Developing and Maintaining Practical Archives: A How-To-Do-It Manual (How-to-Do-It Manuals for Librarians, No 71)

Archives result from the organic activity of an institution, and archivists deal at the group level. Thus, archival materials cannot be administered in the same way as most other library materials. Filled with checklists, diagrams, and real-life examples, this introduction to archival theory and practice is invaluable for anyone who works with records. Topics covered include starting an archives; appraisal and accessioning; acquisition strategies and policies; arrangement; description; reference and access; preservation; electronic records; and the archival profession.

If you have to do archives, this is a very good book. Eminently practical and readable, it discusses everything from undertaking a records survey to issues involved in electronic archives. An extensive bibliography presents many articles by leaders in the archival profession. Extremely useful are charts that organize important information succinctly?for example, characteristics of records with intrinsic value and a convenient table providing cubic foot equivalents for physical items. Anecdotal vignettes such as Alex Haley at the National Archives and Stanford University's purchase of Allen Ginsberg's manuscripts and "old electric bills" make for lively reading, sharpening what Richard Cox once called "the cutting edge of a dull profession." Hunter, an associate professor at the Palmer School of Library and Information Science, Long Island University, was the first president of the Academy of Certified Archivists and is a former chair of the Society of American Archivists' Committee on Education and Professional Development. Highly recommended for those just starting out and as a useful refresher for established archivists as well.?Barry Chad, Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.