Automation in North American College and University Archives: A Survey

The authors summarize survey results covering six topics: responsibility for machine-readable records, campus administrative databases, automated control systems, use of word processing, entry of holdings information in library network databases, and the place of archives in library automation planning. Almost one-fifth of the 979 institutions surveyed were active in one or more of these areas. Findings include the need for more emphasis on appraisal and preservation in the development of machine-readable archives, the probable increase in the use of microcomputers and database management systems for internal control, and the probable development of closer integration of archives and libraries as library automation begins to be more accommodating to archival needs. Educational issues remain highly important. While archivists may not need to be expert programmers, a greater grasp of computer capabilities and the environment of computer professionals is needed both to preserve the machine-readable record and to utilize automated techniques in physical and intellectual control.