A STUDY OF THE THEORY OF APPRAISAL FOR SELECTION By ...

CONCLUSION
After all is said and done, it is the record
which is our special area of knowledge; it
will be a sad day and a dangerous step when
faith in planning replaces the study and
knowledge of records. Barbara Craig, 1991.1
While there is no monolithic consensus on appraisal issues
in each of the traditions surveyed, dominant national trends seem
to emerge that can contribute to a synthesis of international
opinion. The archivists of continental Europe acknowledge the
problem of identifying value, and recognize the need for an
objective framework in order to limit the distortion caused by
the intervention of the archivist. British archivists resolve
the conflict between pertinence and provenance by formulating a
logical equation between a broad conception of administrative
value and historical value. They also contribute a practical
approach to timing that involves an initial appraisal at five
years from the closure of the files, and an archival appraisal at
twenty-five years. Americans contribute a commitment to users,
and a pragmatic insistence on efficiency. Canadians emphasize
the importance of understanding records in the context of their
1 Barbara Craig, "The Acts of the Appraisers: The Plan, the
Context and the Record: A Commentary on a Paper of Hans Booms",
11.
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