The archival profession today is doubly challenged. Not only must we deal with dramatic increases in the volume and complexity of paper records, we must also develop programs and strategies for electronic records. The latter, in particular, will require years of research, analysis, testing, and development. However, the resources needed to support years of intensive work in multiple archival settings are not present. The author contends that the profession's most pressing need is the development of greater infrastructure to support research efforts, and she offers examples of the types of organizations that we need to foster.

The 1930s marked an important moment in the history of the national preservation effort in the United States. While the establishment of the National Archives ensured the preservation of the public record, a quest to salvage the record of women's role in civilization was just beginning. Historian Mary Ritter Beard made a commitment to the promotion of women's archives throughout the next decades. After she failed to establish a World Center for Women's Archives at the dawn of the Second World War, Beard sought her dream in institutions of higher learning, inspiring many colleges and universities to collect source material by and about women. Smith College made the greatest commitment to support a women's archives on its campus. Beginning in the early 1940s, Mary Beard nurtured a close relationship with an ardent supporter of such an archives at Smith College, Margaret Storrs Grierson, the collection's director from 1942 through 1965. The tireless effort of these two women provided the foundation for what has evolved into one of the most widely recognized woman's collections in the United States.

Although the importance of an accurate knowledge of processing (and other) financial and temporal costs have often been nominally stated in archival literature, serious discussions or case studies have been rare. Of those, most have advocated cost analysis for appraisal or management advantages. The development of an ongoing processing-cost analysis at the Billy Graham Center Archives suggests that the latter are particularly beneficial. The archival profession would benefit from greater comparison of costs between similar types of institutions and from the regular reporting of statistics.

As civilization develops, both socially and technologically, the laws that govern human action must change accordingly. This paper examines the current legal debate over the nature of electronic records and their legal admissibility as evidence in light of past debates on the admissibility of microfilm, photocopies, and written documents themselves. The author sees contemporary judicial thinking as following the historical trend of relying on personal testimony and "dependable systems" to ensure documentary veracity and validity. The conclusion stresses the impact of the legal status of electronic records on records management programs and the need for records managers to be aware of the foundations of current legal thought.

Introducing technological tools into credit instruction in archival management is a relatively new field of exploration. In fall 1993, Penn State University's Archival Management/History 490 team instructors and students took a step forward by integrating traditional classroom instruction with the often volatile and highly interactive ARCHIVES Listserv. The results of their experiment are detailed in this article.

This article summarizes the main features of a Dutch study, Omslag in Opslag, published in 1991. The study presents a relatively new approach aimed at the improvement of records management within Dutch agencies. The authors argue that information is preserved and managed because users have specific reasons for and interests in doing so. This is important because there are different reasons and interests and because each reason and interest has its own demands on records management methods and techniques. The intensity of the several interests and reasons varies with each business process. For effective and efficient records management it is therefore necessary to know the weight of each relevant interest. That can be done only by analyzing the business process. The consequence of this study is that the ratio of uniform records management methods and techniques disappears and that pluriformity of methods and techniques must be accepted. The article ends with activities planned by the Dutch government to implement this new paradigm. The authors are grateful to Tora Bikson for suggesting Revolution in Records as the English translation of Omslag in Opslag, and to Rick Barry for his suggestions for improving the clarity of the text.