Appraisal Shouldn’t Lie

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Archivists have many different jobs to do and most of us do them well. From choosing the right items for deaccessioning to helping setup an exhibit at the local public library, archivists have shown to be some of the brightest people in the world. They have a unique talent for management, knowledge, and charisma that is rarely seen at most corporate levels. As such, archivists should be properly commended and appreciated for their work. On the other hand, they have a specific place in our society. That place can have different meanings for different people, but we have never seen a former archivist become President of the United States. Hence, archivists tend to be fully engaged in their area of expertise and their place of business so as to make their employment more involved than other professions. Being a good archivist means knowing how to best preserve it, display it and how best to cultivate interest about a collection. This takes some work in the short-term and a career in the long-term. The preceding paragraph does not mean that there is a right answer to the debate of choosing Schallenberg or Jenkinson. Each of those men's beliefs has their merit. In fact, they echo some of the same values. Their positions are not all that different, considering they are talking about one semi-narrow professional field. To iterate, Jenkinson believes that an archivist chooses which records are sufficient in describing "what happened". He notes that records are "impartial". Archives were created out of ‘natural accumulation’. This helps the records retain authenticity and impartiality. Schallenberg believes that archivists have a more pivotal role in the records they curate. He believes that the records an archivist handles have some ... ... middle of paper ... ...In my view, it is not in the archivists’ business to judge whether there is social justice when on the job. The archivist has a job to do regardless of the overarching theme or mission. To write an article belaboring the point that there is social justice in this field is somewhat irresponsible. For Jimerson to disagree with someone’s use of archives is presupposing the reason they use them. Ideally, the destruction of records is heinous, but Jimerson tries to make a political point about it and that is out of line. An archives’ existence is not all about social justice, whatever the parent organization. Works Cited Jimerson, Randall C. "Archives for All: Professional Responsibility and Social Justice." The American Archivist 70 (2007): 252-281. Tschan, Reto. "A Comparison of Jenkinson and Schallenberg on Appraisal." The American Archivist 65 (2002): 176-195.

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