Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
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Online Publication Date: 29 Jun 2023

College and University Archivists: Doing It All for Less

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Page Range: 141 – 206
DOI: 10.17723/2327-9702-86.1.141
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ABSTRACT

The Society of American Archivists (SAA) and its members have conducted numerous surveys of the archival profession—both of archivists as individuals and of archival institutions—through the years. In 1949, the College and University Archives Committee of SAA conducted the first survey specifically of college and university archives. Building off previous surveys, in 2021 the College and University Archives Landscape Survey was undertaken by the College and University Archives Section to gather data about the management and organization of college and university archives within the United States, as well as about the backgrounds, skills, responsibilities, and tasks in which college and university archivists are engaged. While the initial results were released to the membership, this article represents further analysis and contextualization with other professional literature. It identifies trends, similarities, and differences between surveys and eras, and it provides suggestions for future surveys and research.

Keywords: College and university archives; Surveys
Copyright: © Michelle Sweetser, Tamar Chute, Elizabeth James, Jane LaBarbara, and Krista Oldham.
FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.

This US map displays the frequency of institutional responses. Darker colors indicate higher response rates; gray areas indicate zero responses. View a larger version of this visualization.

FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.

Average FTE by size of institution

FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 3.

Average FTE by institutional setting

FIGURE 4.
FIGURE 4.

Average FTE by institutional type (public vs. private)

FIGURE 5.
FIGURE 5.

Median vs. average professional FTE at private colleges and universities

FIGURE 6.
FIGURE 6.

Frequency of certifications held by those holding certifications

FIGURE 7.
FIGURE 7.

Respondents with the certified archivist designation, by employment classification

FIGURE 8.
FIGURE 8.

College/university archives' responsibility for records management

FIGURE 9.
FIGURE 9.

Number of areas of responsibility vs. total FTE (3 outliers with over 20 FTE [private institutions] were excluded from this figure.)

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