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Instrumental Endeavors • the Value of Public Archives (Pg NEWSLETTER OF THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARCHIVISTS SEPT/OCT 2010 WWW.ARCHIVISTS.ORG archival outlook Instrumental Endeavors • The Value of Public Archives (pg. 6) • High School Students in the Archives (pg. 7) • DC 2010 Wrap-Up (pg. 14) table of contents features archival outlook The Value of Public Archives the society of american archivists serves the education and information needs Gregory Sanford ............................................... 6 of its members and provides leadership to help ensure the identification, preservation High Schoolers Meet Archives Jenny Schooley ........... 7 and use of the nation’s historical record. Archives Bring Forgotten Story to Life Through Film NANCY P. BEAUMONT Brenda S. Gunn, Ramona Kelly, and Alison Beck ....................... 9 Executive Director [email protected] Reviving a Dormant Collection Adam Winger ................................................ 12 TERESA M. BRInatI Director of Publishing ARCHIVES*RECORDS/DC 2010 [email protected] SOLVEIG DE SUTTER DC Welcomes More Than 2,000 for Successful Director of Education Conference ........................................... 14 [email protected] Next-Generation Archivists .......................... 18 BRIAN P. DOYLE Seven SAA Fellows Named in DC ..................... 19 Director of Member and Technical Services [email protected] Awards Ceremony Honors Excellence in Field ........ 21 LEE GONZALEZ SAA Council Adopts Diversity Statement, Service Center Representative [email protected] Disabilities Best Practices ............................ 27 TOM JURCZAK Someone You Should Know: Suzanne Singleton ... 33 Director of Finance and Administration [email protected] What’s New in Reviews ............................... 35 Amanda LOOK Education Coordinator columns [email protected] President’s Message: SAA@75: Looking Forward .............. 3 RENÉ MUELLER Program Coordinator From the Executive Director: FY 2010 Year in Review .......... 4 [email protected] From the Archivist of the United States: At NARA, Making Tough Choices in the Budget .......... 28 CARLOS R. SALGADO Service Center Manager [email protected] departments Washington Beat. 29 JENNY SCHOOLEY Editorial and Production Assistant National News Clips .................................... 31 [email protected] Currents .............................................. 32 Around SAA ........................................... 34 JEANETTE SPEARS Service Center Representative [email protected] NEWSLETTER OF THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARCHIVISTS On the cover Archival Outlook (ISSN 1520-3379) is published six times SEPT/OCT 2010 WWW.ARCHIVISTS.ORG archival outlook Instrumental Endeavors . When Lino Bianchi a year and distributed as a membership benefit by the Society of American Archivists. Contents of the newsletter researched and published his “definitive” study of may be reproduced in whole or in part provided that Alessandro Scarlatti in the 1950s, he had no idea that the credit is given. Direct all advertising inquiries and general correspondence to: Jenny Schooley, Society of American first version of Scarlatti’s masterpiece La Giuditta from Archivists, 17 North State Street, Suite 1425, Chicago, IL 1693 was sitting in a vault at the Morristown National 60602; 312-606-0722; toll free 866-SAA-7858; fax 312-606- Historical Park in New Jersey. See page 7 to read about 0728; [email protected]; www.archivists.org. Morristown’s collection and how the archives is engaging ∞ Archival Outlook is printed on paper that meets the re- Instrumental Endeavors • The Value of Public Archives (pg. 6) quirements of the American National Standards Institute— • High School Students in the Archives (pg. 7) high school students. Photograph by Morristown NHP • DC 2010 Wrap-Up (pg. 14) Permanence of Paper, ANSI Z39.48-1992. volunteer Steve Newfield. 2 | archival outlook • september/october 2010 www.archivists.org president’s message Helen Tibbo, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil [email protected] SAA@75: Looking Forward s announced in the last issue of Archival that in 2010, they found relatively little change in AOutlook, the theme for SAA’s 75th anniversa- the development of ERM programs over the past four ry year is “Then, Now . WOW!” This is a great years and noted that many repositories have not even opportunity for SAA members, and the profession started to collect digital content, even though all the at large, to look back, reflect, and see from where content they might collect is being produced digitally. we came and the path we have taken to arrive In 2006, SAA President Richard Pearce-Moses at the present moment. The theme led an initiative, “New Skills for a Digital Era: A for next year’s SAA conference in Colloquium sponsored by the National Archives and The challenge I am Chicago is “Archives 360°.” It focuses Records Administration, the Society of American on looking back but also looking for- Archivists, and the Arizona State Library, Archives looking to explore ward, looking in and looking out. We and Public Records.” Visit www.archivists.org/sites/all/ hope the sessions provide a rich tap- files/NewSkillsForADigitalEra.pdf. It explored the new is how we get estry that reflects the archives profes- technology skills needed by the archives profession. from knowing that sion’s past, present, and future. That was five years ago and technology has been on I know there are several historians the SAA radar screen ever since, but Zach and Peri effectively archiving within the SAA ranks, so I rest assured would indicate that perhaps not much has changed that the historical aspect of the upcom- in the intervening years. digital content is ing year and celebration in Chicago are Technology is one of the three SAA Strategic important to making well in hand. This frees me to focus Priorities, along with increasing diversity and attention on looking forward and out- expanding outreach and advocacy for the profession. this a reality for a ward beyond the archives profession. The challenge I am looking to explore and address In this column and elsewhere I will this year as SAA president is how we get from know- wide spectrum of challenge us to go beyond our techno- ing that effectively archiving digital content is impor- logical and disciplinary comfort zones. I tant to making this a reality for a wide spectrum of archivists in their will ask us to read and consider others’ archivists in their everyday work life. Certainly we everyday work life. literature and see our very important can point to NARA’s Electronic Records Archive and role within the wider information pro- large scientific data stores, but the majority of archi- fessions. I will ask us to extend our thinking about val institutions in the United States and abroad are workplace context and ask what SAA can do for its struggling with the concept (let alone the reality!) members to enhance and ensure the archivist’s pro- of long-term digital preservation and access. fessional relevance in the upcoming decades. All of Who should know more about digital pres- this requires a firm knowledge of the past and our ervation than archivists? Archivists are THE pro- professional values, an open mind to the future, and fessionals who preserve paper-based records for the a realistic and strategic view of the “now.” long term. We need to become THE professionals Managing and preserving digital resources are who preserve digital content as well. essential to society and are key challenges for the Going forward successfully always requires archives community as we enter the second decade proper preparation and education—both graduate- of the 21st century. How archivists respond to the level and continuing education. To this end, SAA’s digital reality and pressing need for trustworthy digi- “Guidelines for a Graduate Program in Archival tal repositories now will shape the impact and influ- Studies” is being revised to address the chal- ence of the profession for decades to come. In their lenges of the next decade for those students whose American Archivist article, “Practices for College and careers will extend to the year 2050. Also, the SAA University Electronic Records Management (ERM) Council has created the Digital Archives Continuing Programs: Then and Now,” NHPRC-UNC Electronic Education Task Force of the Committee on Educa- Records Research Fellows Lisl Zach and Marcia Peri tion, which will outline a continuing education cur- discuss how they surveyed archivists and records riculum for digital archiving. managers at U.S. academic institutions in 2005 and In the year ahead we will look back and look found that almost no colleges or universities had forward, and I hope that we will also look inward electronic records programs.” They go on to state and outward for solutions to our challenges. v www.archivists.org archival outlook • september/october 2010 | 3 from the executive director Nancy P. Beaumont • [email protected] FY 2010 Year in Review The following report was presented at the Annual Membership Meeting of the Society of American Archivists in Washington, D.C., on August 14, 2010. t is my pleasure once again to provide you with development at this meeting—and that 74 industry Ithe Executive Director’s report—this time for Fiscal partners contributed to the success of the conference Year 2010. with their exhibits and sponsorships. Strategic Priorities: With member input, the SAA Internal Operations: In April, we launched a new Council took a fresh look at the
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