Archival Science Commons^™

The Development And Professionalization Of The Utah State Archives, 1897-1968, Cory L. Nimer, J. Gordon Daines Iii

Journal of Western Archives

The 20^th century saw the rise and development of the archival profession. This paper examines what it means to be a profession and how the characteristics of a profession began to manifest themselves in the archival community using the Utah State Archives as a case study. The Utah State Archives reflects many of the national trends towards professionalization as it was initially part of the Utah State Historical Society and eventually became its own entity.

Review Of The Lone Arranger: Succeeding In A Small Repository, Erin Passehl

Journal of Western Archives

A book review of Christina Zamon's The Lone Arranger: Succeeding in a Small Repository.

Review Of A Different Kind Of Web: New Connections Between Archives And Our Users, Megan K. Friedel

Journal of Western Archives

A review of A Different Kind of Web, edited by Kate Theimer.

Review Of Waldo Gifford Leland And The Origins Of The American Archival Profession, Debra Hansen

Journal of Western Archives

Review of Waldo Gifford Leland and the Origins of the American Archival Profession.

Tracing The Source Of Irrigation: An Examination Of Colorado Ditch Company Collections In Archival Repositories, Patricia J. Rettig

Journal of Western Archives

The history of irrigation is significant in the western United States, which has now experienced over 150 years of irrigation development. When considered fully, the history of Western irrigation goes beyond agriculture and extends to engineering, economics, business, sociology, law, politics, ecology, and more. The historical understanding to be gained from any of these viewpoints depends on the preservation and accessibility of original records created by irrigators. In the West, ditch company records are the earliest and best source of irrigation history. This article examines to what extent historical records of Colorado ditch companies have been preserved in and made …

Review Of Controlling The Past: Documenting Society And Institutions — Essays In Honor Of Helen Willa Samuels, Stephen J. Hussman

Journal of Western Archives

A book review of Controlling the Past, edited by Terry Cook.

Review Of Many Happy Returns: Advocacy And The Development Of Archives, Tiah K. Edmunson-Morton

Journal of Western Archives

The book Many Happy Returns: Advocacy and the Development of Archives, edited by Larry J. Hackman, provides readers with case studies from a good mix of repository types, collections, parent organizations, and users, as well as a range of archivists’ own experiences with advocacy efforts.

Review Of The Ethical Archivist, Cory L. Nimer

Journal of Western Archives

A book review of Elena S. Danielson's The Ethical Archivist.

Toward A Nevada Digital Collaborative, Jason Vaughan

Journal of Western Archives

In mid-2008, a statewide committee was formed to engage in a comprehensive, Nevada statewide digital planning process. This group consisted of broad membership from the range of Nevada cultural heritage institutions, and was focused on creating a five year digital plan for the state, with an emphasis on collaboration amongst various cultural heritage institutions, increased digitization, and adoption of a digital preservation strategy. This article describes the initial work of the parent committee and two subsequent working groups, funded by the Library Technology and Services Act and aided by outside consultants. Early steps included a comprehensive planning survey and various …

Donor Volunteers As Archival Appraisers? Possibilities And Considerations, Charles B. Stanford, Linda M. Meyer

Journal of Western Archives

ABSTRACT Using examples from recent archival practice at two western land-grant universities, this article examines the potential benefits of enlisting volunteers from donor organizations to appraise as well as process the archival records of their own associations. The discussion addresses questions regarding the use of trained volunteers to perform appraisal activities, challenges in working with volunteers, and outreach opportunities for archival education among interested members of donor organizations.

Providing Enhanced Access For The Oregon State University College Catalogs : A Case Study, Susan A. Kunda, Elizabeth A. Nielsen

Journal of Western Archives

The academic catalog is a vital record for colleges and universities. Until the late 1980s, Oregon State University catalogs were published, distributed and archived solely in print format. With the advent of web and digital technologies, the Oregon State University Registrar’s Office also began placing an electronic version of the most recent catalogs online, while the Oregon State University Libraries provided access to earlier versions of the catalog through a subscription to College Source®, an online vendor for academic catalogs.

In 2006, the Registrar’s Office was looking for a home for its archive of digital files, while the escalating cost …

Applying Web Analytics To Online Finding Aids: Page Views, Pathways, And Learning About Users, Mark R. O'English

Journal of Western Archives

Online finding aids, Internet search tools, and increased access to the World Wide Web have greatly changed how patrons find archival collections. Through analyzing eighteen months of access data collected via Web analytics tools, this article examines how patrons discover archival materials. Contrasts are drawn between access from library catalogs and from online search engines, with the latter outweighing the former by an overwhelming margin, and argues whether archival description practices should change accordingly.

Review Of How To Keep Union Records, John Sillito

Journal of Western Archives

A book review of John Nash's How to Keep Union Records.

Information-Seeking Behavior Of Novelists In Archives, Cary G. Osborne

Journal of Western Archives

Archives are a frequently untapped resource for novelists. Accounts of daily life, the lives of individuals, details of specific eras, and other minutiae found in the documents and memorabilia housed in archives can be used to fill out the essential scenes and events of the stories. Such facts and personal details help fiction writers make their stories real to readers and keep misconceptions and factual errors out. This study looks at the limited literature on the subject of authors in archives and presents examples of the types of information housed in particular archives to illustrate the kinds of details that …

The Arizona Summit: Tough Times In A Tough Land, Linda A. Whitaker, Melanie I. Sturgeon

Journal of Western Archives

Western repositories have much to gain and little to lose from statewide initiatives that promote cooperative collection management policies. The region's topography, demographics, boom-bust cycles, and flood of new residents threaten their missions and their very existence. Add competition, backlogs, duplication, and fragmented collections to this volatile mix and it renders the collecting environment untenable.

From The Pacific Northwest To The Global Information Society: The Changing Nature Of Archival Education, Randall C. Jimerson

Journal of Western Archives

This essay examines the development of archival education in the United States during the past forty years, in context of the increasingly globalized archival profession of the early twenty-first century. In doing so, it presents a case study of one of the first West Coast archival education programs and its development from a regional program to an international one.

Tilting At Windmills: Reflections On The Establishment Of The Journal Of Western Archives, J. Gordon Daines Iii

Journal of Western Archives

This article discusses how associations form professional identities and reflects on the establishment of the Journal of Western Archives. It highlights the ways in which the establishment of the journal is a manifestation of the development of a Western regional archival identity and underscores the role that individuals play in the creation of associational identities.