Archives and
RecordsManagement:
Tomaro Taylor and Gail Donovan
Society of Florida Archivists
Florida Gulf Coast ARMA Chapter EventSt. Petersburg, FL
20 March 2012
A Long
History
1884: Historians split from the ASSA to form the AHA
Whither Archivists and Records Managers?
1934: Congress passes a bill to create a National Archives of the United
States
In 1889, an Act of Congress incorporates the AHA “for the promotion of historical studies, the collection and preservation of historical manuscripts and for kindred purposes in the interest of American history and of history in America.”
From 1935-1940, National Archives staff identify…3 million cu. ft. of
records4 million running ft. of filmmillions of negatives
and mapsThey also uncover
inconsistent filing methods,
poor storage environments, unsupervised
records creation and duplication,
and bad recordkeeping
practices.
1939: Records Disposal Act
1936: SAA emerges from
AHA
1948: Presentation of Leahy Report1949-1950:
GSA Federal Records Act
1955: Records management groups in Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Milwaukee, New York and Los Angeles merged to form ARMA
2005Adapted from Scanlan, K.A. “ARMA v. SAA:
The history and heart of professional friction.” The American Archivist, 74(Fall/Winter2011): 428-450.
Archivists … • appraise, acquire, arrange, describe, preserve and ensure access to records of enduring value
• provide intellectual and physical control of materials in accordance with archival standards
• engage in outreach activities and donor relations
An Archivist’s Life
Librarian & Archivist: collect, preserve, and make accessible materials for research; but significant differences exist in the way these materials are arranged, described, and used.
Records Manager & Archivist: the records manager controls vast quantities of institutional records, most of which will eventually be destroyed, while the archivist is concerned with relatively small quantities of records deemed important enough to be retained for an extended period.”
The work of an archivist is related to, but distinct from, that of certain other
professionals.
Adapted from The Society of American Archivists’ “So You Want to Be an Archivist: An Overview of the Archives Profession.” http://www2.archivists.org/profession
“State-of-the-art automation will never beat the wastebasket when it comes to speeding up efficiency
in the office.” Ann Landers, Gem of the Day, July 27, 1994
Professional Organizations
• Founded in 1936. • Serves educational and informational needs of individuals and institutions. • Provides leadership to ensure the identification, preservation and use of records of historical value.
• Founded in 1989. • Independent, nonprofit certifying organization of professional archivists who demonstrate continuing professional commitment beyond education and experience.
• Founded in 1983.• Dedicated to the dissemination of information about historical records and about sound archival methodology.
“Time present and time pastAre both perhaps present in time future,And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally presentAll time is unredeemable.”
-T. S. Eliot
Thank you ...Tomaro Taylor, [email protected]
Gail Donovan, [email protected] of Florida Archivists,
http://www.florida-archivists.org/