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

ecords and the demands on those resources."96
British archivists make an important contribution to
appraisal theory. They resolve the conflict between the
principle of pertinence and provenance that is central to
European thinking. The resolution is done by the formulation of
a logical equation in which administrative value is synonymous
with historical value. They denote structural analysis as the
means by which archivists can impartially identify records of
historical value. Their analysis suggests that the use of the
principle of provenance not only preserves the archival and
probative nature of records, but automatically subsumes the
content analysis inherent in the principle of pertinence. Their
use of the Advisory Council mirrors the European tradition of
being attentive to the interests and needs of the research
community in a way that can act as a check on archival practices.
The British tradition also offers a precise methodology in the
form of a two-tiered appraisal process, in which timing is an
important factor in establishing the historical perspective
required to evaluate the meaning of records. This methodology
has the ability to streamline the appraisal process and to act as
a final check for identifying historically valuable records.
96 Michael Cook, Archives Administration: A Manual for
Intermediate and Smaller Organizations and for Local Government,
(London: William Dawson & Sons Ltd., 1977), 77.
89