WebWatch

CLICKING ON THE WEB... Archives contain the records of enduring value that are created by individuals, corporations, and governments. Authors, historians, and genealogists use archives to research books and to reconstruct family histories. Businesses use archival records to improve their public relations and to promote new products.

Archivists are similar to librarians (and some are librarians) because they collect, preserve, and make accessible materials for research, but the ways these collections are arranged, described, and used are very different. Records managers are also closely allied to archivists, but the former control transitory records, while archivists retain items in perpetuity.

Managing the collective memory of any group involves much more than tossing everything into a room and locking the door. This column explores sites that discuss the mission (and the myth) of archives, including how to operate them, how to find them, and the ethical and professional questions archivists confront. Keep in mind that the web can take you to archives but not always get you inside; only a small fraction of archival resources are digitized.

The Society of American Archivists (SAA) is the leading professional organization for archivists in the United States. Cynics who tout that archival concerns have no relevance in the real world should see the boxed-in links on the homepage. These links lead to criticisms (though not a debate) of the recent actions of President Bush and former New York Mayor Giuliani in seemingly restricting public records.

Under Professional Education, on the right-side navigation bar, the So You Want to be an Archivist link offers a quick, effective overview, though the discussion is maddeningly vague in places (e.g., regarding salaries). Directory of Archival Education links to the small list of institutions that cater to archival students; most programs are concentrations or dual degrees in library science and history. On the homepage, the heading Hot Topics includes Guidelines for a Graduate Program in Archival Studies, which lays out the ideal curriculum. Graduates from archival programs can use the Employment Bulletin to find jobs, although most of the listings are for mid-career professionals.

SAA also captures years of political and intellectual debate; from the homepage, click on Position Statements & Resolutions to read discourses on records retention, copyright, and other controversial topics that go beyond the professional cloister. Librarians should note the response to Nicholson Baker's Double Fold (Random, 2001).

Under Publications Catalog, find guidelines on how to donate personal papers, family papers, or organizational records. Under Associated Organizations, find a list of local, regional, and national archival organizations in the United States and Canada. Also find links to the UNESCO Archives Portal (see below) and to the Repository of Primary Resources; both describe archival holdings.

The Bottom Line: This is a good place, especially for potential archivists, to learn about what archivists do and why their work matters. It also serves as a gateway to archives and organizations.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent federal agency that oversees management of all federal records. Start at About NARA; under this link, What Is NARA? explains what kinds of artifacts it enshrines and provides digital images of historical documents like the Declaration of Independence. Hot Topics! links to information about current NARA projects (e.g., the Nixon Presidential Materials Project). Under Access to Presidential Records, the Statement by John W. Carlin, who is Archivist of the United States, puts President Bush's recent actions regarding the Presidential Records Act into useful context.

Back on the homepage, Archives and Preservation Resources offers a wealth of information. General Information repeats the training requirements and job description of an archivist found on the SAA site (above), but it goes deeper. It also links to several conservation resources. (More conservation sites below.) Technical Information has full-text papers, conference reports, and other guides for the specialist reader on every topic from disaster preparedness to cold storage handling guidelines for photographs. It also includes Introduction to Archival Terminology, a great way to learn the language of archivists.

Archives Library Information Center opens up a preponderance of reference links, web bibliographies, and a well-stocked Virtual Library that links to various digital collections and papers on how digital imaging works. While some of the papers are too academic for general-interest readers, the Methodology links should help practitioners.

Records Management, linked from the main page, overflows with information about federal record-keeping policies but doesn't help the casual reader.

The Bottom Line: Visitors to the NARA site will find information about archival techniques, preservation/conservation, and digital images, plus a good look at the federal government's collections and preservation activities.

Using Archives is one of the best sites for novice researchers. The information is arranged as one long essay, so users can either scroll down or use hyperlinks at the top of the page to reach various headings within the text. Although the National Archives of Canada prepared it, this essay can easily apply to American collections.

The Language and Customs of Archives is especially valuable, explaining finding aids, the principles of provenance and order, and the difference between records and manuscripts. Beginners should also consult Getting Down to Work because it offers practical guidance on archival materials (e.g., how background research into names, dates, etc., can save time).

On the left-side navigation bar near the top of the page is a link to ArchiviaNet, the online research tool of the National Archives of Canada. Users can search by theme (e.g., Government of Canada and Politics) or by type of document (e.g., Photographs). There is also an alphabetical list of research tools. This area describes the materials that are held at the National Archives of Canada, but non-Canadians may enjoy the linked virtual exhibits (some in French).

The main page also links to Genealogy resources. The genealogical links are limited (see Cyndi's List, below, for more), but the information on tracing a family tree will benefit anyone.

The Bottom Line: This site provides beginning researchers with a hands-on introduction to the special nature of archival holdings. Some parts are Canada-specific, but much of the information can apply to any archival setting.

Alternate Sites

The Archivist's Toolkit
aabc.bc.ca/aabc/toolkit.html

EAD Official Web Site
lcweb.loc.gov/ead

Professionals who are charged with starting archives should visit The Archivist's Toolkit. The functions of archival work-appraisal, arrangement, reference, automation, and preservation-are broken down, with links to Internet-based guides on each step. Case Studies under Establishing an Archives is useful. This is another Canadian site that discusses archival principles in a universal fashion. EAD Official Web Site, which is maintained by the Library of Congress, is the basic source of information on Encoded Archival Description (EAD), the standard bibliographic tool for archivists. Background Information on EAD and Overview of the EAD Structure should help nonexperts in hypertext theory.

Cyndi's List: Libraries, Archives, and Museums-General
www.cyndislist.com/lib-gen.htm

UNESCO Archives Portal
www.unesco.org/webworld/portal_archives/pages/index.shtml

At Cyndi's List, a huge gateway of genealogy-related web sites, the Libraries, Archives, and Museums-General page links to everything from vendors that sell genealogy software and publications to articles on the intersection of genealogical and archival work (e.g., Librarian's Guide to Helping Patrons with Genealogical Research). Because these articles tend to be the personal projects of individual librarians, some of them are outdated or incomplete. Genealogy Lending Libraries & Archives and U.S.-State Level Records Repositories link to comprehensive lists of information centers that dwarf the lists found at NARA.

UNESCO Archives Portal is an archival gateway with a global perspective. Links to archival collections are gathered under various headings (geographic as well as type of archives). Exhibitions links to virtual archives exhibits, most of which are from other countries and are in languages other than English. Beginners should click on Internet Resources for sites that deal with archival theory and practice.

The Book Arts Web
www.philobiblon.com

Caring for Your Collections
lcweb.loc.gov/preserv/careothr.html

Conservation OnLine
palimpsest.stanford.edu

Preserving Access to Digital Information
www.nla.gov.au/padi

The Book Arts Web is a stunning site by Peter Verheyen, a studio artist, that celebrates the book as an objet d'art. Most of the noncommercial content can be found under Book Arts Links. Bookbinding links to dozens of articles on book repair, including several interactive tutorials. At Caring for Your Collections, maintained by the Library of Congress (LC), articles cover book preservation in less detail than The Book Arts Web, but they also address protecting newspapers, photographs, and AV materials, which the latter site excludes. Also note Emergency Drying Procedures for Water Damaged Collections. A project of Stanford University Libraries, Conservation OnLine is a full-text library of conservation information. It covers topics-such as disaster planning and pest management-that are missing from the LC site. Don't be deterred by the large icons of the organizational affiliates; keep scrolling for even more links. Preserving Access to Digital Information is a project of the National Library of Australia, but the information has global relevance. The links under Digital Preservation Topics lead to full-text articles, reports, and conference papers. The latter are erudite, but few were published later than 2000. Nonspecialists should begin with General Resources.

ARMA International
www.arma.org

Electronic Recordkeeping Resources
www-personal.si.umich.edu/~calz/ermlinks

ARMA International is the web site of the Association of Information Management Professionals-the leading association for records managers. The section Exploring SIM (at left) examines the basic concepts of strategic information management. General Resources links to other professional issues, including the mammoth Records and Information Management Resource List. Electronic Recordkeeping Resources, a topical directory, offers scholarly and nonscholarly information on everything from access and retrieval to human-computer interaction. Click on Preservation to learn how archival methods connect with electronic records control.