This post is part of the Intergenerational Conversations series. Verne Harris and Christopher Merrett, “Toward a Culture of Transparency: Public Rights of Access to Official Records in South Africa,” American Archivist 57, no. 4 (1994): 680–92, https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.57.4.62476v2610630817. Reviewed by Burkely Hermann, MLIS [PDF Full Text] | [PDF Article + Full Text] In late April 1994, the African … Continue reading Toward a Culture of Secrecy?: Revisiting Verne Harris and Christopher Merrett’s 1994 article
Artistic Provenance Research
Edited by Tal Adler and Sharon Macdonald. Bielefeld, Germany: transcript Verlag, 2026. 208 pp. ISBN 978-3-8376-6553-6. Print €35.00. PDF open access. https://www.transcript-publishing.com/978-3-8376-6553-6/artistic-provenance-research/?number=978-3-8376-6553-6. Reviewed by Cheryl Oestreicher [PDF Full Text] Archivists are very familiar with provenance. When acquiring collections, knowledge or documentation of who, what, where, when, and why are important both for acquisition and research … Continue reading Artistic Provenance Research
The Peasant’s Shoes: Confronting the Historiography of Postmodernism in Archival Theory
This post is part of the Intergenerational Conversations series. Review of Carolyn Heald, “Is There Room for Archives in the Postmodern World?”American Archivist 59, no. 1 (1996): 88–101, https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.59.1.u854130x02844653; and Mark Greene, “The Power of Meaning: The Archival Mission in the Postmodern Age,” American Archivist 65, no. 1 (2002): 42–55, https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.65.1.l914668v881wv19n. By Patrick McGee, CUNY Queens College … Continue reading The Peasant’s Shoes: Confronting the Historiography of Postmodernism in Archival Theory
On the Lack of the Idea of Permanence: Finding Archival Comfort in a World with No Guarantees
This post is part of the Intergenerational Conversations series. Review of James M. O’Toole, “On the Idea of Permanence,” American Archivist 52, no. 1 (Winter 1989): 10–25, https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.52.1.3x85283576r43387. By Sara Ludewig, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress [PDF Full Text] | [PDF Article + Full Text] In his 1989 article “On the Idea of Permanence,” James M. … Continue reading On the Lack of the Idea of Permanence: Finding Archival Comfort in a World with No Guarantees
In Honor of Richard J. Cox: A Bibliography
By Amy Cooper Cary (Editor, American Archivist), Rose Buchanan (Reviews Coeditor, American Archivist), and Stephanie Luke (Reviews Coeditor, American Archivist) [PDF Full Text] Archivist, historian, and educator Dr. Richard James Cox recently passed away on July 11, 2026.[1] A prolific scholar with dozens of books and articles to his name, Dr. Cox was a frequent … Continue reading In Honor of Richard J. Cox: A Bibliography
A Republic, If We Want It: Fighting Archival Dread in the Semiquincentennial
Review of Elizabeth Hamer Kegan, “A Becoming Regard to Posterity,” American Archivist 40, no. 1 (1976): 5–15, https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.40.1.n1705547v12x802v. Reviewed by Bradley J. Wiles, Northern Illinois University [PDF Full Text] Reading and rereading the opening sentences of Elizabeth Hamer Kegan’s 1976 presidential address to the Society of American Archivists (SAA), delivered during the US Bicentennial, I … Continue reading A Republic, If We Want It: Fighting Archival Dread in the Semiquincentennial
Reappraising Appraisal in a Post-Custodial Era
This post is part of the Intergenerational Conversations series. Review of Helen Willa Samuels, “Who Controls the Past,” American Archivist 49, no. 2 (Spring 1986): 109–24, https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.49.2.t76m2130txw40746; and Anke Voss-Hubbard, “‘No Documents—No History’: Mary Ritter Beard and the Early History of Women’s Archives,” American Archivist 58, no. 1 (1995): 16–30, https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.58.1.hr300127g3142157. By Melissa Smith, Church … Continue reading Reappraising Appraisal in a Post-Custodial Era
Intergenerational Conversations 2026: Reflecting on Change
By Rose Buchanan and Stephanie Luke, Reviews Co-Editors [PDF Full Text] "If anything troubles archivists, it is change. Our days are devoted to minimizing the effects of change upon the materials we care for. . . . We pay homage to permanence, to constancy, to stability, and to structure. . . . but in the … Continue reading Intergenerational Conversations 2026: Reflecting on Change
Umbra Search: African American History
https://umbrasearch.org/ Reviewed by Mattie Clear, Head of Research and Engagement & Assistant Professor, James Madison University Libraries, Harrisonburg, VA [PDF Full Text] Figure 1. Screenshot of the homepage of Umbra Search, https://umbrasearch.org/. Umbra Search: African American History is a digital resource created in 2014 by the Givens Collection of African American Literature at the University … Continue reading Umbra Search: African American History
The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks: A Lesson in Power Dynamics and Changes
Review of The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks. By Shauna Robinson. Naperville, IL.: Sourcebooks Landmark, November 2022. 330 pp. Softcover. $16.99 ISBN-9781728246444 Reviewed by Alyssa Noch, Master of Arts in Public History, Specialization in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s History from Wayne State University [PDF Full Text] This review contains spoilers for The Banned Bookshop of … Continue reading The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks: A Lesson in Power Dynamics and Changes
