Review of John Fleckner, “‘Dear Mary Jane’: Some Reflections on Being an Archivist,” The American Archivist 54, no. 1 (1991): 8–13. https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.54.1.3607610316t66j42 By Jessica C. Neal, Records Management Project Manager, Massachusetts Institute of Technology [PDF Full Text] | [PDF Article + Full Text] “Deep in the archives parlayin new ways to get my bank bigger.”—Ice-T Who an … Continue reading Fleckner Revisited: Reflections on Being an Archivist, Then and Now
Intergenerational Conversations: Reflecting on the Work of John Fleckner
By Rose Buchanan, John Fleckner, Rand Jimerson, and Stephanie Luke [PDF Full Text] Since the American Archivist Reviews Portal was established in 2011, it has served as a forum for archivists to discuss the software, digital collections, media, and best practices that impact their daily work. In that time, contributors have reviewed over eighty archives-related … Continue reading Intergenerational Conversations: Reflecting on the Work of John Fleckner
The Disability Archive UK
https://disability-studies.leeds.ac.uk/library/ Reviewed by Bailey Adolph, University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections and Archives [PDF Full Text] The Disability Archive UK is an extension of the University of Leeds Centre for Disability Studies, which is an interdisciplinary network of STEM, humanities, and social sciences researchers. The Centre’s goal is to achieve social justice and equality through … Continue reading The Disability Archive UK
The Memory Librarian and Other Stories of Dirty Computer
By Janelle Monáe. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2022. 321 pp. Hardcover [also EPUB]. $28.99. Hardcover ISBN 978-0063070875. Reviewed by Adina Riggins, University of North Carolina Wilmington [PDF Full Text] In April 2022, my smartphone newsfeed turned up an article about Janelle Monáe, an eight-time Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, who had just published her debut book of fiction, … Continue reading The Memory Librarian and Other Stories of Dirty Computer
Reimagine Descriptive Workflows: A Community-informed Agenda for Reparative and Inclusive Descriptive Practice
By Rachel L. Frick and Merrilee Proffitt, OCLC Research (April 2022). https://doi.org/10.25333/wd4b-bs51 Reviewed by Noah Lasley, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga [PDF Full Text] Reimagine Descriptive Workflows: A Community-informed Agenda for Reparative and Inclusive Descriptive Practice is a research report published by OCLC as one of the deliverables for a project supported in part by … Continue reading Reimagine Descriptive Workflows: A Community-informed Agenda for Reparative and Inclusive Descriptive Practice
Reconciliation Framework: Response to the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce
https://archives2026.com/response-to-the-report-of-the-truth-and-reconciliation-commission-taskforce/ Reviewed by Jonathan Pringle, Scholarly Communications and Digital Librarian, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center [PDF Full Text] Released in February 2022, the Reconciliation Framework is designed for non-Indigenous archivists in Canada who manage Indigenous holdings in their repositories, from acquisitions to outreach and all processes in-between. The document positions … Continue reading Reconciliation Framework: Response to the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
By Eva Jurczyk. Naperville, IL.: Poisoned Pen Press, 2022. 336 pp. Softcover [also hardcover]. $16.99 ISBN-13 978-1-7282-3859-3. Reviewed by Caryn Radick, Rutgers University [PDF Full Text] Eva Jurczyk’s debut novel, The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, is the second mystery I’ve read in the last year that takes place in the world of … Continue reading The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
The Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery (DAACS)
https://www.daacs.org Reviewed by Noah Safari, University of South Carolina [PDF Full Text] Among the tragedies of slavery was the forced removal of people from their homes, causing them to lose touch with much of their cultural heritage. Despite enslavers’ efforts to suppress the cultures of enslaved peoples, enslaved people persevered and created their own unique … Continue reading The Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery (DAACS)
Creating Your Own History: Archival Themes in The Watermelon Woman
Reviewed by Burkely Hermann, Metadata Librarian, National Security Archive, Washington, DC [PDF Full Text] Note: This review contains some spoilers for the film The Watermelon Woman. An archivist speaks to the film’s protagonist about having a “great system” to organize archival records within the community archive. The Core Values Statement of the Society of American … Continue reading Creating Your Own History: Archival Themes in The Watermelon Woman
Archive 81
https://www.netflix.com/title/80222802 Interview with Camila Zorrilla Tessler, Yale University; Karlie Herndon, University of Mississippi; and Sally Blanchard-O’Brien, Vermont Historical Records [PDF Full Text] In January 2022, Netflix released a new series Archive 81. The streaming television show, based on the horror podcast of the same name, centers on audiovisual archivist Dan as he begins a project … Continue reading Archive 81
The American Archivist Reviews Portal 