Archival futures – Appraisal and Description

TASK
Background
Over the past 30 years there have been
numerous calls for records professionals to update and improve archival
practices including appraisal and description (Bearman, 1989; Cook, 2011; Yeo,
2018). The need to develop contemporary approaches to appraisal and description
is still evident today. The exponential influence of technology on the ways in
which records are created and managed, and on the manner in which records
professionals relate to records and stakeholders make change an imperative.

As a direct result of the
records/technology nexus, we now see the emergence of participatory appraisal,
digital appraisal and a participatory approach to description. However, there
is still little or no consensus on how best to approach appraisal and
description in the digital world. The challenges are many.

Your
task
Define, discuss and critically analyse
current issues and trends in appraisal and description in the digital
environment. In doing so give consideration to:
• the roles that stakeholders such as
records creators, people who are the subjects of records, and the wider
community may have in making appraisal decisions;
• the role that users as stakeholders can
have in enhancing descriptive information about records and archives using
tools such as tagging, social bookmarking and crowd-sourcing;
• the challenges facing appraisal and
description in the digital environment;
• the impact of technology on appraisal
and description; and
• different viewpoints on appraising
digital records.
In addressing participatory appraisal, rather than summarising the history of
appraisal practice, you should focus on recent approaches. Define, discuss and
critically analyse who the external stakeholders are, giving examples from your
reading. Suggest some of the possible implications for recordkeeping of this
broader participation in appraisal now and into the future.
In addressing digital appraisal, rather than summarising the history of appraisal
practice, you should focus on recent approaches. Define, discuss and critically
analyse digital appraisal and discuss the current trends and issues in digital
appraisal. Explain and compare the options and solutions being suggested to
address the issues. Comment on the benefits and risks associated with
appraising digital records.
In addressing description, you should focus on the opportunities for users to
contribute to describing records and archives using Web 2.0 tools, rather than
the general impact of Web 2.0 on organisational recordkeeping practices. Using
the principles of Records Management 2.0 (Bailey, 2008), in particular
principles 7-10, explain how records managers and archivists might work with
users to improve description. Identify and critically analyse some of the risks
involved in moving away from traditional methods of titling and describing
records and archives.
References
Bailey, S. (2008). Managing the crowd:
Rethinking records management for the Web 2.0 world. Facet Publishing.
Bearman, D. (1989). Archival methods (Technical
report #9). Archives and Museum Informatics.
http://www.archimuse.com/publishing/archival_methods/
Cook, T. (2011).‘We are what we keep; we keep what we are’: Archival appraisal past, present and future. Journal of the
Society of Archivists, 32(2), 173-189.
Yeo, G. (2018). Can we keep everything? The
future of appraisal in a world of digital profusion. In C. Brown (Ed.), Archival
futures (pp.45-63). Facet Publishing.
Suggestions for starting your
research (provided by tutor)
Australian Society of Archivists. (2007). Statement
on appraisal. https://www.archivists.org.au/documents/item/12
Bailey, S. (2008). Managing the crowd:
Rethinking records management for the Web 2.0 world. Facet Publishing.
Bearman, D. (1989). Archival methods (Technical
report #9).Archives and Museum
Informatics. http://www.archimuse.com/publishing/archival_methods/
Caswell, M. (2020). Feeling Liberatory
Memory Work: On the Archival Uses of Joy and Anger. Archivaria, 90, 148–164.
Cook, T. (2011). ‘We are what we keep; we keep what we are’: Archival appraisal past, present and future. Journal of the
Society of Archivists, 32(2), 173-189.
Gibbons, L. (2020). Community Archives in
Australia: A Preliminary Investigation. Journal of the Australian Library and
Information Association, 69(4), 451–472. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2020.1831900
Huvila, I. (2015). The unbearable lightness
of participating? Revisiting the discourses of “participation” in archival
literature. Journal of Documentation, 71(2), 358-386.
International Council on Archives. (2011). ISAD(G):
General international standard archival description (2nd ed.).
https://www.ica.org/en/isadg-general-international-standard-archivaldescription-second-edition
MacNeil, H., & Eastwood, T. (Eds.).
(2017). Currents of archival thinking (2nd ed.). Libraries Unlimited.
Millar, L. (2017). Archives: Principles
and practices (2nd. ed.). Facet Publishing.
NARA. (2018). Citizen archivist
dashboard.
https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist
Yeo, G. (2017). Continuing debates about
description. In H. MacNeil & T. Eastwood (Eds.), Currents in archival
thinking (2nd ed.) (pp. 163-185). Libraries Unlimited.
Yeo, G. (2018). Can we keep everything? The
future of appraisal in a world of digital profusion. In C. Brown (Ed.), Archival
futures (pp.45-63). Facet Publishing.
* I will also upload some other references that I
found.
Rationale
This assessment task will assess the
following learning outcome/s:
• be able to critically reflect on various
approaches to appraisal, and apply this knowledge to professional practice in
the disposal of records.
• be able to synthesise and critically
reflect on issues surrounding standards and processes involved in acquiring and
describing records.
Appraisal is a critical area of records and
archives practice. It is important for students to know about current
approaches to appraisal and how they differ from traditional approaches. One major
change has been that records professionals now acknowledge that there are stakeholders
outside the organisation which creates the records. Developments in technology and
the continuing growth in the number of born digital records also signals the
need for major change in appraisal theory and practice.
Description is another key area of practice
where students need to be aware of the potential of technological change, Web
2.0 in particular, to affect traditional practice and standards. Students need
to be aware of and to be able to analyse the risks as well as the benefits of
the emerging participatory environment. Students need to be aware of, and be
able to analyse, the risks as well as the benefits of appraisal and description
in the digital environment.
Total:
40 marks
Your essay will be expected to be:
– Your essay should have innovative and
critical discussion of appraisal practice including an in-depth analysis of various
stakeholders and their interests. (10 marks)
– Your essay should have insightful
critical analysis of trends issues and risks in the appraisal of digital
records drawing on impressive examples. (10
marks)
– Your essay should have insightful and
critical discussion of issues in user contributions to description, drawing on
impressive examples of use of Web 2.0 tools. (10 marks)
– Your essay should have demonstrated
through wide-ranging and authoritative references and insightful use of examples
throughout. (5 marks)
– Excellently written. Free from grammatical
and spelling errors. All sources acknowledged with high standard of referencing,
using APA 7th style. Essay is within
word count. (5 marks)

* University use “Turnitin”
to check for plagiarism.

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