In order to advance their profession, archivists must stop thinking of themselves as an isolated group whose uniqueness keeps them apart from related disciplines. They must address the questions of advanced education versus on-the-job training, their place within the larger information community, and the core knowledge necessary to prepare them for an archival education and career. Beyond the master's degree, archivists should think of doctoral training for some who wish to go on to teach archival studies at the graduate level.

Based on an analysis of selected authorship and subject-based variables, 390 articles published in the American Archivist from 1971 to 1990 were analyzed. All major articles published during the period were included in the analysis, but other components of the journal were excluded. The primary subject area receiving the highest level of coverage was the General Literature category, followed by Use of Archives and Historical Manuscripts, and Repositories (History, Organization, and Activities). Single authorship was the overwhelming pattern, with almost 90 percent of the articles having only one author. Of a total of 433 authors, 124 (28.6%) were women, and 309 (71.4%) were men. From 1971 to 1990, 25.4 percent of the authors lived in the District of Columbia, followed by 8.5 percent in Massachusetts, 8.2 percent in Michigan, and 7.5 percent in New York. Academic archivists accounted for 22 percent of the authors, followed by federal archivists at 16.5 percent.

The author traces the evolution and development of Ohio's state archives from the early 1900s to 1959, the year legislation passed naming the Ohio Historical Society as the archives administration. The failure to establish a clear archival authority and the absence of sustained financial support forms part of the story. That the Ohio Historical Society, beset by multiple demands on limited resources, a quasi-public relationship to the state, and an uncertainty about its role and mission, became a captive of its involvement in the effort to preserve the state's archives is also part of this tale of angst and apathy.

This article seeks to provoke discussion and analysis of the role of state governments in archival activities beyond the records of state government. Should the state regularly assess archival conditions, report on them, and recommend action to address key needs? Should states provide financial and technical assistance to archives in local governments and in programs in the not-for-profit sector? Should the state coordinate public awareness campaigns and educational programs statewide? What should be the scope and the methods of state programs, who should decide, and how? The article draws on New York as an example of how such state programs might be developed and as a basis for discussion of their appropriateness. A final section considers potential roles for all state governments.

The Idaho State Historical Records Advisory Board obtained funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to provide statewide bibliographic access to manuscripts and archives. This paper describes the innovative features of that project, carried out by the University of Idaho library as subcontractor, including the integration of several off-the-shelf software programs into one process. The paper is slightly revised from a presentation to the Joint Conference of the Northwest Archivists and the Archives Association of British Columbia held at Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, 2 May 1992. The author's attendance at that conference was made possible by a grant from the Hon. John Calhoun Smith Memorial Fund of the University of Idaho.

The appropriate application of personal, professional, and societal values in archival appraisal has been the subject of analysis and speculation since the origin of programs of acquisition. The author provides a historical overview of the issue, discusses the principle of accountability in appraisal, and explores the notion of a distinct set of values that are the product of the unique knowledge and experience of the archival practitioner.