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

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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
CHAPTER 4: NORTH AMERICAN TRADITIONS <strong>OF</strong> <strong>APPRAISAL</strong> Research values are use values. Past, present, and future demand must justify retention. A long run of unique, understandable, and accessible records that will never be consulted by researchers is a bad investment of precious archival resources. Maynard Brichford, 1977.1 Canadian and American archivists have developed an insular and symbiotic relationship in which they have ignored, until recently, the intense European debate surrounding appraisal. Instead of spending their time grappling directly with the intellectual problems of structural and content analysis, they have focused their energy on the construction of practical methodologies to solve the problem of bulk. In particular, they have responded by developing records management procedures, disposition schedules and various types of sampling.2 All methods of appraisal have relied on the basic assumption that use and value are synonymous. Structural analysis and content 1 Maynard J. Brichford, Archives and Manuscripts: Appraisal and Accessioning (Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 1977): 9. 2 This process has been well documented Klumpenhouwer, "Chapter 3: Archival Appraisal as Function, 1930-1980: The United States" in "Concepts the Archival Appraisal Literature: An Historical Analysis": 64-109. in, Richard a Management of Value in and Critical 90
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A STUDY OF THE THEORY OF APPRAISAL
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ABSTRACT Appraisal for selection is
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I gratefully acknow
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the troublesome question of the rel
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principle of pertinence is commonly
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problems such as the availability o
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theoretical framework.^In this mann
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CHAPTER 1: THE PROBATIVE NATURE OF
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doctrine of stare decisis.3 The hie
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The courts thus enter the realm of
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the conduct of society, but to expl
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lives."16 Because the present inesc
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judiciary has developed a complex s
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creation, is inherently reliable. 2
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authority. "31^Public records can t
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whole or any part of any book, docu
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consist of all documentary records
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issue. German archivists have been
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information.2 It is, however, the F
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Importance of historical value as a
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intuitive ability to appraise recor
Page 43 and 44: objectivity is irrelevant. Content
Page 45 and 46: is supported by the many examples o
Page 47 and 48: that documented important historica
Page 49 and 50: ecords through a structural analysi
Page 51 and 52: is, the political issue of extent a
Page 53 and 54: appraisal. But, instead of rejectin
Page 55 and 56: provide archivists with the necessa
Page 57 and 58: theory of appraisal, which, in his
Page 59 and 60: For it is the task of archivists in
Page 61 and 62: the European understanding of the n
Page 63 and 64: to appraisal theory, the following
Page 65 and 66: of the Rolls has been required 'fro
Page 67 and 68: Schedule."13 In 1889, rules regardi
Page 69 and 70: their legitimate successors.17 His
Page 71 and 72: the administrator.22 Their meaning
Page 73 and 74: the connexion in which they were or
Page 75 and 76: fears, archivists and historians wh
Page 77 and 78: diminished from its previous absolu
Page 79 and 80: that had been used since the mid-ni
Page 81 and 82: preserved."52 Thus, the Report main
Page 83 and 84: series.59 The Report also notes tha
Page 85 and 86: The Grigg Report concludes its asse
Page 87 and 88: in the equation of historical value
Page 89 and 90: paradigms created by European theor
Page 91 and 92: seriously challenged since it was a
Page 93: the usefulness of existing resource
Page 97 and 98: ecords, from creation to dispositio
Page 99 and 100: possess it not as individual docume
Page 101 and 102: accomplished. As Hans Booms has cle
Page 103 and 104: and activities of the creating orga
Page 105 and 106: the next logical step: the identifi
Page 107 and 108: that they are needed for an underst
Page 109 and 110: archivists bring to research by the
Page 111 and 112: unarticulated."35 ^ In the American
Page 113 and 114: Cook's emphasis on relating the pro
Page 115 and 116: oader concept of information data s
Page 117 and 118: provenance. They also offer an inte
Page 119 and 120: content analysis as the primary met
Page 121 and 122: CONCLUSION After all is said and do
Page 123 and 124: the intervention of archivists in t
Page 125 and 126: ecords. The analysis seeks to ident
Page 127 and 128: according to an ideological underst
Page 129 and 130: previously, Hans Booms projects tha
Page 131 and 132: administrative and historical value
Page 133 and 134: BIBLIOGRAPHY Advisory Committee for
Page 135 and 136: Cook, Terry. "Improving our Disposi
Page 137 and 138: Haas, J. et al. Appraising the Reco
Page 139 and 140: Raffel, Stanley.^Matters of Fact: A
Page 141 and 142: GLOSSARY OF ARCHIVAL TERMS ACQUISIT
Page 143: PUBLIC RECORDS: Documents issued by
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