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

possess it not as individual documents but as
groups which, considered together, reflect
the activities of some organization or person
or portray everyday, rather than unique,
events and conditions. 8
Brooks' brief aside regarding the application of these
values indicates that he understands appraisal to be an objective
analysis that can be augmented by intuitive assessment. He notes
that archivists require four kinds of knowledge to identify the
values of records:
First, we must know the agency of origin, its
history, its objectives, and its methods.
Second, we must know the relationships of
records to each other, as shown in
comparative studies within agencies and among
all of them. Third, we must know and be
alert to changes in the scope and methods of
research--a staggering assignment in itself.
And fourth, we must be acquainted with the
use actually made of the records we have
preserved.9
Brooks' contribution to the theory of appraisal rests in his
insistence that appraisal is a process which is applied
throughout the life history of records, beginning at creation.
He focuses on understanding the relationships that exist between
the records as evidence of the functions and activities of the
records creator. His sensitivity to the needs of users reflects
the longstanding concerns of British archivists for the research
community. Although he has received little credit from the North
American archival community, Brooks' concepts have been very
influential, filtered through the mind of Schellenberg.
8 Ibid, 231.
9 Ibid, 233-34.
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