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Re: Archives: plural or singular



When knee-high to a duck, I was taught that "archives" means two things:  the building and the collection.  Thus, "the Tennessee State Archives [building] contains . . ."  and "we'll need to consult the archives [collection] to learn about that."

When Americans lost their sense of language (this occurred at the time folks started saying things like "less cavities"--meaning, in the literate world, "fewer cavities" and "service the customer" --which in the literate world is something horses at stud do to mares), the technologists, having no linguistic creativity of their own--as do humanists--began to appropriate terms of other fields (such as calling "data" "information" when it's still only "data"), decided to "steal" the term "archive" and make it a verb, a feat no real archivist would ever attempt.  So, please let the IT folks keep the mutant "archive" and let records professionals maintain "archives" (facility and collections).

So, there!

Mike Pemberton



At 11:25 AM 4/18/2002 -0500, Laurie Langland wrote:
I've been wondering this myself and expected it to be brought up as part of the "archive" vs. "archives" discussion. When writing, I've tried to write in a way to avoid having to choose between "archives is" and "archives are." But when talking, I've found myself going back and forth. Please reply to the list or share direct replies to the list. Thanks!
 
Laurie
 

Laurie Langland
Project Archivist
Layne Library, Dakota Wesleyan University
1200 W. University Ave.
Mitchell, SD 57301
-----Original Message-----
From: Susie R. Bock [mailto:bocks@USM.MAINE.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2002 7:19 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Archives: plural or non plural

I am curator for a collection which was established before I arrived. It was named the African American Archives of Maine. It is collection of collections, personal papers, etc. documenting African Americans in Maine. I recently drafted a brochure for the Archives and throughout I treated it as a singular noun, thus "The Archives was founded..." as opposed to were. The faculty scholar for the Archives, quoting the English Dept. as her authority, thinks we should use plural verbs. I checked the 1992 A Gossary for Archivists, Manuscript Curators, and Records Managers, but it does not offer any advice.
Does anyone have an authority to cite or an opinion?
To me it seems logicial that is is singular because traditionally an archives is the body of records of an organization. And in this case it is a body of material around a particular subject.



Susie R. Bock
Head of Special Collections
University of Southern Maine Library
314 Forest Ave.
PO Box 9301
Portland, Maine 04104-9301
207-780-4269
207-780-4042 (fax)