Section Newsletter
The Acquisition and Appraisal Section Newsletter is published periodically. If you have content for the next issue of the newsletter, please e-mail it to section vice-chair, Brad Bauer .
Summer 2009 Newsletter
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Section Business
Proposed Revisions to the Section's By-Laws
The Steering Committee proposes a significant revision to the section’s bylaws, which were adopted at the 2006 annual meeting. The bylaws were purposely flexible, but over time, the need to have more robust procedures, codify existing practice, bring them into line with other sections’ bylaws, and formally distribute some of the work of the committee among its members became apparent. In addition, the ability to conduct online elections and votes to amend the bylaws necessitated a revision of relevant sections. To that end, the following revised bylaws will be voted on at the annual meeting in Austin, and as specified by the current bylaws, a two-thirds majority is required for them to pass. The current bylaws are also available for your reference. (If you prefer, you may download a printable version of the proposed revisions.)
I. Membership
1. Membership in the Acquisition and Appraisal Section of the Society of American Archivists is open to any member of SAA who has an interest in the acquisition and appraisal of public records, private papers, and other archival or manuscript collections.
II. Officers
1. Officers of the Acquisition and Appraisal Section consist of a chair and vice chair.
2. A new vice chair is elected each year and serves for one year as vice chair, succeeding automatically to the office of chair for the subsequent year. At the end of the year of service as chair, the incumbent serves as the immediate past chair.
3. The chair presides at meetings of the Section and the steering committee; coordinates section-proposed sessions for the annual meeting and section endorsements; with other officers sets the Section's agenda for the year; appoints Section committees as needed; represents the Section in its relations with SAA in general and with the Council and other groups within the Society; appoints Section committees as needed; coordinates preparation of an annual report of Section activities and submits it to the SAA executive office; is expected to attend the annual meeting. The chair serves a one year term.
4. The vice chair/chair elect serves as acting chair in the absence of the chair; takes minutes at section meetings; normally acts as newsletter editor, producing at least two newsletters per year; is expected to attend the annual meeting; and organizes the program for the section meeting at the annual meeting. The vice chair serves a one year term.
III. Steering Committee
1. The steering committee is composed of six members: chair, vice-chair, and four at-large members.
2. At large-members serve two-year terms, two members being elected at each annual meeting with additional members elected if unexpired terms need to be filled. A member may be re-elected but may not serve more than four consecutive years as an at-large member.
3. At the request of the chair, at-large members may serve on the nominating committee, assist in planning the section meeting program, assist in planning annual meeting sessions of interest to the section, or other responsibilities as assigned. They also participate in discussion of section business and are expected to attend the annual meeting.
4. The immediate past chair is not a voting member of the steering committee but continues to participate in the Section leadership by the following: acts as chair of the Section's Nominating Committee; is responsible for publishing electronic ballots and announcing the results of the balloting at the Section's annual meeting; is expected to attend the annual meeting; and prepares the annual report to be submitted to SAA within 90 days of the annual meeting. The annual report covers the section’s activities during the immediate past chair’s year as chair.
IV. Web Liaison
1. The web liaison is appointed by the chair and approved by the steering committee.
2. The web liaison serves three years, but the term can be renewed indefinitely until another candidate is identified.
V. Election of Officers and Steering Committee
1. Only members of SAA and the Acquisition and Appraisal Section may be nominated to serve as officers or steering committee members. Only members of the Acquisition and Appraisal Section may vote.
2. The Nominating Committee consists of the immediate past chair of the Section (serving as chair of the committee) and the two at-large members of the steering committee whose terms are not expiring at the conclusion of the next annual.
3. The committee calls for nominations at least two months prior to the annual meeting. All persons whose names are submitted to the Committee or proposed by the Committee itself shall be considered nominees if they agree to have their names placed in nomination and are members of SAA and the Section.
4. The committee ensures that there is at least one nominee for vice chair and that the number of nominees for the steering committee is not less than the number of positions to be filled.
5. The committee announces the nominees in the last newsletter prior to the annual meeting and through the section listserv.
6. Elections shall be conducted electronically by means provided by the Society of American Archivists. The ballot will include a provision for write-in candidates. Members will have a minimum of one week to vote online. Members may request a mail-in ballot from the committee in place of an electronic ballot. Results shall be announced at the Annual Meeting. For the benefit of those unable to attend the Annual Meeting, results shall also be announced via the Section listserv after the Annual Meeting.
7. Winners are determined by the majority of votes cast by the deadline. The committee determines results and announces the results at the annual Section meeting. If an election results in a tie, the committee conducts a runoff election at the annual Section meeting.
8. If the vice chair is unable to succeed the chair, a new chair is elected following the same procedures as for the election of the vice chair. The Steering Committee shall appoint any other vacancies to fulfill unexpired terms of elected positions, after which a normal election shall occur.
9. Elected officers and steering committee members assume office at the conclusion of the annual meeting of the Section.
VI. Amendments to By-laws
1. Any member of the Acquisition and Appraisal Section may propose amendments to these by-laws. Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the chair.
2. The chair will distribute proposed amendments to the membership through one of the Section newsletters.
3. Proposed amendments must be approved by a simple majority of the Steering Committee and must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the total votes cast by members.
4. The chair will distribute proposed amendments to the membership through an announcement to the Section listserv and they may also be announced through the Section newsletter. The amendments shall also be available for review on the Section’s website for 30 days before voting commences. Voting shall be conducted electronically by means provided by the Society of American Archivists. Members may request a mail-in ballot from the committee in place of an electronic ballot. Members will have a minimum of one week to vote online.
VII. Meetings
1. The Acquisition and Appraisal Section meets once a year at the annual SAA meeting at the time and place scheduled by the SAA program committee and executive office. A steering committee meeting is usually held during the annual meeting.
2. For the section meeting, the vice-chair takes minutes; for the steering committee meeting, the past chair takes minutes. Minutes are made available to the Section within six weeks of the annual meeting.
VIII. Enactment
1. These by-laws were revised in 2009.
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Annual Report for 2007-2008
Officers for 2007-2008:
Julie Herrada, Chair
Tara Laver, Vice-Chair/Chair Elect
Michelle Sweetser, Immediate Past Chair and Web Liaison
Debbie Richards, Steering Committee
Amy Scott, Steering Committee
Brad Bauer, Steering Committee
Report from Annual Meeting:
Number of attendees: 40
Election results: Vice-Chair/Chair Elect is Carl Van Ness, Head of Archives and Manuscripts, University of Florida; Steering Committee (replaced Amy Scott) is Karen Adler Abramson, Associate Director for University Archives & Special Collections, Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Brandeis University.
Presentation: Citizens in the Dark? Government Information in the Digital Age, James R. Jacobs, International Documents Librarian, Green Library, Stanford University. Jim Jacobs gave an interesting and well-received presentation on the challenges of preservation of electronic government information.
Completed Projects/Activities:
In October we submitted three session proposals. Two of them (“Digital Donors: Agreements, Rights and Donor Relations in the Electronic Environment” and “Ethnic Archives: Collecting in Cultural Contexts”) were selected by the Program Committee. In addition, we endorsed two sessions which were also selected by the Program Committee.
In November we were asked by Council to comment on the "Protocols for Native American Archival Materials” a draft document developed by a group of Native American and non-Native American archivists, librarians, museum curators, historians, and anthropologists who gathered for a conference at Northern Arizona University in April 2006. We submitted our comments to Council on December 17.
In March our Section volunteered to draft a letter to Congress regarding the reintroduction of Senator Patrick Leahy’s bill, the Artist-Museum Partnership Act, which we did, and sent it to President Greene, Nancy Beaumont, and our Council Liaison, Diane Vogt-O’Connor.
In July we were asked by SAA’s Education Committee to review their procedural changes for seminar/workshop development.
We implemented online voting for our Section elections this year. We were greatly disappointed to learn that only 35 people voted online, of 339 eligible members, since our main purpose for employing online voting was to increase participation. At our meeting, we were informed by several people that they did not receive notification of the election in time, or at all, despite the fact that we sent out notification at least two weeks before the deadline. Our intention for next year is to begin the process earlier and make sure that all those who are official members of the Section receive notification of the election in time to cast their votes.
The section published two newsletters this year, Winter/Spring 2008 and Summer 2008.
New Projects/Activities:
In the coming year, the steering committee will review our bylaws and suggest revisions to improve the operation and administration of the section.
During the 2008 annual meeting session “Trash or Treasure? Experiences with Deaccessioning and the Implications of Digitization,” there were repeated comments about the need for there to be established, profession-wide accepted guidelines for deaccessioning. The two presenters who had undertaken deaccessioning projects had looked to the American Museum Association’s guidelines but ultimately had to make up their own policies. Working through the Standards Committee, the Acquisition and Appraisal Section will work on drafting a standard for deaccessioning.
Diversity Initiatives:
Our Section submitted a proposal for a session for the 2008 Annual Meeting entitled, Ethnic Archives: Collecting in Cultural Contexts. The proposal was accepted and the session was held on Friday, August 29, 2008, from 2:30 to 4:00 pm.
Questions/Concerns for Council Attention: [None submitted.]
Officers 2008-2009:
Tara Laver, Chair
Carl Van Ness, Vice-Chair/Chair Elect
Debbie Richards, Steering Committee
Karen Abramson, Steering Committee
Brad Bauer, Steering Committee
Julie Herrada, Immediate Past Chair
Michelle Sweetser, Web Liaison
Respectfully submitted by Julie Herrada, immediate past chair.
Deaccessioning and Reappraisal Working Group Preliminary Planning Meeting to be Held
Submitted by Tara Z. Laver, Chair, Acquisition and Appraisal Section
In February 2008, the Acquisition and Appraisal Section Steering Committee presented a proposal to develop guidelines for reappraisal and deaccessioning to the Standards Committee. With the support of the Standards Committee and Council, the section leadership is moving forward with the effort. Since these guidelines will have broad professional application, interested professionals from across SAA, not just those who are members of the Acquisition and Appraisal Section, are invited to participate directly in their development. If you are interested in working on the project, please plan to attend a preliminary planning meeting at the annual conference on Thursday, Aug. 13, 12-1:30, or contact Tara Laver, chair of the Acquisition and Appraisal Section, via email or phone at 225-578-6546.
Reappraisal and deaccessioning have been controversial topics since at least the publication of the 1984 winter issue of American Archivist, in which Karen Benedict, Richard Haas, Leonard Rapport, F. Gerald Ham, and Jutta Reed-Scott debated the practical and theoretical merits of each. As the historical record continues to grow and repositories’ resources do not keep pace with this growth, and with the example of successful reappraisal and deaccessioning projects at the Minnesota Historical Society and the American Heritage Center, more repositories are willing to consider employing reappraisal and deaccessioning as tools in managing their collections. NHPRC’s funding of the AHC’s large-scale project also evidences increased approval and support at the national level. Further, if attendance at SAA sessions on the topic in 2005 and 2008 is any indication, practitioners are interested in learning more about reappraisal and deaccessioning and are looking for guidance and resources. Two archivists who presented their deaccessioning experiences at the 2008 session called for the establishment of profession-wide guidelines for deaccessioning, but as Mark Greene notes in a recently published article, the archival profession has not provided guidelines or addressed the question in our code of ethics, as our colleagues in the allied professions of librarianship and museum curatorship have. Consequently, projects at archival repositories have had to rely on standards from those fields in creating their own policies.
This project seeks to rectify that oversight. The guidelines produced will provide informed direction and professional sanction for archivists and repositories that choose to manage their collections in this way. They will also assist archivists to implement transparent and consistent strategic collection management, to husband their limited resources more effectively, and to serve researchers by directing their efforts to retained collections and making transferred collections available at more appropriate repositories.
The full proposal presented to the Standards Committee is available on the Acquisition and Appraisal Section website.
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News from Our Members
The Collections Development Framework at the Library and Archives Canada
Submitted by Jim Burant, Manager, Art and Photography Archives, Library and Archives Canada
In May 2004, the former National Library of Canada and National Archives of Canada merged to form the new Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Since then LAC has been making efforts to integrate the work of the two former institutions in order to meet the new legislative requirements for the organization.
In 2005, LAC created a Collections Development Framework, which outlines our acquisition strategies for the next decade. This Framework included the following elements (the following is taken from the Private Sector Acquisition Orientation 2006-2010 Document for Canadian Archives and Special Collections Branch (approved in February 2007):
“The Canadian Archives and Special Collections Branch (CASC) acquires documentary heritage materials within the broader framework developed by the Documentary Heritage Collection Sector (DHCS) and the policy work undertaken by the Collection Development Committee. The key document that provides this direction is the Collection Development Framework (approved by the Library and Archives Canada Management Board in March 2005). The Framework states that:
Through its enabling legislation, the Library and Archives of Canada Act, LAC has been given a clear and enhanced role and strategic mandate in relation to the collection materials it holds in trust for Canadians. Building the collection is the critical first step in fulfilling the legislated mandate: to preserve “the documentary heritage of Canada for the benefit of present and future generations”; to be “a source of enduring knowledge accessible to all, contributing to the cultural, social, and economic advancement of Canada as a free and democratic society”, to serve as the “continuing memory of the government of Canada and its institutions”, and to work in cooperation and collaboration with other institutions in the country involved in the collection and preservation of the national heritage. All of these outcomes are rooted in the collection and the ability to deliver its value back to Canadians.
A framework for collection development is part of building the LAC envisioned in Directions for Change: a new institution which maintains the best of the collecting approaches of the predecessor institutions while adapting its collecting activities to the requirements of its new strategic directions and the digital environment. It identifies the long-term principles which will guide the collection development activity, outlines five key collection development areas for the years 2005-2010, and provides an overview of how LAC goes about developing its collection.
The Collection Development Framework provides key concepts in the development of our collection of documentary heritage materials outlined in sections 2.1.1 – 2.1.6.
2.1.1 One Collection
LAC develops its collection in an integrated manner and according to overall institutional priorities rather than local subject or media-based ones. There is one collection with component parts rather than multiple sub-collections that only nominally form one LAC collection.
2.1.2 A Representative Collection
As a national institution, LAC has the responsibility to develop a truly national collection that is representative of the full geographic, intellectual, linguistic and cultural diversity of Canada, past and present. Regular enhancements to the collection are required to ensure the collection is representative and balanced in coverage, that it reflects the evolving history and heritage of Canada and changes in cultural perceptions and significance over time. This goal is achieved through periodic shifts in collecting emphases based on formal assessments of the state of the collection as a whole and on consultation with user groups and partners. This acquisition orientation document is one of these formal reviews.
However, in the development of a representative collection, LAC recognizes that in some cases materials of national heritage value are more effectively acquired, made available, used, and preserved by other institutions in either a local or a regional setting. LAC works with partners to ensure that these materials are acknowledged and maintained as part of the documentary heritage of Canada.
2.1.3 Collection Development of the Context of Mandate
Collecting decisions are made in the context of the preservation and accessibility mandates of LAC. Acquisition is balanced with the institution’s commitment to process, describe, preserve, make accessible, and make known the material being collected.
2.1.4 Documentary Heritage Materials and Medium
Material deemed to be of heritage value is considered for acquisition regardless of the medium. It is not a primary objective to document the development of a medium (such as the photograph, the map, or film), although this may be the indirect result of collection development activity. The record which is most complete in terms of informational and evidential value will be acquired.
2.1.5 Documentary Heritage Materials in Digital Form
LAC recognizes that its collection development activities require the ability to work effectively in the digital realm. LAC works actively with creators of documentary heritage materials to ensure the digital heritage is collected. LAC develops guidelines and standards to direct or assist creators in the transfer of digital materials to LAC. These guidelines are available on the LAC website.
2.1.6 National Documentary Heritage Collection
LAC recognizes that its collection is one part of a larger national collection of published and unpublished documentary heritage and that its development is undertaken in partnership with other heritage institutions, in particular Canada’s libraries and archives, but also including other federal agencies and the museums community.
The Collection Development Framework also outlines five key directions for the period 2006-2010 which are outlined in sections 2.1.7 to 2.1.11.
2.1.7 One LAC Collection
Integration of approaches to collection development is essential if LAC is to expand on opportunities for growth and innovation and to make real the collecting principle that “there is one collection with component parts rather than multiple sub-collections that only nominally form one LAC collection”.
2.1.8 CASC Acquisition Orientation and Digital materials
Becoming a truly digital institution is one of the key objectives which the new institution has set itself. As it relates to developing the collection, it means that LAC will become as adept in collecting documentary heritage materials in digital form as it has long been with analog media. In order to achieve this transformation, change will be required at multiple levels – policy, procedures, technology, and staff skills. As part of our ongoing work to develop a Canadian digital information strategy, LAC is well underway in developing the policy and procedures that will allow it to deal with various aspects of the digital environment.
Within CASC, there has been much discussion over practical implementation of these institutional directions, and the specifics of our planned activities are mentioned in each of the nine program descriptions in section 4. As well, CASC has been examining its current capacity to carry out its acquisition and control activities for digital materials and has developed a business case to increase our capacity. Reallocation of current resources within the branch and support from institutional resources will both be key elements in carrying out the goals annunciated in this document.
2.1.9 Aboriginal materials
Library and Archives Canada will listen to and respond as much as possible to the needs of aboriginal communities in preserving their archival heritage while respecting aboriginal protocols and concerns. To do this, LAC will discuss with aboriginal organizations and communities who have their own established archives their particular needs as well as how we might interact with them in a mutually beneficial and respectful fashion. Library and Archives Canada will, when necessary, assist in the acquisition of records reflective of Canada’s diversity, including those of aboriginal organizations or individuals which are in danger of being lost or destroyed. In this regard, the focus of the acquisition program in this area will be on national organizations that do not have the financial resources to establish their own archives as well as on individuals from aboriginal communities who have contributed to the growth of Canadian society and who may wish to place their records with LAC.
2.1.10 Multicultural materials
Library and Archives Canada will listen to and respond as much as possible to multicultural communities interested in preserving their archival heritage, while respecting their protocols and concerns. To do this, the LAC will discuss with multicultural organizations and communities who have their own established archives their particular needs as well as how we might interact with them in a mutually beneficial fashion. LAC will also acquire records reflective of Canada’s cultural diversity from multicultural organizations or individuals which are in danger of being lost or destroyed. The focus of LAC’s acquisition activities will be the records of ethnocultural groups and individuals associated with such groups which are not well represented in the LAC’s holdings. Existing commitments to organizations and individuals will be maintained.
2.1.11 The National Collection
Developing a coordinated and cooperative approach to collection development at the national level will be a long-term undertaking requiring the leadership of the Librarian and Archivist, the Assistant Deputy Minister, Documentary Heritage Collection Sector, the Director-General, Strategic Office, the Director-General, Published Heritage, and the Director, Portrait Gallery of Canada.”
Within CASCB, the branch of LAC responsible for acquiring private-sector archival records, there are nine acquiring sections all of which have recently been updating their particular acquisition orientations.
At the same time, the other two areas responsible for acquisition within LAC have also been active. The Published Heritage Branch has developed a Content Development Strategy to guide its future collecting in the published realm, while the Government Records Branch has been active in developing a Government Recordkeeping Initiative and in developing new terms and conditions for the transfer of government records. The organization as a whole has also been working towards making LAC a Trusted Digital Repository. With the recent LAC reorganization (April 2009), whereby the Government Records Branch has been put into the same broad management sector as Canadian Archives and Special Collections and Published Heritage, it is expected that further steps to integrate various public, private, published and unpublished, and electronic acquisition programs will be forthcoming very soon. A horizontal initiative to this end was launched in the fall of 2008.
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Acquisitions and Collecting Initiatives
Writer/Photographer's Papers Donated to Wisconsin Historical Society's Archives
Submitted by Jonathan Nelson, Collection Development Archivist
The Estate of Harold Gauer has made a gift of Gauer’s personal papers and photographs to the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Library-Archives. This large new donation will be added to the existing collection of Gauer’s papers in the Society’s Archives. Gauer, who was for many years the Midwestern representative of the international aid organization CARE, was also a writer, photographer, diarist, and all around interesting character. Gauer’s best friend Robert Bloch, the horror and suspense writer most known for the novel Psycho that served as the basis for the classic Alfred Hitchcock film, is also a major presence in Gauer’s papers.
Included in the Gauer Papers are journals written by Gauer and Bloch, and later by Gauer alone, for every year from 1937 through 2004. Unlike regular diaries or journals that provide a relatively straight-forward record of an individual’s life and times, these journals mix the events of the day with fictional vignettes, short plays, odd photographs and captions, and off-kilter commentary, to create something much more intriguing than a traditional diary. In addition to the journals, the collection includes extensive examples of Gauer’s work as an author of books and short stories, including an unpublished biography of Bloch. Other material of interest includes files and photographs from the successful Milwaukee mayoral campaign of Carl Zeidler run by Gauer and Bloch (who claim to have invented the ‘balloon drop’ at political events), Robert Bloch correspondence, and his work in the Milwaukee office of CARE.
The collection also includes numerous examples of Gauer’s lifetime interest in photography. Many of the photographs feature Gauer, Bloch, and their friends posed (often made-up and costumed) in humorous and sometimes bizarre and surrealistic scenes, along with examples of his more traditional photography.
When ready for public access, the final accession of the Harold Gauer Papers will be housed at the Society’s Archives in Madison. The original Gauer collection is available now through the Society’s Archives Research Room.
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LSU Special Collections Acquires Clairborne Archive
Submitted by Tara Laver
The LSU Libraries Special Collections recently purchased a small but important archive of documents received by William C. C. Claiborne, who was appointed by Jefferson to receive Louisiana from France and served as the first governor of the Territory of Louisiana. The collection contains very useful sources on the territorial post at Natchitoches, relations with the Creole French and Spanish and Native Americans in the Natchitoches area, and efforts to establish American rule and government structure in territorial Louisiana. The bulk of the eighteen item collection dates from 1805, but documents from 1805 to 1812 are included. It is comprised primarily of letters to Claiborne from and affidavits taken by Dr. John Sibley, Justice of the Peace at Natchitoches and U.S. Indian Agent.
Sibley’s letters are newsy and descriptive, and they provide both a sense of the danger and uncertainty on the ambiguous border between Spanish Texas and Louisiana and local attitudes toward the new American government, so recently established in New Orleans. For example, two affidavits forwarded by Sibley describe instances of “Spanish depredations” against citizens in which they took horses and goods. Additional affidavits record Natchitoches residents’ experiences living at and knowledge of the location of “ancient” French posts and Caddo settlements, apparently in an attempt to identify lands useful for further settlement. In a letter of 3 March 1805, Sibley relates efforts to equip the local Native Americans for farming and to win their allegiance over the Spanish, as well as the organization of the Caddo nation and fighting and alliances among its members-- “the nearly thirty tribes in what I sepose to be Louisiana south of the Arkansas River.” Further, Sibley addresses topics from the need to regulate weights and measures to disputes about how to handle runaway slaves, how national politics are playing out locally, and the sense of those in the “Interior of the Territory” that they are being neglected in favor of New Orleans. He writes, “I hope they [the Legislature] will not give us reason to draw unfavorable inferences relative to their industry or capacity or reason. I think that they sepose the object of their creation was only to regulate New Orleans. We wish them to understand that we consider ourselves much neglected.”
In addition to the Sibley letters, the collection includes miscellaneous documents related to Claiborne’s family, a letter from Claiborne to his father recommending Gen. James Wilkinson (whom he describes as having served his country with fidelity), and two letters from Captain Edward Turner, Civil Commandant of the District of Natchitoches. Turner’s letters further illustrate the uneasy relations between the Creoles and the Americans. He reports the Creoles’ “wait and see” attitude about embracing the Americans, with them apparently hoping for the territory to be taken by the Spanish, and the role religion played in the mingling (or not) of the two populations. He writes, “They [Creoles] proposed to discountenance all persons settling within the district but true Romans, and they were to bind themselves to each other, to throw stumbling blocks in the way of any settler of different religious tenets- and to permit no person but a Roman Catholic to enter Church.”
This brief description gives only a hint of the rich sources in this collection. Though the documents are few in number, their writers were articulate, politically savvy, and, luckily for us, eager and able to convey a sense of the challenges of their duties and of the place in which they found themselves.
For additional information on this acquisition, contact Curator of Manuscripts Tara Laver.
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Recently Published
Faundeen, J.L., “A Selection and Archiving Strategy for Science Records” in The Society for Imaging Science and Technology Archiving 2009 Conference, Crystal City, VA, May 4-7, 2009 Proceedings.
Page last updated September 21, 2009.
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