| Descript |
1 online resource (xv, 355 p.) : ill. |
| Note |
Includes index. |
| Contents |
The archival calling -- Public memory meets archival memory : the interpretation of Williamsburg's Secretary's office -- Public and private history in Colonial Williamsburg : a memoir of a half-century and a view to a calling -- Empty temples : challenges for modern government archives and records management -- Secrecy, archives, and the archivist -- The National Archives reclassification scandal -- Archival ethics : the truth of the matter -- The archives & archivists listserv controversy -- The Anthony Clark case, SAA, and professional ethics -- Revisiting the archival finding aid -- Teaching unpleasant things -- Arguing about appraisal in the age of forgetfulness. |
| Note |
Many worry about the health of the archival profession and its mission, a topic explored in this book by one of the profession's respected leaders. The initial part of the book consists of three essays exploring the notion of archival calling, including a lesson about a lost opportunity for advocating the critical importance of the archival mission and a very personal reflection on the author's own calling into the archival field. The second part of the book concerns one of the pre-eminent challenges of our time, government secrecy, and how, if left unchallenged, it can undermine the societal role of the archival profession. The third part of the book considers one of the most important issues facing archivists, indeed, all information professionals, the possession of a practical ethical perspective. The fourth and final part of the book concerns the matter of teaching the next generation of archivists in the midst of all the change, debates, and controversies about archives and archivists. In a brief concluding reflection, the author offers some final advice to the archival community in charting its future. |
| ISBN |
9781936117499 (e-book) |
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