ABSTRACT

Archivists ensure preservation of and access to permanently valuable records in the course of their everyday work. We present results from a spring 2014 survey that sought to gather data on the work archivists do, competencies required for this work, and archivists' recommendations for graduate curricula in archival studies. Our research questions sought to measure or describe a) the nature of everyday archival work, b) the frequency of specific interactive and materials-based tasks, c) the greatest challenges of the archivist's work, and d) recommendations for further emphasis in graduate archival education. We targeted the survey strategically to professional archivists as well as to graduates of a master's program in information studies and obtained 490 responses. Much of the communication that archivists must do is “enterprise archiving,” which centers around advocating for the value of well-managed archives. Recognizing prior efforts to raise awareness of professional demographics and skills used on the job, we present our work as a continuation of initiatives aiming to transform data gathered about our activities and competencies into broader public support for archives and archivists.

ABSTRACT

As suggested by its Statement of Core Values (2011), Statement on Diversity (2013), and Strategic Plan (2014–2018), the Society of American Archivists has recently increased its efforts regarding diversity and inclusion. This article focuses on Harold T. Pinkett (1914–2001), the first African American archivist employed by the National Archives as well as the first African American to be named an SAA Fellow, to edit The American Archivist, and to serve on SAA Council. Pinkett's life speaks to current diversity and inclusivity conversations in two ways. First, it illuminates the history of racial and ethnic diversity and inclusivity in the archival profession, particularly at the National Archives and in the Society of American Archivists. Archivists such as Harold Pinkett began to fight for diversity and inclusivity in the profession's early years. Second, Pinkett's story shows the long-standing investment of African American archivists in increasing racial and ethnic diversity and inclusivity in collections and documentation. Pinkett proselytized for the maximum use of records in the writing of history, especially in documenting the history of underrepresented people, and his own writings reflected this belief.

ABSTRACT

The land art movement of the 1960s and 1970s challenged traditional art notions of object-ness, commodification, and permanence. Land art resides within, or on top of, landscapes, which are themselves sites with histories and identities that precede the land art use. Frequently created in remote areas that pose accessibility issues, viewers most often experience the physical locations through visual and written documentation. Literature on landscapes and the built environment serves as a foundation for considering the importance of place in archives and culture memory, and literature on artistic documentation of landscapes informs a discussion about the role of art in interpreting and accessing remote places. This article examines the land artwork Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson as an art object with information worth preserving, while considering how the universe of documentation surrounding Spiral Jetty has shaped its interpretation and accessibility, revealing a complex narrative carefully controlled by the artist. The article concludes by inviting closer consideration of three-dimensional modeling as a new method for documenting land art, while determining that no one-size-fits-all approach exists to document and preserve these unique, artistically significant sites.

This book is a must-read for library and information science (LIS) professionals because it presents a practical approach to an issue of great significance today: underrepresentation of and discrimination against Latinos in the United States and the power of libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs) to improve their situation. The two major contributions of this book are, first, the layout of a solid conceptual framework—an asset-based approach to cultural competence—and, second, the listing of numerous resources to understand, acquire, and practice cultural competence at U.S. LAM institutions.

Latinos in Libraries begins with a description and historical background of the different

An Impossible Balance: Navigating Archival Work and Caregiving Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Alexis Braun Marks,

Rachael Dreyer,

Jennifer Johnson, and

Michelle Sweetser

A Quick Six Years

Surveying Archivists and Their Work toward Advocacy and Management, or “Enterprise Archiving”

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Harold T. Pinkett and the Lonely Crusade of African American Archivists in the Twentieth Century

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The Archive of Place and Land Art as Archive: A Case Study of Spiral Jetty

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Exhibits as Scholarship: Strategies for Acceptance, Documentation, and Evaluation in Academic Libraries

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Sweeping out the Capitol: The State Archives and the Politics of Administration in Georgia, 1921–1923

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#MPLP Part 1: Comparing Domain Expert and Novice Social Tags in a Minimally Processed Digital Archives

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Sex in the Archives: The Politics of Processing and Preserving Pornography in the Digital Age

ABSTRACT

Latinos in Libraries, Museums, and Archives: Cultural Competence in Action! An Asset-Based Approach

Pedagogies of the Image: Photo-archives, Cultural Histories, and Postfoundational Inquiry

Office of the Secretary: Evaluation of Email Records Management and Cybersecurity Requirements, ESP-16-03

Teaching with Primary Sources

Building Trust in Information: Perspectives on the Frontiers of Provenance

Preserving Family Recipes: How to Save and Celebrate Your Food Traditions

Digital Preservation Essentials

City of Remembering: A History of Genealogy in New Orleans

Rogue Archives: Digital Cultural Memory and Media Fandom

Module 8: Becoming a Trusted Digital Repository

Privacy and the Past: Research, Law, Archives, Ethics

The American Archivist Editorial Policy

An Impossible Balance: Navigating Archival Work and Caregiving Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

ALA Editions Special Reports: Narratives of (Dis)enfranchisement: Reckoning with the History of Libraries and the Black and African American Experience

Black Archives: A Photographic Celebration of Black Life

New Directions in Queer Oral History: Archives of Disruption

Turning Archival: The Life of the Historical in Queer Studies