New Issue: Information & Culture

Volume 54 Number 1 : Special Issue
(subscription)

Editor’s Note: Curated Issue of Information & Culture: A Journal of History

Ciaran Trace
p. 1-3

“This special issue of Information & Culture brings together a curated set of previously published articles from the last two decades of the journal’s more than fifty-year history. These articles represent the wide scope of actors, disciplines, and viewpoints that have helped make the journal the space in which to frame and debate the nature of the information domain from a historical perspective. In new and thought-provoking essays accompanying the original articles, the authors look back on the contribution that these articles made to the intellectual life and growth of the journal and its subject matter.”

Revisiting Archival History

Richard J. Cox
p. 4-11

The Failure or Future of American Archival History: A Somewhat Unorthodox View

Richard J. Cox
Originally published: Volume 35, Number 1, 2000
p. 12-26

The quality of research on American archival history has been uneven and the quantity not very impressive. This essay reviews some of the highlights of American archival history research, especially the growing interest in cultural and public history that has produced some studies of interest to scholars curious about the history of archives. The essay also focuses more on why such research still seems so far removed from the interests of most archivists. The essay will consider some hopeful signs, such as the reemergence of records and recordkeeping systems as a core area for study, for a renewed emphasis on American archival history. While much needs to be done, I am optimistic that the golden age of historical research on American archives lies ahead.

Back to the Future of Library History

Jonathan Rose
p. 27-32

Alternative Futures for Library History

Jonathan Rose
Originally published: Volume 38, NUmber 1, Winter 2003
p. 50-60

In response to a recent article by Donald Davis and John Aho, “Whither Library History?” Jonathan Rose discusses six possible alternatives for the future of library history. Library historians can either continue to produce a traditional kind of library history or reframe their subject as a subfield of information science, mainstream history, or the history of the book. They can also adopt the models of such critical theorists as Antonio Gramsci and Michel Foucault. Rose argues for a sixth option: to make library history a part of the new academic discipline of book studies.

Still Breathing: History in Education for Librarianship

Christine Pawley
p 44-52

History in the Library and Information Science Curriculum: Outline of a Debate

Christine Pawley
Originally published: Volume 40, Number  3, Summer 2005
p. 223-238

Only a small minority of Library and Information Science (LIS) schools now schedule courses with a historical focus, and LIS faculty whose research specialty is history seem to be a vanishing breed. Yet some educators are committed to finding ways to preserve historical perspectives in the master’s degree curriculum. At the 2004 conference of the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) the Historical Perspectives Special Interest Group (SIG) discussed strategies and subsequently carried on the debate in an online forum. Theoretical justifications for including history in the curriculum appealed to both generalist and specific rationales that argued for “history as story” as well as “history as process,” while practical suggestions included focusing on the preservation of documents, adopting the principles and methods of public history, and creating stronger avenues for collaboration among all historians of libraries and information science, no matter what their disciplinary affiliation. Overall, participants felt that in the current economic climate modestly
scaled efforts stood the best chance of success.

Information History: Searching for Identity

William Aspray
p. 69-75

The History of Information Science and Other Traditional Information Domains: Models for Future Research

William Aspray
Originally published: Volume 46, Number 2, 2011
p. 230-248

“It has been said that the historian is the avenger, and that standing as a judge between the parties and rivalries and causes of bygone generation she can lift up the fallen and beat down the proud, and by his exposures and his verdicts, his satire and his moral indignation, can punish unrighteousness, avenge the injured or reward the innocent.”

—Herbert Butterfield, The Whig Interpretation of History (1931)

Revisiting “Shaping Information History as an Intellectual Discipline”

James W. Cortada
p. 95-101

Shaping Information History as an Intellectual Discipline

James W. Cortada
Originally published: Volume 47, Number 2, 2012
p. 119-144

Information is an emerging field of interest and concern to citizens, public officials, and scholars in many disciplines. This article acknowledges that problems exist in defining the subject of information history and argues the case that the topic can be addressed in a more coherent fashion. It then poses five questions for historians to investigate with respect to this field and proposes a sequence of three strategies and an agenda for what scholars can do to make this topic a new field of inquiry called “information history,” drawing upon the historiographical experiences of other areas of historical inquiry.

Contributors

p. 127-131

This issue of Information & Culture is now available on Project Muse.

Seeking Editors-at-large for American Archivist Reviews Portal

The Society of American Archivists is looking for two Editors-at-large to contribute to the American Archivist Reviews Portal. The Portal includes information about professional products and services, and the reviews complement and expand on content published in the reviews section of American Archivist. These are volunteer positions and work in collaboration with the Reviews Editor and the Reviews Portal Coordinator.

The Editors-at-large of American Archivist Reviews Portal will write reviews focusing on Web-based tools, software, and apps; exhibits; digital humanities projects; reports and white papers; and archives and archivists in pop culture and society. The Editors-at-large will focus on the following:

  • Identifying web-based tools, software, apps, exhibits, and other pertinent resources and subjects for archives and archivists for prospective review;

  • Researching and writing approximately one review every other month;

  • Work with the Reviews Editor and Portal Coordinator during the writing and revision process;

  • Collaborating in the growth and expansion of the site;

  • Keeping abreast of technology reviews in other archival and allied professional periodicals.

Candidates must be a member of SAA, demonstrate solid writing skills, and have an unquenchable curiosity about web-based archives “stuff.” New professionals are encouraged to apply. Ideally, the successful candidates would begin in May 2019. The estimated time commitment is 5 hours/month. The term of the positions is two years with the possibility for reappointment.

TO APPLY: Please send letter indicating why you are interested in the position and explaining your writing and editorial experience, along with your résumé and writing samples (preferably a review or blog post), by March 31, 2019 to: Bethany Anderson, Reviews Editor, American Archivist, ReviewsEditor@archivists.org. Interviews will be conducted via telephone in mid-April.

500 posts!

This is the Publishing in the Archives Profession’s 500th post! Just seemed like a landmark to acknowledge.

When I started this blog almost four years ago, I wondered if I’d be able to keep it up. My original goal was to post more guidance about writing, and I still hope to get back to that (once I finish my book). But it’s surprised me how many publishing-related announcements there are. I thought those would be occasional, but now I can post something pretty much every weekday (I purposely don’t post on the weekends).

I really enjoy finding these announcements about calls for papers, new publications, awards, and everything else. It is often amazing to me how much is out there related to archives, though I often wonder what else I’m missing. I find these announcements by following dozens of blogs and websites, periodically reviewing journals’ and publishers’ websites, Google alerts, Facebook posts, and listservs. I’m continually adding to these to ensure I find as much as possible to share (and I welcome recommendations!).

Mostly, I’m grateful for all of you! I appreciate everyone who reads and follows this blog. And I’m especially grateful when I hear that you read it and find it useful.

Thank you and I look forward to 500 more!

CFP: Journal of the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives

Dear colleagues —

I am happy to announce a call for papers for the Journal of the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives, Issue no. 50.

Important Dates

April 15, 2019: Full article submission deadline

June 15, 2019: Journal release

Editor: Bertram Lyons (editor@iasa-web.org)

General Call for Papers

IASA Journal invites proposals covering general topics of interest to the sound and audiovisual archives communities throughout the world. Articles, reviews, essays, and technical documents are welcome.

Issue no. 50 Special Considerations:

In IASA’s 50th year, we coincidentally will release the 50th issue of the IASA Journal! We encourage submissions that respond to critical issues for audiovisual archives today:

* Degradation in legacy physical collections, especially magnetic carriers

* Obsolescence of playback equipment and strategies for acquiring spare parts for playback machines

* Selecting sustainable and compatible target codecs and wrappers for A-to-D video reformatting projects

* Strategies for handling the proliferation of born-digital audiovisual formats and codecs

* Planning for the necessary technical infrastructure needed to ingest and manage the large digital collections being created and acquired at sound and audiovisual archives worldwide

* Intellectual property rights

* Metadata strategies for time-based media objects

* Providing meaningful and useful access to sound and audiovisual collections for researchers of all kinds and in all locations

Please consider submitting an article covering one of these topics or the results of independent research that would be of interest to the IASA membership and the international audiovisual archives community in general.

About the IASA Journal

The Journal of the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives represents the collected research and applied work of the global audiovisual archives community. Also known as the IASA Journal, it is published in issues bi-annually and available as an open-access Journal online (https://journal.iasa-web.org). The IASA Journal uses a double-blind peer-review methodology (the authors do not know who reviews their papers, and reviewers do not know who wrote the papers they are reviewing).

The IASA Journal is constantly looking for material to publish. Please submit articles, research output, or reviews you consider of interest to IASA via the online submission page (http://journal.iasa-web.org/pubs/about/submissions).

Information for Authors

Authors need to register (http://journal.iasa-web.org/pubs/user/register) with the journal prior to submitting or, if already registered, can simply login (http://journal.iasa-web.org/pubs/login) and begin the five-step process.

1. You will be informed of IASA’s intention to review the article no more than one week after your submission.

2. Soft copy as a .doc or .rtf or .txt file should be submitted with minimal formatting.

3. Illustrations (photographs, diagrams, tables, maps, etc) may be submitted as low resolution files placed in the file or sent separately. Once the article has been accepted for publication, high resolution copies will be required and should be sent as separate documents.

4. Use footnotes not endnotes.

5. Use in-text referencing, and all references should be listed at the end of the article in alphabetic order and chronologically for each author. Both should adhere to Harvard style guidelines for references (quick review here: http://www.citethisforme.com/harvard-referencing).

6. Authors are encouraged to submit original research or to develop their conference presentations into more detailed accounts and/or arguments for publication in the journal.

7. Abstracts (maximum 250 words each) must be included with each submission and may be in French, German, Spanish, or English.

Copyright Notice: Unless stated otherwise, authors license their work under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Signed articles and reviews represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the Association.

Please contact editor@iasa-web.org with any questions.

Thanks, and best —

Bertram Lyons, Editor, IASA Journal

Call for Authors: Monograph on special collections storage, access, travel and insurance issues

Primary Research Group, www.Primaryresearch.com, is seeking a librarian/author to write a monograph of approximately 10,000 words on space, storage, access, insurance and exhibit travel issues in special collections management. The report should include a minimum of 5 detailed interviews with academic libraries, museums or archives totaling approximately 5,000 words.. The report will also include a  literature review with detailed author commentary and bibliography. This is a compensated assignment.   Send your resume with cover letter to jmoses@primaryresearch.com.

James Moses, Research Director
Primary Research Group Inc.
2585 Broadway, #156
NY  NY   10025

Call for Participation: 13th Annual SAA Research Forum

ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2019: TRANSFORMATIVE!—the Joint Annual Meeting of the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) and SAA—will take place at the JW Marriott in Austin, Texas, July 31–August 6.  If you’re engaged in research, seeking to identify research-based solutions for your institution, willing to participate in the research cycle by serving as a beta site for research trials, or simply interested in what’s happening in research and innovation, then join us for the 13th annual SAA Research Forum: “Transformative”! If you’d like to propose a platform or paper presentation, submit your abstract by May 15.

New Podcast Series from SAA’s Publications Board and AA Editorial Board

SAA is delighted to present Season 1 of Archives in Context, a podcast highlighting archival literature and technologies, and most importantly, the people behind them. Cosponsored by SAA’s Publications Board and American Archivist Editorial Board, the podcast offers a new medium for exploring the often moving and important work of memory-keeping. Season 1 features interviews with Kären M. Mason, Cal Lee, Michelle Caswell, Karen Trivette, Anthony Cocciolo, Dominique Luster, and stories from A Finding Aid to My Soul, an open mic event at ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2018. Listen to the full season now via the Archives in Context website, Google Play, Spotify, and iTunes.

Archival History News: Year in Review: Archival History Books and Articles Published in 2018

The Archival History Section of SAA compiled a great list of books and articles published about archival history.

Thanks to the section for all your hard work!

https://archivalhistory.news/2019/01/31/year-in-review-archival-history-books-and-articles-published-in-2018/

New Women’s Collections Section Reading Club

From the Women’s Collections Section Tumblr

Are you interested in discussing SAA’s One Book One Profession, Perspectives on Women’s Archives, with a dynamic group of archivists? Or do you wish to join a lively chat about women’s archives?

Join the WCS’s Zoom chat on Monday, March 11th and 1 pm EST for both! This month we will cover section 3 of the book but don’t worry you don’t have to read all the articles! Pick your favorite article from the section or just join in the dynamic discussion. This chat is open to anyone interested in women’s collections. For more information about SAA’s One Book One Profession, click here.

Join in our Zoom meeting by following the links provided below or call in!

Join Zoom Meeting
https://princeton.zoom.us/j/142108486

One tap mobile
+16465588656,,142108486# US (New York)
+16699006833,,142108486# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 142 108 486
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/axHoF3bul
Looking forward to speaking with you all!!

Open CFP: VIEW Journal

VIEW Journal invites scholars and audiovisual archivists to submit proposals for topics that may be incorporated in ongoing journal issues. We encourage you to use this “General Call for Speakers” to provide suggestions for articles and audiovisual essays, as well as other forms of reflective thought.

Submit a Proposal

The VIEW Journal of European Television History and Culture is the first peer-reviewed, multi-media and open access e-journal in the field of European television history and culture. It offers an international platform for outstanding academic research and archival reflection on television as an important part of our European cultural heritage. With its interdisciplinary profile, the journal is open to many disciplinary perspectives on European television – including television history, media studies, media sociology, cultural studies and television studies.

The journal acts both as a platform for critical reflection on the cultural, social and political role of television in Europe’s past and presence and as a multi-media platform for the presentation and re-use of digitized audiovisual material.

In bridging the gap between academic and archival concerns for television and in analyzing the political and cultural importance of television in a transnational and European perspective, the journal aims at establishing an innovative platform for the critical interpretation and creative use of digitized audio-visual sources. In doing so, it will challenge a long tradition of television research that was – and to a huge amount still is – based on the analysis of written sources.

The journal aims at stimulating new narrative forms of online storytelling, making use of the rich digitized audiovisual collections of television archives around Europe. All articles in the journal must make use of audio-visual sources that will have to be embedded in the narrative: not as “illustrations” of an historical or theoretical argumentation, but as problematized evidence of a research question.

Audience

The Journal of European Television History and Culture addresses the scientific community as well as a larger audience interested in television as a cultural phenomenon. Broadcast historians, media studies scholars, audiovisual archivists, television professionals as well as the large group of enthusiastic fans of “old” television will have the opportunity to dive into the history and presence of European television by means of multi-media texts.

We are looking forward to receiving your creative proposals! Go to: http://viewjournal.eu/online-submissions/