of career to elementary and middle school projects that made sustained use of archival materials. However, the potential is much greater. Most of the students at Stuart-Hobson and other schools that make imaginative and stimulating use of historical records will not become archivists or historians, but many of them will continue to appreciate, in an almost instinctive fashion, the value of archival records. In other words, they are our future supporters -- which means that, in the long run, helping teachers develop solid and intrinsically interesting historical records projects may be the most potent form of advocacy available to us.

John Kelly's article is a joy to read, and it's accompanied by a delightful photograph of four white-gloved students holding encapsulated documents. Highly recommended.

Anthony Clark and NARA

Over the past few weeks, the Archives & Archivists listserv has been home to a lengthy series of postings chronicling the shabby manner in which the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has treated Anthony Clark, who has sought access to records concerning NARA's Presidential libraries. I've followed the discussion on the listserv and on Mr. Clark's blog, and I have to conclude that, to say the least, some folks at NARA have some explaining to do -- and some corrective actions to undertake.

Owing to the manner in which the discussion was initiated and the tone that it has taken, to date I've refrained from commenting; I simply assumed that the listserv was experiencing yet another heat wave and that cooler, more rational discussion would eventually prevail. Unfortunately, to date, there is nary a cold front in sight. The discussion, which now involves the blogosphere as well, remains as heated as ever. The latest hotspot: ArchivesNext. Kate T. did a little independent digging and dispassionately presented her conclusions, and received harsh and, in my view, unwarranted criticism from Clark and his archival champion, Richard Cox.

FWIW, Kate and I spoke for a few minutes at a conference several years ago, and our subsequent interactions have consisted of posting sporadic comments on a Facebook group and on each other's blogs. I'm defending Kate not because she's a friend but because I think her well-reasoned, deliberative post was met with unwarranted hostility -- and because this sort of hostility has, in my view, consistently inhibited honest discussion of Clark's case.

The discussion on the listserv was initiated with the desire to spur the Society of American Archivists to respond to the situation, and to do so in a very specific way. It was also animated by the belief -- sometimes explicit, sometimes implicit -- that anyone who did not immediately take to the streets and demand that SAA do exactly as Clark and Cox desired was guilty of bad faith, bad judgment, or both.

As Terry at Beaver Archivist aptly pointed out this morning:

It is clear that the constant public pressure from a vocal and respected archivist, Richard Cox, helped move NARA to finally act in a responsible way towards Anthony Clark. The importance of this kind of public advocacy cannot be understated and there is merit to the argument that a group like SAA should have gotten into the game earlier and should not feel constrained by its ethics code from taking public positions issues like this.

But there have been other efforts working from other angles to make this happen as well. It is disingenuous to claim that these other efforts are meaningless.

Unfortunately, Cox and now, judging from his most recent statements, Clark himself seem to be of the opinion that anyone proposes a different means of achieving the desired end -- NARA's prompt disclosure of the records that Mr. Clark has requested -- is simply sucking up to NARA or seeking to sweep an inconvenient problem under the rug. They are thus alienating many people who would otherwise be outspokenly supportive of efforts to hold NARA accountable for its conduct.

It really does seem that there are a few staffers at NARA who fully deserve whatever acid criticism comes their way. However, when it comes to SAA and the archival profession as a whole, you can, as the old saying goes, catch a lot more flies with honey . . . .

Postscript, 2009-03-31: I was mulling over the NARA-FOIA-Clark-Cox-SAA situation during a few minutes of downtime this morning, and it struck me that the above post might leave the impression that I view Clark's problem as isolated and that prompt review and disclosure of the records that are the subject of his FOIA request will solve everything. From the start, I've suspected some broader changes at NARA will likely be needed. I meant to make this point in my original post, which was written at the end of an intense day (more about that tomorrow), but didn't.

"Do we need archivists in Ghana?"

American archivists have long struggled to explain why it's important to preserve historical records of enduring value. We're not the only archivists who struggle to do to so. Sammy Dzandu, an archivist in Ghana, recently undertook an (admittedly unscientific) poll concerning the importance of archivists in Ghanaian society. He found an all-too-familiar mixture of ignorance and indifference:

According to one of the interviewees, once something had become useless, the best thing to do was to discard it. It was therefore not necessary to employ archivists, whose duties were to take care of unwanted things.

Another person said archivists should not complain of unemployment because there were many waste-management companies and since archivists were expected to manage old and unwanted things, those companies could readily employ them.

After outlining what archivists do -- identify, acquire, preserve, and provide access to records of lasting value -- he succinctly tackles the popular misconception that archivists work with useless old things:

. . . Medical researchers use archives to study the patterns of diseases. Historians and genealogists rely on archival sources to analyze past events to reconstruct family histories. Authors also use archives to acquire a feel for the people and times about which they write. Businesses use archival records to improve their public relations and to promote their new products. Engineers do not joke with their archival drawings and manuals especially when it comes to maintaining their equipment. Legally, archives are used to establish claims to lands and other privileges. Unfortunately, some people do not attach any importance to records and for that matter, those who manage them.

There have been land and chieftaincy disputes in many parts of the country resulting in loss of lives and property. Such disputes could be prevented or minimized if proper records were kept. How could we tell whether one is really qualified to be an heir to a throne or a skin if the necessary legal and historical records . . . are non-existent? It is not surprising that many people take advantage of our inability to keep proper records to forcefully but cunningly snatch our properties from us.

Mr. Dzandu's explanation of Ghana's need for archivists might be a bit startling to many American archivists: when the subject of land disputes arises, we tend to think of protracted legal battles, not bloodshed. However, the situation that he describes would doubtless be familiar to people living in many, many places throughout the world. Good recordkeeping is an integral component of the rule of law, and those of us who live in societies that have long drawn upon the documentary record when resolving disputes sometimes take for granted the relative peace and stability that we enjoy. We shouldn't.

Kudos to Mr. Dzandu for making the case for the importance of archives in such visceral terms -- and kudos to all of the Ghanaian commenters who have voiced their support for his position.

Thoughts on Cologne

I somehow missed an interesting commentary that appeared last week in the English-language section of Die Welt's Web site. The popular and official attitudes toward archives that Hildegard Stausberg identifies are by no means unique to Germany:

There are certain words that tend not to engage very much sympathy in a person, and "archive" has traditionally been one of them. It is generally associated with something dried out and perhaps a little dull. Could it be that the collapse of the Cologne city archives building will mark a change in this mentality in Germany?

Noting that "the narrowing of German history to the twelve revolting years of Nazi rule" is yielding to a fuller understanding of the nation's past, Stausberg highlights how the holdings of the Historical Archive of the City of Cologne contributed to this development:

Heinrich Böll’s original school grades, the birth records of Konrad Adenauer, the scores of Jacques Offenbach, Sulpiz Bisserée’s Cathedral designs, the diary of the 16th Century alderman Heinrich von Weinsheim were all buried in the rubble. Merely the example of the Cologne “Schreinsbücher”(business records of plots of land) allow a glimpse at the scope of Cologne’s city history within the larger narrative of Germany; the records were a predecessor to land registration and therefore belong to the foundation of German law. And it only becomes clear in the instant that it disappears that the ruin of the largest city archive north of the Alps wasn’t only significant locally: Cologne’s catastrophe has European dimensions.

All too often, historical records really aren't missed or thought about until they've been lost or destroyed. I suspect that many Cologne residents who gave little thought to the Historical Archive while it was still standing are starting to realize that their city has suffered a staggering blow, and that many other people throughout Germany and the rest of Europe are beginning to grasp the enormity of what just happened.

We archivists have always tried to convey to the public, in plain and viscerally affecting terms, the importance of historical records and the cultural, legal, and economic losses that occur when archives are destroyed. As Stausberg points out, the disaster in Cologne may help to make the case for us:

What lessons can we take away from such a tragedy? The ruling school of thought in the Federal Republic of Germany has so far operated on the assumption that something stored in a distinguished city archive is safe – but the war generation [which kept the city's records safe despite heavy Allied bombing] certainly didn’t see things that way. Archivists and restorers will certainly do more work to document the treasures in future, both within Germany and abroad; copies of some sort will have to be made.

These are good, broadly applicable lessons, and the cost of learning them has been horrifically high. We should strive to reinforce them whenever possible.