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Managing Local Government Archives
Here is a comprehensive, authoritative introduction to the elements of day-to-day operations of local government archives, with special emphasis on best practices and practical solutions and strategies for establishing and improving such things as storage, environmental control, staffing, and intellectual control. It includes a chapter on general consideration for preservation of electronic archival records.
Local government records are the records that most directly touch the lives of U. S. deeds and property records, marriage licenses, school transcripts, law suits, and more, yet these records are often the most neglected records in the country. This guide is designed to appeal both to trained archivists as well as to those without formal training but find they are dealing with the administration of an archives program in a municipality, county, parish, township or borough, or a quasi-governmental entity such as a water district or a regional transportation authority.
Managing Local Government Archives describes and prescribes the essential elements and best practices of a local government archives program. It is intended to be both a text for classroom instruction and a self-help tool for both professional and paraprofessional archivists. It is also intended to be helpful to local governments considering the planning and implementation of a formal archives program. Coverage encompasses the various domains of archival enterprise as practiced in a local government
Local government records are the records that most directly touch the lives of U. S. deeds and property records, marriage licenses, school transcripts, law suits, and more, yet these records are often the most neglected records in the country. This guide is designed to appeal both to trained archivists as well as to those without formal training but find they are dealing with the administration of an archives program in a municipality, county, parish, township or borough, or a quasi-governmental entity such as a water district or a regional transportation authority.
Managing Local Government Archives describes and prescribes the essential elements and best practices of a local government archives program. It is intended to be both a text for classroom instruction and a self-help tool for both professional and paraprofessional archivists. It is also intended to be helpful to local governments considering the planning and implementation of a formal archives program. Coverage encompasses the various domains of archival enterprise as practiced in a local government
186 pages, Hardcover
Published July 8, 2016
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September 24, 2018
Starts with fascinating and helpful short history of local governments and their multinational beginnings in not just English but Spanish, French and other governmental backgrounds. Goes someway towards answering my question as to whether there’s one American way, at least governmentally, to manage archives: no; but the history of governments is followed by the history of the development of practices, customs and standards, of which there are some. There are some that I’ve heard of, been taught, but they are not universally implemented.
After initial chapters about what local government looks like in US and then what local government archives look like in US, the book becomes more how-to. While mostly in a narrative style, not broken up visually by lists or other more instructive looking material, some of the language switches into “this is how you build a case” for creating or managing an archive. “Physical Considerations” good, clear explanations of housing and security needs, materials and care, down to the sizes of boxes and folders and what they’re commonly called, and formats of records to expect. Some of which, names of materials, and common sizes of housing, I didn't encounter in my volunteering, not until my degree, where it was considered common and known.
Short book (<200 pages) and easily handled size, seems like a good book to have on hand if you’re in the business of government archives.
One question I now have, which I’m not sure this answered: are local government archives, apparently distinct from state or federal archives, that different from those larger government institutions? In scale, yes, maybe the key is they’re less organized, funded, available - generally less provided for?
I wasn’t able to thoroughly read it as I couldn’t finish before needing to return it to the library.
After initial chapters about what local government looks like in US and then what local government archives look like in US, the book becomes more how-to. While mostly in a narrative style, not broken up visually by lists or other more instructive looking material, some of the language switches into “this is how you build a case” for creating or managing an archive. “Physical Considerations” good, clear explanations of housing and security needs, materials and care, down to the sizes of boxes and folders and what they’re commonly called, and formats of records to expect. Some of which, names of materials, and common sizes of housing, I didn't encounter in my volunteering, not until my degree, where it was considered common and known.
Short book (<200 pages) and easily handled size, seems like a good book to have on hand if you’re in the business of government archives.
One question I now have, which I’m not sure this answered: are local government archives, apparently distinct from state or federal archives, that different from those larger government institutions? In scale, yes, maybe the key is they’re less organized, funded, available - generally less provided for?
I wasn’t able to thoroughly read it as I couldn’t finish before needing to return it to the library.
Displaying 1 of 1 review