LIS 721 Fall 2010 Manhattan 7

Long Island University

Palmer School of Library and Information Science

Manhattan Campus

LIS 721

"Appraisal of Archives and Manuscripts"

Fall 2010

Susan L. Malbin, Adjunct Faculty

Course Description and Requirements

Bulletin Description

Discusses classic archival appraisal theory and recent refinements, including documentation strategies. Relates appraisal to the mission, goals and objectives of the archival institution. Explores the applicability of appraisal theory to records on media other than paper.

Palmer School Objectives Met By This Course

·  Identify information needs of society through the application of principles of organization, selection, and evaluation of information resources.

·  Exhibit comprehension of the varied missions and organizational patterns in libraries and information agencies in their interrelationships.

·  Recognize the importance of the contributions of other fields of knowledge to the profession, ethical behavior, and commitment to the ideals of intellectual freedom.

Specific Course Objectives

The objectives of the course will be to:

·  Review the substantial archival literature on appraisal.

·  Explore the applicability of appraisal theory to records on media other than paper.

·  Make a contribution to the professional discourse on appraisal.

Course Requirements

This class will be conducted as an advanced seminar. Students will demonstrate their mastery of the course material through the following:

·  Class discussions of assigned readings

·  Completion of a major research paper

Class Participation. Each week we will discuss several readings dealing with selection, appraisal, and documentation. Students are required to complete the readings before class and to be active participants in the discussions.

Absence from more than three classes during the semester may be grounds for a failing grade.

Completion of Major Research Paper. The research paper must be at least twenty pages in length, must be paginated, must be not less than 5,000 words, and may deal with any aspect of archival appraisal or documentation. Papers should be of sufficient quality to be submitted to a professional journal. I must approve topics (including any changes in topics) in advance.

The paper (and the abstract that is required earlier in the semester) should be typed double-spaced, with a 12 point font, one inch margins on all sides, and no spaces skipped between paragraphs. Provide citations in the form of MLA-style footnotes, not endnotes or parenthetical references. Papers should be submitted as Word attachments to email; please consult with me in advance if you are unable to do this. There will be a half-grade penalty for any assignment submitted late (an “A-” would become a “B+”).

The course grade will be determined as follows:

·  Class discussion of readings 33%

·  Final research paper 67%

Course Readings

There is one required text for this class: Selecting & Appraising Archives & Manuscripts by Frank Boles (Chicago, Society of American Archivists, 2005.) ISBN: 1-931666-11-3.

There is one additional book that we will use this semester:

Helen Willa Samuels, Varsity Letters: Documenting Modern Colleges and Universities (Society of American Archivists and Scarecrow Press, 1992) ISBN 0-8108-3498-7.

This title has been placed on reserve, so it is not necessary to buy it, but should you wish to, you may purchase it directly from the Society of American Archivists (312-922-0140 or www.archivists.org).

Most other readings are available on e-reserve or on the Web.

Making Contact

I will hold office hours by appointment. The best way to schedule an appointment is to contact me directly by email at . Alternatively, you can call my office (if I don’t answer, please leave a message): 212-297-6167.

Long Island University

Palmer School of Library and Information Science

Manhattan Campus

LIS 721

"Appraisal of Archives and Manuscripts"

Fall 2010

Date / Topic and Assigned Readings
Class #1
September 7 /
Introduction and Review of Appraisal “Classics”
Frank Boles, Selecting & Appraising Archives & Manuscripts. Chicago, Society of American Archivists, 2005. Introduction and Chapters 1-2 AND pp. 116-120 (in Chapter 5).
T.R. Schellenberg, “The Appraisal of Modern Public Records.” http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/archives-resources/appraisal-of-records.html
Leonard Rapport, “No Grandfather Clause: Reappraising Accessioned Records.” American Archivist (AA) 44:2 (Spring 1981) pp. 143-150.
“Intrinsic Value in Archival Materials.” http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/archives-resources/archival-material-intrinsic-value.html
Class #2
September 14 / Appraisal and ResearchRichard J. Cox and Helen W. Samuels, “The Archivist's First Responsibility: A Research Agenda to Improve the Identification and Retention of Records of Enduring Value,” AA 51 (Winter 1988), 28-42.
Elizabeth Lockwood, “‛Imponderable Matters:’ The Influence of New Trends in History on Appraisal at the National Archives,” AA 53 (Summer 1990), 394-405. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/w66t31032j7528t4/fulltext.pdf
Fredric M. Miller, “Use, Appraisal, and Research: A Case Study of Social History,” AA 49 (Fall 1986), 371-392.
Class #3
September 21 / Archives, Memory and Culture
W. Walter Menninger, M.D., “Memory and History: What Can You Believe?” Archival Issues 21:2 (1996), 97-106.
Elisabeth Kaplan, “We Are What We Collect, We Collect What We Are: Archives and the Construction of Identity,” AA 63:1 (Spring/Summer 2000), 126-151. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/h554377531233l05/fulltext.pdf
Tom Nesmith, “Seeing Archives: Postmodernism and the Changing Intellectual Place of Archives,” AA 65:1 (Spring/Summer 2002), 24-41. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/rr48450509r0712u/fulltext.pdf
Mark A. Greene, “The Power of Meaning: The Archival Mission in the Postmodern Age,” AA 65:1 (Spring/Summer 2002), 42-55. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/l914668v881wv19n/fulltext.pdf
:
Jeffrey Rosen, “The Web Means the End of Forgetting,” New York Times Magazine Article, July 19, 2010
Class #4
September 28 / Appraisal and Organizational StructuresMichael A. Lutzker, “Max Weber and the Analysis of Modern Bureaucratic Organizations: Notes Toward a Theory of Appraisal,” AA 45 (Spring 1982), 119-130.
JoAnne Yates, “Internal Communication Systems in American Business Structure: A Framework to Aid Appraisal,” AA 48 (Spring 1985), 141-158.
David Bearman, “Diplomatics, Weberian Bureaucracy, and the Management of Electronic Records in Europe and America,” AA 55 (Winter 1992), 168-181. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/240053825k3v3648/fulltext.pdf
Class #5
October 5 / Appraising Complex Record Systems: The FBI Case FilesBoles, Selecting & Appraising, Appendix 2
Susan D. Steinwall, “Appraisal and the FBI Files Case: For Whom Do Archivists Retain Records?” AA 49 (Winter 1986), 52-64.
James Gregory Bradsher, “The FBI Records Appraisal,” Midwestern Archivist 13 (1988), 51-66.
http://www.slate.com/id/2191902/pagenum/all/#page_start
http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/bonclyd.htmOne-page abstract of research paper due. Roundtable discussion of research topics.
Class #6
October 12 / Appraisal Models and SystemsBoles, Selecting & Appraising, Chapters 4 & 5.
Frank Boles, “Mix Two Parts Interest to One Part Information and Appraise Until Done: Understanding Contemporary Record Selection Processes,” AA 50 (Summer 1987), 356-368. (OK to skim from last ¶ of p. 363 to end; this section will be covered more fully in Class #13.)
Mark A. Greene and Todd J. Daniels-Howell, "Documentation with an Attitude: A Pragmatist's Guide to the Selection and Acquisition of Modern Business Records," in James O'Toole, ed., The Records of American Business (Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 1997), 161-230.
Class #7
October 19 / Electronic RecordsBoles, Selecting & Appraising, Chapter 6 pages 121-131
David Bearman, “The Implications of Armstrong v. Executive Office of the President for the Archival Management of Electronic Records,” AA 56:4 (Fall 1993), 674-689. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/v4x38681q7217155/fulltext.pdf
InterPARES Project, “Appraisal Task Force Report,” Available at: http://interpares.org/ip1/ip1_documents.cfm?cat=aptf. Read Report, look at Model.
Class #8
October 26 / Audio-Visual RecordsBoles, Selecting & Appraising, Chapter 6 pages 130-135
Vogt-O’Connor, Diane. Chapter 4 (“Appraisal and Acquisitions”) of Photographs: Archival Care and Management by Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler and Diane Vogt-O’Connor. Chicago, Society of American Archivists, 2006 (ISBN 1-931666-17-2).
Thomas Connors, “Appraising Public Television Programs: Toward an Interpretive and Comparative Evaluation Model,” AA 63:1 (Spring/Summer 2000), 152-174. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/242683617n40849g/fulltext.pdf
Christopher Ann Paton, “Appraisal of Sound Recordings for Textual Archivists,” Archival Issues 22:2 (1997), 117-132.
Class #9
November 2 / International Perspectives – ILuciana Duranti, “The Concept of Appraisal and Archival Theory,” AA 57:2 (Spring 1994), 328-344. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/pu548273j5j1p816/fulltext.pdf
John Roberts. “One Size Fits All? The Portability of Macro-Appraisal by a Comparative Analysis of Canada, South Africa, and New Zealand,” Archivaria 52 (Fall 2001), 47-68.
Terry Eastwood, “Reflections of the Goal of Archival Appraisal in Democratic Societies,” Archivaria 54 (Fall 2002), 59-71.
Deadline for selection of mission and collection policy statements to be discussed on December 15 (each student submit a link to one web page).
Class #10
November 6 / International Perspectives – IIHans Booms, “Society and the Formation of a Documentary Heritage: Issues in the Appraisal of Archival Sources,” Archivaria 24 (Summer 1987), 69-107 (originally published 1972).
Angelika Menne-Haritz, “Appraisal or Documentation: Can We Appraise Archives by Selecting Content?” AA 57:3 (Summer 1994), 528-542. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/g114464381p11324/fulltext.pdf
Ole Kolsrud, “The Evolution of Basic Appraisal Principles: Some Comparative Observations,” AA 55 (Winter 1992), 26-39. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/v05w2kg671667v6h/fulltext.pdf
Class #11
November 17 / Functional Approach to AppraisalHelen Willa Samuels, Varsity Letters: Documenting Modern Colleges and Universities (Chicago: SAA and Scarecrow Press, 1992). Assignment: all read pp. 1-29, 253-268, and “Sustaining the Institution” (chapter 5, pages 153-227). In addition, by a lottery conducted during the first class, each student will be assigned one functional chapter to read and discuss in detail. Skim the remaining chapters.Roundtable discussion of research projects.
November 23 / No Class
Class #12
November 30 / Documentation: General
Andrea Hinding, “Inventing a Concept of Documentation.” Journal of American History 80 (June 1993), 168-178.
Karen M. Lamoree, “Documenting the Difficult or Collecting the Controversial,” Archival Issues 20:2 (1995), 149-154.
Ellen D. Swain, “Oral History in the Archives: Its Documentary Role in the Twenty-first Century,” AA 66:1(Spring/Summer 2003), 139-158. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/9284q6r604858h40/fulltext.pdf
Catherine Hobbs, “The Character of Personal Archives: Reflections on the Value of Records of Individuals,” Archivaria 52 (Fall 2001), 126-135.
Class #13
December 7 / Documentation StrategyLarry J. Hackman and Joan Warnow-Blewett, “The Documentation Strategy Process: A Model and a Case Study,” AA 50 (Winter 1987), 12-47.
Terry Abraham, “Collection Policy or Documentation Strategy: Theory and Practice,” AA 54:1 (Winter 1991), 44-52. http://archivists.metapress.com/content/v2323483077xr227/fulltext.pdf
Timothy L. Ericson, “’To Approximate June Pasture:’ The Documentation Strategy in the Real World,” Archival Issues 22:1 (1997), 5-20.Reprise: Boles, “Mix Two Parts....” pp. 363 (last ¶) to end.
Class #14
December 14 / The Implementation of Appraisal; Conclusion
Boles, Selecting & Appraising, Chapter 3 and Appendix 1
NARA Appraisal Policy: http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/initiatives/appraisal.html.
NARA Records Schedules (sample): http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/ardor/grs23.html
Sample mission and collecting policy statements to be contributed by class members.
Summary Discussion
PAPERS DUE

Rev. 9/2010