This course examines the archivist’s ‘first’ responsibility – the appraisal of records for long-term preservation. Appraisal is first in the sequence of archival functions and, therefore, influences all subsequent archival activities. Importantly, appraisal is integral in archiving as, through it, archivists determine what silver of the total human documentary production will actually become ‘archives’ and thus part of society’s historical narrative and collective memory. By performing appraisal and selection, archivists are thereby actively shaping the future’s history of our times.
Course Credits
3