The Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies (JCAS) announces the publication of three new articles and two new book reviews.

“MPLP: From Practice to Theory,” written by Kyna Herzinger.

 Download the article: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol7/iss1/20.

Abstract: This paper traces the transformation of More Product, Less Process or MPLP from a processing methodology to a principle that has supported a growing toolbox of practices. It highlights the seeds of that principle, which are rooted in Greene and Meissner’s effort to shift professional focus away from processing minutiae and toward access to and use of archival materials. Although MPLP developed out of demonstrable needs, its underlying attention to the nature of archival work and the archivist’s role within that work speaks to deeper concepts addressed within archival theory. This paper argues that MPLP’s pragmatic methods have evolved beyond a toolbox of practices, and that MPLP should be recast as a principle to be both challenged and held in tension with other fundamental archival principles.

“Labor Gone Digital (DigiFacket)! Experiences from Creating a Web Archive for Swedish Trade Unions,” written by Jenny Jansson, Katrin Uba, and Jaanus Karo.

Download the article: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol7/iss1/19.

Abstract: The Internet has become an increasingly important forum for societal activism, as event mobilization, member organization, and some actions have moved online. These new types of activities, often facilitated by diverse social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, form an increasingly important part of contemporary social movements’ and organizations’ communication, work, and expression. This rapid digitalization and the increase of online activities have created a dilemma for social movement archives and researchers: Born-digital material is necessary to understand our contemporary movements, yet the materials generated and available on the Internet are rarely systematically archived. To help find solutions to this problem, the project Labor Gone Digital (DigiFacket)! set out to construct an archiving system for material created on the Internet by the Swedish trade union movement (i.e., websites and social media feeds). This article reviews the creation of the DigiFacket system and explores the challenges of building a web archive that meets both the needs of the research community and the movements occurring online, and that is easy enough to maintain, even for small archives.

“Review of Leading and Managing Archives and Manuscripts Programs,” written by Rory Grennan.

Download the article: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol7/iss1/18.

Abstract: Review of Leading and Managing Archives and Manuscripts Programs, edited by Peter Gottlieb and David W. Carmichael, examining the main topics of leadership and management of people in archival programs, its place in the archival literature, and its potential audience.

Reviews

“Review of Advocacy and Awareness for Archivists,” written by Elizabeth D. James.

 Download the article: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol7/iss1/21/.

Abstract: Advocacy and Awareness for Archivists is at once a practical guide and a call to action to consistently communicate the work and impact of archives at the local, regional, and national levels. As an expansion of the Archival Fundamentals Series, the book places the work of advocacy as being central to the archives profession. However, it neglects to incorporate contemporary archival concerns related to power dynamics and inequity when planning and conducting an advocacy effort.

“Review of Archival Values: Essays in Honor of Mark A. Greene” written by Gregory Wiedeman.

Download the article: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol7/iss1/22/.

Abstract:  Archival Values: Essays in Honor of Mark A. Greene is an archetypal Festschrift with 23 essays on each of the 11 Society of American Archivists Core Values of Archivists. This is primarily a book about archival professionalism, as Scott Cline’s framing essay offers the values as “integral to the archival endeavor” and the SAA Publications Board selected it as the fourth of SAA’s annual “One Book, One Profession” series. The book features some particularly standout works that will help both graduate students and veteran archivists better understand some of the more cutting-edge ideas that are reshaping how archivists think of themselves and their work. However, the traditional format and conservative genre can be a bit problematic and may undermine the effort and limit its potential readership.

JCAS is a peer-reviewed, open access journal sponsored by the Yale University Library, New England Archivists, and Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.