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Re: In Search of the Humourous Archivist



Barb, thanks for the humor.  It helps remind me what it's all about.  Susan

>>> fcook@LIBRARY.WISC.EDU 08/10/00 12:39PM >>>
Perhaps the best humor ABOUT archivists (as opposed to BY archivists) 
occurred during the 1983 SAA Annual Meeting.  Garrison Keillor wrote a song 
especially for archivists for his show "Prairie Home Companion."  I 
considered it a fitting way to end my SAA presidency and will always be 
grateful to him and to the Twin Cities archivists who supplied GK with 
material on the profession (which he requested) AND made so many trips to 
get tickets to the show for visiting archivists.

The song (with the music) was printed in the November, 1983 SAA Newsletter 
(p. 5).  The tune is the old hymn "Life's Railway to Heaven."  Note that 
the lyrics were copyrighted by Mr. Keillor and all rights reserved.  I 
trust that this fond remembrance doesn't violate his copyright!

ALL ARCHIVISTS STICK TOGETHER

Archivist's life is like a miner's
Working daily under ground
In the basements dark and dusty,
Loading data by the pound.
Tons of documents and papers
Unprocessed, stretch on for miles
Keep your eyes upon  the index
And your hands upon the files

Chorus:
All archivists stick together
Microfilm those dusty piles
Keep your eyes upon the index
And your hands upon the files.

Institutions are short-sighted,
Thinking only of today.
Dump their records in the corner
Throw a lot of stuff away.
We must fight and fight the harder,
Buckle down, roll up our sleeve,
Let us make a better system
Information to retrieve.

Chorus

Papers flowing ever faster
Every day another stack.
Every page has several copies,
Thanks to Xerox and Kodak.
Struggle on, you brave archivists,
Do not falter.  Formulate
Integrated reference structures
Keep your flow charts up to date.

Chorus

To me, it is a parody, yes, but it is also mixed with an understanding of 
us and our responsibilities.  He went out of his way to relate to this 
segment of his audience and the audience (especially the archivists) went 
nuts when it was over.

Frank


At 07:31 AM 8/10/00 -0600, you wrote:

> > ----------
> > 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

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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
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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>