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Re: RAIN 01/25: Digitizing Newspapers, White House and E-sigs



It seems to me that the approach that Peter suggested is far and away the best one to take.  
I'll be one of the last folks to say that having a national office with paid staff was the wrong approach for SAA to take when the first Executive Director was hired.  I feel that ever since that happened, however, individual archivists are reluctant to act as individuals.  Rather they look for SAA, the two ACA's (both Association of Canadian Archivists and Academy of Certified Archivists)to do something, or regional archival associations to do virtually everything.  People expect those organizations to make miracles to improve the image of archivists in the minds of the public.  I am convinced that for most people the entire archival profession is represented by the one or maybe two archivists most people know or meet when doing research.  If that archivist does wonders for the individual, he or she goes away with a very positive imporession of archivists.  If that archivist is unable to help for whatever reason, the individual goes away with a poor impression of archivists.  That individual will likely never know about or could care less about SAA or any of the other organizations.
I've thought for a long time that we as a profession could learn a lot about how good or bad the total situation is by conducting a survey amongs ourselves first and then broadending it to the general public.  The questions I have in mind all require simple yes or no answers, but it would be helpful to have some idea of the age brackets by decades of those who respond.
Here is what I'd like to ask archivists:

1.  Did you know what an archivist is before you got your first job as an archivist:

2.  Did you know what an archivist is before your finished college?

3.  Dis you know what an archivist is before you finished High School?

4.  Do yhour parents know what an archivist is?

5.  Did your parents know what an archivist is before you became one?

6.  Do your neighbors (those live in houses or appartments immediately surrounding yours) know what an archivist is?

7.  Did they know that before they met you?

8.  In which of the following age brackets to you fall.

a.  20-29
b.  30-39
c.  40-49
d.  50-59
e.  60-89
f.  70 and up

If any of you want to reply to this survey, feel free to do so.  I'd prefer you respond directly to me.  I'll report findings to the list after a week or so if I get any answers.  You can simply provide the question numbers and either yes or no except for # 8 where you need to give the appropriate letter.

I hope to hear from lots of you.

 



Charles R. Schultz, CA
Professor and Clements Archivist
Cushing Library
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX  77843-5000
c-schultz@tamu.edu
979-862-1555
FAX 979-845-1441

State-of-the-art automation will never beat the wastebasket 
when it comes to speeding up efficiency in the office.
Ann Landers Gem of the Day, July 27, 1994

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