The Archival Appraisal Of Machine Readable Records

Archives are unique in that the records which they contain are irreplaceable; and decisions as to what to include in the collection are final and irrevocable. Archival Appraisal by Frank Boles, with the assistance of Julia Marks Young, seeks to increase the understanding of how archivists select records by developing a better understanding of the methodology underlies this selection process.

"The Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science provides an outstanding resource in 33 published volumes with 2 helpful indexes. This thorough reference set--written by 1300 eminent, international experts--offers librarians, information/computer scientists, bibliographers, documentalists, systems analysts, and students, convenient access to the techniques and tools of both library and information science. Impeccably researched, cross referenced, alphabetized by subject, and generously illustrated, the Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science integrates the essential theoretical and practical information accumulating in this rapidly growing field."

Between November 1, 1979, and April 30, 1981, the Wisconsin Survey of Machine-Readable Public Records was carried out to identify the technical, intellectual, and administrative problems associated with a records management and archival program for machine-readable records. The survey identified machine-readable records in several state agencies; evaluated existing records management, disposition, and retention policies governing machine-readable records; and developed a set of recommendations for improving records management and archival control of these materials. This final report summarizes the survey project. In Part One the history of the project and the strategies employed to inventory, appraise, and accession machine-readable records in the state of Wisconsin are described. Part Two describes the findings of the records survey. Part Three contains recommendations for state agency administrators, legislators, and archivists for establishing a machine-readable records program for state archives, dealing with pre-archival control, legislative support, documentation standards, data base management systems design, and administrative expertise. (THC)

This book breaks new grounds in the scholarship of archival science, providing information of nearly 200 authors. This is the first book that describes in one publication the intellectual contributions of all major archival authors in bibliographic context.