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Re: In Search of the Humourous Archivist



The RAWHIDE spoof parody is inspired! It puts entirely to shame my recent
weak variant (devised while assembling and stacking seemingly endless
numbers of 1 c.f. acid-free cartons) of 99 BOTTLES OF BEER:

        99 boxes of air on the wall,
        99 boxes of air!
        An archivist comes and takes one away,
        98 boxes of air on the wall........

One of our "senior" archivists (with a sense of humor arguably more crazed
than my own) emailed a response to this earlier, "Wow, an archivists'
chant!"

You never know...this might turn into a catchy tune on those SAA late nites
in the saloons and bars, when everyone's gathered 'round the ol' piano...

Kevin (who's built 'way too many cartons in his day here and elsewhere)
Bunker
Student Assistant
California State Archives

> ----------
> From:         Matthew D. Sprinkle[SMTP:MattS@UWYO.EDU]
> Reply To:     Archives & Archivists
> Sent:         Thursday, August 10, 2000 6:31 AM
> To:   ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> Subject:      Re: In Search of the Humourous Archivist
>
> At one time there was quite a spoof songwriting competition going on
> around
> here, and a group of singers/musicians to perform them.  Sometimes the
> songs
> were individual specific, but perhaps our biggest hit was more general.
>
> (performance notes:  find someone to crack a whip a few times
> have the "pagin', pagin', pagin'" part start softly and build
> guitar chords available on request)
>
> Archives!  (to the tune of "Rawhide")
>
> pagin', pagin', pagin' - pagin', pagin', pagin'
> pagin', pagin', pagin' - pagin', pagin', pagin' - Archives!
> pagin', pagin', pagin' - pagin', pagin', pagin'
> pagin, pagin', pagin' - pagin', pagin', pagin' - Archives!
>
> Keep researchers fishin', though that box is missin'
> keep researchers readin' - Archives!
> Our business never tapers, hell-bent for papers
> we'll look for that box until we die
>
> Our heart's calculatin', more grant funds are waitin'
> waitin' at the end of our ride
>
> Sort 'em out, write 'em up - write 'em up, sort 'em out,
> sort 'em out, write 'em up - Archives!
> Sort 'em out, write 'em up - write 'em up, sort 'em out,
> sort 'em out, cat-a-log - Archives!
>
> Keep those donors sendin', and they're not just lendin'
> keep those donors sendin' - Archives!
> Don't try to understand 'em, just shake 'em down and land 'em
> we'll look at the stats in next July
>
> Now let's avoid a tiff, just sign that deed of gift
> we'll sort it at the end of our ride
>
> Sort 'em out, write 'em up - write 'em up, sort 'em out
> sort 'em out, write 'em up - Archives!
> Sort 'em out, write 'em up - write 'em up, sort 'em out
> sort 'em out, cat-a-log - Archives!
>
> pagin', pagin', pagin' - pagin', pagin', pagin
> pagin', pagin', pagin' - Archives!
>
> (copyright 1993, Matt Sprinkle)
> Matt Sprinkle - AV Archivist
> American Heritage Center - P.O. Box 3924
> University of Wyoming - Laramie, WY  82071-3924
> 307-766-2579    FAX 307-766-5511
> matts@uwyo.edu
>
> > ----------
> > From:         infotegrity[SMTP:infotegrity@HOME.COM]
> > Sent:         Tuesday, August 08, 2000 8:26 PM
> > To:   ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> > Subject:      In Search of the Humourous Archivist
> >
> > Why is it that so little archival humour has surfaced?  Why does an
> > Internet
> > search for items related to this topic produce....nothing.  Why are
> there no
> > archivist stand-up comics?  And, perhaps the most galling question, why
> do
> > others with far less interesting professions attract all the funny
> > stories,
> > amusing anecdotes, terrible puns and ribald limericks?
> >
> > Is the lack of archival humour a compliment to the profession or is it a
> > serious case of neglect?
> >
> > I'm convinced it is the latter and I would like to do my part to correct
> > this terrible wrong.
> >
> > In my many years in a public archive, I worked with colleagues who had a
> > great sense of humour.  They needed it to deal with both the
> professional
> > challenges of their work as well as with the questions, quibbles and
> > quirks
> > of researchers and donors.  While patience has always been an important
> > qualification for an archivist, a good sense of humour must surely be
> > close
> > behind.
> >
> > Ian Wilson, the National Archivist of Canada and a former colleague, has
> > used a small repertoire of humourous anecdotes in most of his public
> > speaking.  He has often remarked that it is easier to find new audiences
> > than to find new archival jokes.
> >
> > An example:  Ian married a woman who is also an archivist.  At their
> > wedding, a friend remarked that a marriage of two archivists was perfect
> > because, as they grew older, they would become more and more interested
> in
> > each other.
> >
> > I would like to invite your assistance in defining and expanding the
> body
> > of
> > archival humour.  The purpose?  To form the basis for a paper,
> > presentation,
> > Web site or other means of disseminating collected and new material.
> The
> > reward?  Your contribution to changing the public image of archivists
> and
> > archives, as well as the prospect of future amusement.
> >
> > Responses can cover the range of humourous forms, such as:
> > -       stories and anecdotes
> > -       jokes
> > -       puns
> > -       definitions
> > -       signs and notices
> > -       aphorisms, epigrams, similes and metaphors
> > -       limericks and other humourous verse
> > -       satires
> > -       parodies
> > -       put-downs and come-backs
> >
> > They can relate to any aspect of archiving, archivists and archival
> > institutions, such as:
> >
> > -       the nature of the profession and archival stereotypes
> > -       relations between archivists, records managers and other
> > professions
> > -       dealings with researchers
> > -       dealings with donors and sponsors
> > -       archival selection, appraisal, organization, description,
> > preservation,
> > storage, etc.
> > -       archivists and technology
> > -       archival collections in all media
> > -       workplace humour
> > -       historical events and individuals in archival records
> > -       archival language and terminology
> > -       archival services and publications
> > -       news reporting about archives and archivists
> >
> > Some "rules":  Offerings may be about real experiences, people,
> locations,
> > etc. or they may be fanciful fabrications.  Personally identifiable
> > information about another individual should generally be avoided or have
> > the
> > permission of that person for distribution.  Information about the
> origin
> > of
> > the material should be provided, if known.  No copyright or other legal
> > rights should be infringed.  All submissions sent directly to me will be
> > acknowledged, but use or publication is not assured.
> >
> > Please send any material to me directly at Infotegrity@home.com .
> > Responses
> > received before September 15 would be especially appreciated.  Comments
> > and
> > suggestions of any kind regarding this project are also welcome.  Please
> > excuse cross postings.
> >
> > Thank you.
> >
> > Andy Lipchak
> >
> >
> > About myself.....
> >
> > Until I took early retirement, I was the Manager of Corporate
> Information
> > Policy at the Archives of Ontario (Toronto, Canada).  I was responsible
> > for
> > a variety of archival policy development activities and for recorded
> > information management standards and processes for the Government of
> > Ontario.  I have spoken at conferences, workshops and other events
> related
> > to archives, record keeping, information management and information
> > technology.  I collaborated with Ian E. Wilson on several occasions
> (e.g.,
> > "You Must Remember This," at
> http://www.iog.ca/publications/pub-ict.html).
> > After leaving the Archives of Ontario, I established Infotegrity
> > Consulting
> > to advise public and private sector bodies on information management,
> > knowledge management, archival programs and related technology issues.
> >
> > Andy Lipchak
> > E-mail:  Infotegrity@home.com
> > Mailing address:  15 Brookfield Road, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada, M2P
> 1B1
> >
> > A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
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> >
> > Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
> >      http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html
> >
> > Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>
> >
>
> A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
>       In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
>                     *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
> To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu
>
> Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
>      http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html
>
> Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>
>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

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      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>