Foreword: The Evolution of a Book Series
Introduction
Purpose and Use of This Volume
What Are Archives?
What Is Appraisal?
FIGURE 1. Definitions of terms with a close relationship to appraisal from the Society of American Archivists’ Dictionary of Archives Terminology
Why Do Archivists Select and Appraise Records?
Who Else Selects and Appraises Records?
How Should an Archivist Approach Selection andAppraisal?
What to Expect in This Book
1: A Brief History of Archival Appraisal
European Beginnings
The Development of American Approaches
Theodore Schellenberg’s Informational and Evidential Values
Maynard Brichford’s Expanded Taxonomy
F. Gerald Ham’s Disruption
The Black Box
FIGURE 1.1. Diagram from the Black Box model of appraisal on the informational value of records
FIGURE 1.3. Diagram from the Black Box model of appraisal on the implications of appraisal decisions.
The Documentation Strategy
A Renewed Focus on Evidence
Terry Cook and the Development of Macroappraisal
Functional Analysis in the United States
Creative Dissatisfaction and the Minnesota Method
FIGURE 1.4. An outline of the Minnesota Method
Power and Justice
Community Archives, Participatory Appraisal, and Archival Pluralism
Appraisal in a Digital Future
Conclusions
2: Collection Development and Acquisition Policies
Collection Development Policies in Archival Repositories
Developing a Policy
Writing a Collection Development Policy
Next Steps
Your Policy in Practice
3: Appraisal and Acquisition Strategies in Collecting Repositories
What Is Successful Collecting?
Navigating Power
Preparing Yourself to Collect/Building Relationships and Trust
How to Collect
FIGURE 3.1. Example template for a creator-provided inventory
Legal Agreements
FIGURE 3.2. Example text for access conditions in a deed of gift
FIGURE 3.3. Example text for the affirmation and transfer of copyright in a deed of gift
Hardships and Joys
Conclusion: Returning the Gift
4: Appraising Records
When Does Appraisal Happen?
FIGURE 4.1. Example chart for thinking through functional analysis
FIGURE 4.2. Example of a donor’s Google Drive directory
FIGURE 4.3. An example survey, including appraisal recommendations, for physical materials
Accruals
Disposition and Disposal
Documentation, Reflection, and Self-Accountability
Conclusion
5: Appraisal and Acquisition Strategies in Institutional Settings
What Is Records Management?
The Records Lifecycle: Creation to Disposition
FIGURE 5.1. Depiction of the records lifecycle
FIGURE 5.2. Depiction of the information lifecycle
Records Management Programs
FIGURE 5.3. Example of a data map template
FIGURE 5.4. Excerpt from a records retention schedule template
Building Relationships
Conclusion
6: Contextualizing Appraisal and Acquisitions within the Archival Program
Institutionalizing and Sharing Knowledge about Acquisitions and Appraisal Work
Acquisitions and Appraisal as Part of the Broader Archival Enterprise
FIGURE 6.1. Example of levels of arrangement
FIGURE 6.3. Time estimates for processing at various levels
FIGURE 6.5. Screenshot of the Digitization Cost Calculator, Digital Library Federation
Post-Acquisition Relationship Stewardship
Assessment
Reappraisal and Deaccessioning
Conclusion
What We Covered
Future Directions and Competencies
Closing
Appendix 1: Examples and Excerpts from Collection Development Policies
Appendix 2: Example Deed of Gift
Appendix 3: Institutional Records Examples and Templates
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Contributors
Index
