Archival Cooperation: A Critical Look at Statewide Archival Networks

Cooperating institutions in nine states founded archival networks in the 1960s and 1970s to administer more effectively their archival and manuscript collections. In July 1981, a National Conference on Regional Archival Networks was held to evaluate the achievements of these networks. The authors of this article extend the work of that conference by offering a critical look at mature networks. The first author reviews the development of archival networks and compares the reasons behind their establishment to the realities of daily operation. The second author analyzes the extent to which archival cooperation exists in five areas: local government records, acquisitions, collection use, resource sharing, and conflict resolution. The third author examines the effectiveness of archival networks in terms of funding and structure.