Talk:Archivist

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[edit] Archival science

This is not a term I have encountered in the UK - is 'archival science' more of an American term and if so, should this be mentioned in the article? Also, I'm a bit concerned by " Also, in Great Britain, certification can be pursued via the Registration Scheme offered by the Society of Archivists." - Registration is about continuing professional development - it isn't the same as a qualification, and I wonder if the article should clarify this. Should we define 'certification' further? Magic Pickle 22:36, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

It may be that certification needs to be further defined, but I would leave archival science as-is. Here in the US, certification is quite contentious, as is just about any issue involving archival education. I didn't write the bit about the ACA, but I agree that anything mentioning archival certification needs to note the US debate. I have heard folks from the UK use the term archival science, but then they were over here, so maybe it is a US thing.Efkeathley 14:50, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Looking for the right image

With all respect to Chiewj, it broke my heart to see a picture of a book conservator on this entry this morning. While some conservators are archivists, not all archivists are conservators. I'm excited to see an image placed here as the entry needs one, but I've put out a general call over the Archives listserv for a different image to represent the profession. I've also replaced the picture with an exterior of NARA already extant in the wiki. A picture of an archive is more appropriate than a picture of conservation, I think. I hope to replace this with a good image of archival work soon.

Efkeathley

[edit] History of the Profession

Someone else had put in just a few names under the "History of the Profession" subsection. I've added the dates and most noted published works of these individuals, but I hope someone else comes in behind me and adds on more information. Efkeathley


I'll try my best but it would be good to have some help with;

  • The French Revolution, the Archives Nationales and archival triage
  • The setup of the International Council of Archives
  • David Bearman and Post Custodialist challenges to archivists
  • Records Continuum and the concept of record-keeping as opposed to 'archive' and 'records' management
  • The challenges of modern conflict and the archival record (the Balklan conflicts of the 1990's and Iraq spring immediately to mind but I am sure there are many others)

All of these reflect on the history and current situation of the profession, not to mention the different professional backgrounds and set-ups in the US, Canada, Australia, UK and Europe. Also anybody brave enough to cover medieval and ancient archival traditions? I'm not familiar with Posner's Archives in the Ancient World. As I said I'll try my best! tryfells 12:31, 27 December 2006 (UTC)


Argh! I'm a processing archivist who was trained from the library perspective, so I'm a bit out of my depth in the history department. Still, this does seem to be the bit of the article that needs the most work. I will try to do some research on David Bearman - I probably needed to read his stuff anyway.

I think that your 1st and 5th points above could be combined into one section possibly titled "Archives and National Identity", summing up how archives are affected by war. However, I wonder if this might not be beyond the scope of this entry, and might be better placed over on archive.

Efkeathley 4:51, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Subheadings

I just added some sub-headings to the article, with the hope that it would inspire others to add additional content, especially under the duties and work environment area, where the variety that exists in the profession is not currently represented very well, or at least not in any depth. Archivizt 15:29, 17 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Merge

Should this article be merged with Archive? Well, probably not, since this article talks more about the human aspect of it. Comments? -Uagehry456|TalkJordanhillVote 03:32, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

Eh, I think not as this is a profession. Besides, lots of people who work in or with archivies aren't archivists - there are conservators and historians and librarians too. It's my hope the Archive entry gets a lot longer as well, detailing types of archives and the history of such. Adding in archivist would make it too long, IMO.Efkeathley 11:44, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] ACA exam

The information on this page about the ACA is a bit harsh, and from a previous version of the article. I don't know much about the ACA - if anyone does will they fill it out a bit, and add in citations?Efkeathley 21:59, 27 June 2007 (UTC)