Records Management and Archives
History 56:512:582:01
Thursday, 5:00-7:40 PM
Prof. Woloson
wendy.woloson@camden.rutgers.edu
Archives and special collections have always been essential repositories of information
recording the lives of individuals and the actions of institutions. They are becoming even
more important, and perhaps more fraught, as we create, are able to store, and are able to
make public, more personal, and institutional data in the digital age.
This class will explore several major themes. We will begin with a brief history of
archives and special collections in order to place current practices of information
management into a larger context. We will then discuss what we consider archives and
records – what the universe of primary source documentation consists of, and what is
being appraised and preserved by records managers. We will then move into more
challenging terrain, as we consider various essential questions. What documentation
(books, manuscripts, electronic records) should be saved and which discarded, and how
should archivists and records managers best make them accessible? What is at stake when
we try to balance the privacy needs of individuals and the interests of the public good,
which are often at odds? What are the political uses to which archives can be (and have
been) put, and what are their myriad implications? What are the roles of archives and
special collections today, and what roles, if any, should they play as digital records
increasingly replace analog forms?
We will visit archives and special collections in the greater Camden-Philadelphia area and
hear from professionals about the fields' many opportunities and challenges. In addition to
writing short essays throughout the semester and a long research paper, students will also
create an online archives-based project involving collection description, organization, and
transcription/OCR.
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Grades are based on the following things:
• class participation (20%): You are expected to come to class each week prepared to talk
about the main readings and are encouraged to introduce any related topics from the news.
• class lead (20%): You will be expected to lead one class session, which entails doing the
main readings, reading the supplemental materials, bringing in any additional relevant
materials, and putting it all together for the class.
• digital project (30%): We will continue our work on the digital RUC exhibition, focusing
on one or more photograph collections from Special Collections. I will expect you all to
take the lead as before, evaluating collections for their appropriateness and assigning
various duties to team members – including curatorial work, picture research and
description, uploading to the site, etc.
• research paper (30%): There are many important and highly relevant topics relating to
archives and records management – several of which we will be covering throughout the
semester. Choose one issue or topic that interests you that has been in the news recently
and write a research paper of at least 10 pages that discusses the issue and why it is
important, describing the various stakeholders, their competing perspectives, and your
own thoughts on the issue. You will be expected to incorporate primary and secondary
materials (including readings from the class, if relevant). Possible sources for inspiration:
Peter Kurilecz's Twitter feed, "Records and Archives in the News":
https://twitter.com/RAINbyte; National Security Archive "Unredacted" blog (and blogroll
links): http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/. Possible topics to consider: the Dale Earnhardt
laws; the cases of Nazi gold; the NRA's advocacy of lax gun records; the Jewish Archives
found in Iraq; the "Ag Gag" laws; the Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, and Wikileaks
cases.
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Schedule
Week 1 (Jan. 23): Introduction
Readings:
• Helen Samuels, "Who Controls the Past," American Archivist 49 (Spring, 1986).
• Steven Lubar, "Information Culture and the Archival Record," American Archivist 62.1
(Spring, 1999).
• Scott Cline, "'To the Limit of Our Integrity': Reflections on Archival Being," American
Archivist 72.3 (Fall/Winter, 2009).
• Randall C. Jimerson, "Introduction: Embracing the Power of Archives," in Archives
Power: Memory, Accountability, and Social Justice (2009).
Week 2 (Jan. 30): Historical Perspectives
Readings:
• Terry Cook, "What Is Past Is Prologue: A History of Archival Ideas Since 1898 and the
Future Paradigm Shift," Archivaria 43 (Spring, 1997).
• Terry Eastwood, "A Contested Realm: The Nature of Archives and the Orientation of
Archival Science," in Currents of Archival Thinking, eds. Terry Eastwood and Heather
MacNeil (2010).
• Jennifer Douglas, "Origins: Evolving Ideas about the Principle of Provenance," in
Currents of Archival Thinking, eds. Terry Eastwood and Heather MacNeil (2010).
• Randall C. Jimerson, "Chapter 1: Weaving the Life of Our Ancestors," and "Chapter 2:
Documenting American Society," in Archives Power: Memory, Accountability, and Social
Justice (2009).
 Reach out to Julie Still in the library to make arrangements for access to photographs
from Special Collections that you will be working with this semester to arrange, describe,
digitize, and upload to our exhibition website.
Week 3 (Feb. 6): Archives and Memory
Readings:
• David Lowenthal, "Archives, Heritage, and History," in Francis X. Blouin and William
G. Rosenberg, eds., Archives, Documentation, and Institutions of Social Memory (2006).
• Francis X. Blouin and William G. Rosenberg, "The Turn Away from Archival Authority
in History," in Processing the Past: Contesting Authority in History and the Archives
(2011).
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• Randall C. Jimerson, "Chapter 4: Constructing Memory," in Archives Power: Memory,
Accountability, and Social Justice (2009).
Supplemental:
• Randall C. Jimerson, "Chapter 3: Resisting Political Power," in Archives Power:
Memory, Accountability, and Social Justice (2009).
• George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).
Week 4 (Feb. 13): Accountability and Transparency
Readings:
• John M. Dirks, "Accountability, History, and Archives: Conflicting Priorities or
Synthesized Strands?" Archivaria 57 (2004).
• Opengovernment.org, Secrecy Report 2013.
• National Archive FOIA Ombudsman blog: shttp://blogs.archives.gov/foiablog/
• James O'Toole, "Archives and Historical Accountability: Toward a Moral Theology of
Archives," Archivaria 58 (Fall, 2004).
Supplemental:
• Richard J. Cox and David A. Wallace, eds., Archives and the Public Good:
Accountability and Records in Modern Society (2002).
• Livia Iacovino, "Archives as Arsenals of Accountability," in Terry Eastwood and Heather
MacNeil, eds., Currents of Archival Thinking (2010).
• FOIA website: www.archives.gov/foia/
• National Security Archive FOIA page: http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/foia.html
 Informal report about the status of the photo project.
Week 5 (Feb. 20): Core Principles and Methods – Appraisal and Preservation
Readings:
• Ciaran B. Trace, "On or Off the Record? Notions of Value in the Archive," in Currents of
Archival Thinking, eds. Terry Eastwood and Heather MacNeil (2010).
• Michèle V. Cloonan, "Preserving Records of Enduring Value," in Currents of Archival
Thinking, eds. Terry Eastwood and Heather MacNeil (2010).
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• Terry Cook, "Remembering the Future: Appraisal of Records and the Role of Archives in
Constructing Social Memory," in Francis X. Blouin and William G. Rosenberg, eds.,
Archives, Documentation, and Institutions of Social Memory (2006).
• Glenn Dingwall, "Life Cycle and Continuum: A View of Recordkeeping Models from
the Postwar Era," in Terry Eastwood and Heather MacNeil, eds., Currents of Archival
Thinking (2010).
Supplemental:
• Society of American Archivists website (www2archivists.org), especially links under
"The Archives Profession" tab.
• NARA 1441 appraisal policy for the U.S. Federal Government.
• Francis X. Blouin and William G. Rosenberg, "The Archivist as Activist in the
Production of (Historical) Knowledge," in Processing the Past: Contesting Authority in
History and the Archives (2011).
Week 6 (Feb. 27): Core Principles and Methods – Description, Reference, and Access
Readings:
• Geoffrey Yeo, "Debates about Description," in Currents of Archival Thinking, eds. Terry
Eastwood and Heather MacNeil (2010).
• Kathleen Marquis, "Not Dragon at the Gate but Research Partner: The Reference
Archivist as Mediator," in Francis X. Blouin and William G. Rosenberg, Archives,
Documentation, and Institutions of Social Memory (2006).
• Mark A. Greene and Dennis Meissner, "More Product, Less Process: Revamping
Traditional Archival Processing," American Archivist 68.2 (Fall/Winter, 2005).
• Carl Van Ness, "Much Ado about Paper Clips: 'More Product, Less Process' and the
Modern Manuscript Repository," American Archivist 73.1 (Spring/Summer, 2010).
• Inge Bundsgaard, "The Question of Access: The Right to Social Memory versus the
Right to Social Oblivion," in Francis X. Blouin and William G. Rosenberg, eds., Archives,
Documentation, and Institutions of Social Memory (2006).
Supplemental:
• Archivist's Toolkit (http://www.archiviststoolkit.org/), especially Introduction, Overview,
Active Forum Topics.
• Citizen Archivist (http://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/).
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• Richard J. Cox, "Messrs. Washington, Jefferson, and Gates: Quarreling about the
Preservation of the Documentary Heritage of the United States," First Monday 2 (August,
1997): http://www.firstmonday.dk/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/543/464.
 Informal report on the status of the photo project.
Week 7 (March 6): Corporate Archives
Readings:
• Bruce H. Bruemmer, "Brown Shoes in a World of Tuxedos: Corporate Archives and the
Archival Profession," in Terry Cook, ed., Controlling the Past: Documenting Society and
Institutions (2011).
• Robin L. Chandler and Susan Storch, "Lighting Up the Internet: The Brown and
Williamson Collection," in Richard J. Cox and David A. Wallace, eds., Archives and the
Public Good: Accountability and Records in Modern Society (2002).
• Clare Hackett, "Ways of Seeing: Outreach in Corporate Archives," in Ailsa C. Holland
and Kate Manning, eds., Archives and Archivists (2006).
Week 8 (March 13): Personal Archives
• Sue McKemmish, "Evidence of Me," The Australian Library Journal 45.3 (1996).
• Richard Cox, "The Record in the Manuscript Collection," Archives and Manuscripts 24
(1996).
• Catherine Hobbs, "Reenvisioning the Personal: Reframing Traces of Individual Life," in
Terry Eastwood and Heather MacNeil, eds., Currents of Archival Thinking (2010).
• Ciaran Trace, "The Significance of the 'Humdrum Elements of Human Existence': An
Exploration of the Role of Records in Everyday Life, " in Ailsa C. Holland and Kate
Manning, eds., Archives and Archivists (2006).
Week 9 (March 20): SPRING BREAK! NO CLASS.
Week 10 (March 27): Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Archives and
Electronic Records
Readings:
• Kate Theimer, "What is the Meaning of Archives 2.0?" American Archivist 74.1
(Spring/Summer, 2011).
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• Francis X. Blouin and William G. Rosenberg, "Archival Authorities and New
Technologies," in Processing the Past: Contesting Authority in History and the Archives
(2011).
• Francis X. Blouin and William G. Rosenberg, "Archives and the Cyberinfrastructure," in
Processing the Past: Contesting Authority in History and the Archives (2011).
• Robert Horton, "A Cautionary Tale about Laws, Records, and Technology: Making a
Case for Electronic Records Management," in Terry Cook, ed. Controlling the Past:
Documenting Society and Institutions (2011).
• Elizabeth Yakel, "Who Represents the Past? Archives, Records, and the Social Web," in
Terry Cook, ed. Controlling the Past: Documenting Society and Institutions (2011).
• Library of Congress, The Signal: Digital Preservation blog:
http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/
Supplemental:
• David Nicholas and Ian Rowlands, ed. Digital Consumers: Reshaping the Information
Profession (2006), esp. chapters 6 and 7.
• Richard J. Cox, "Technology's Promise, the Copying of Records, and the Archivist's
Challenge: A Case Study in Documentation Rhetoric," in Terry Cook, ed. Controlling the
Past: Documenting Society and Institutions (2011).
• Richard N. Katz and Paul B. Gandel, "The Tower, the Cloud, and Posterity:
Documenting in a Digital World," in Terry Cook, ed. Controlling the Past: Documenting
Society and Institutions (2011).
• Caroline Brown, "Digitisation: Opportunities or Compromises?" in Ailsa C. Holland and
Kate Manning, eds., Archives and Archivists (2006).
• Archives next blog: www.archivesnext.com.
 Informal report on the status of the photo project and possible web preview.
Week 11 (April 3): Archivists and Ethics
Readings:
• Glenn Dingwall, "Trusting Archivists: The Role of Archival Ethics in Establishing Public
Faith," American Archivist 14 (Spring/Summer, 2004).
• Rodney Carter, "Of Things Said and Unsaid: Power, Archival Silences, and Power in
Silence," Archivaria 61 (2006).
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• Randall C. Jimerson, "Conclusion: Rethinking Archival Ethics," in Archives Power:
Memory, Accountability, and Social Justice (2009).
• Bernie Deasy, "From Principles to Practice: How do Codes of Ethics Translate?" in Ailsa
C. Holland and Kate Manning, eds., Archives and Archivists (2006).
Supplemental:
• Richard J. Cox, Ethics, Accountability, and Record Keeping in a Dangerous World
(2006).
Week 12 (April 10): Archives and Social Responsibility
Readings:
• Mark A. Greene, "A Critique of Social Justice as an Archival Imperative: What Is It
We're Doing, That's all That Important?" American Archivist 76.2 (Fall/Winter, 2013).
• Randall C. Jimerson, "Archivists and Social Responsibility: A Response to Mark
Greene," American Archivist 76.2 (Fall/Winter, 2013).
• Patricia Sleeman, "Cultural Genocide," in Ailsa C. Holland and Kate Manning, eds.,
Archives and Archivists (2006).
• Greg Bradsher, "Turning History into Justice: The National Archives and Records
Administration and Holocaust-Era Assets, 1996-2001," in Richard J. Cox and David A.
Wallace, eds., Archives and the Public Good: Accountability and Records in Modern
Society (2002).
• Elena S. Danielson, "Privacy Rights and the Rights of Political Victims: Implications of
the German Experience," American Archivist 67.2 (Fall/Winter, 2004).
Supplemental:
• Verne Harris, "'They Should Have Destroyed More': The Destruction of Public Records
by the South African State in the Final Years of Apartheid, 1990-1994," in Richard J. Cox
and David A. Wallace, eds., Archives and the Public Good: Accountability and Records in
Modern Society (2002).
• Verne Harris, Archives and Justice: A South African Perspective (2006).
• Lawrence Rothfield, The Rape of Mesopotamia: Behind the Looting of the Iraq Museum
(2009).
• Tywanna Whorley, "The Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the Politics of Memory," in
Richard J. Cox and David A. Wallace, eds., Archives and the Public Good: Accountability
and Records in Modern Society (2002).
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Week 13 (April 17): Privacy and Access – the Individual
Readings:
• Mark A. Greene, "Moderation in Everything, Access in Nothing? Opinions about Access
Restrictions on Private Papers," Archival Issues 18.1 (1993).
• Susan C. Lawrence, "Access Anxiety: HIPAA and Historical Research," Journal of the
History of Medicine 62.4 (2007).
• Eric Ketelaar, "The Right to Know, the Right to Forget? Personal Information in Public
Archives," Archives and Manuscripts 23.1 (1995).
Supplemental:
• E. Wayne Carp, Family Matters: Secrecy and Disclosure in the History of Adoption
(1998).
Week 14 (April 24): Privacy and Access – the Public Person
Readings:
• Sarah S. Hodson, "In Secret Kept, in Silence Sealed: Privacy in the Papers of Authors
and Celebrities," American Archivist 67 (2004).
• Diane S. Nixon, "Providing Access to Controversial Public Records: The Case of the
Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Investigation Files," Public Historian 11 (Summer,
1989).
• Bruce P. Montgomery, "Presidential Materials: Politics and the Presidential Records
Act," American Archivist 66 (2003).
• Robert M. Adler, "The Public Controversy over the Kennedy Memorabilia Project," in
Francis X. Blouin and William G. Rosenberg, eds., Archives, Documentation, and
Institutions of Social Memory (2006).
Supplemental:
• Francis X. Blouin and William G. Rosenberg, "Rethinking Archival Politics: Trust,
Truth, and the Law," in Processing the Past: Contesting Authority in History and the
Archives (2011).
Week 15 (May 1): Privacy and Access – the State
• Timothy L. Ericson, "Building Our Own 'Iron Curtain': The Emergence of Secrecy in
American Government," American Archivist 68 (Spring/Summer, 2005).
• Daniel J. Solove, "'I've Got Nothing to Hide' and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy,"
Social Science Research Network, (2007),
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=998565.
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• David A. Wallace, "Implausible Deniability: The Politics of Documents in the IranContra Affair and Its Investigations," in Richard J. Cox and David A. Wallace, eds.,
Archives and the Public Good: Accountability and Records in Modern Society (2002).
Supplemental:
• Alasdair Roberts, Blacked Out: Government Secrecy in the Information Age (2006).
• Shelley Davis, "The Failure of Federal Records Management: The IRS versus a
Democratic Society," in Richard J. Cox and David A. Wallace, eds., Archives and the
Public Good: Accountability and Records in Modern Society (2002).
• Jacob Appelbaum, "To Protect and Infect, Part II" video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0w36GAyZIA
• Viktor Mayer-Schonberger, Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age (2011).
• Dale Ernhart laws
• Meat-packing laws
May 8: Final Session – Final Papers Due
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