Archival Ideals and the Pursuit of a Moderate Disposition

This article posits that archivists are inspired by broad, grand, and even transcendent ideals that guide their work, but that those ideals are beyond their grasp. The inability to attain these ideals sets archivists up to experience frustration and disappointment. By developing a moderate disposition,¹ archivists can productively cope with disappointment and still be guided by their ideals to create great value through their work. The article focuses on three concepts or virtues of self-examination—enlarged thought, gratitude, and reverence—that can help archivists cultivate a moderate disposition.