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Re: Archives: plural or singular
Was
this something you learned at the university or at
university?
Chris
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)
-