This post is part of the Intergenerational Conversations series.

By Rose Buchanan and Stephanie Luke, Reviews Co-Editors [PDF Full Text]

The Intergenerational Conversations series is intended to foster dialogue between the past and the present by allowing new voices to revisit, reevaluate, and respond to professional literature that shaped the archival field. In its inaugural year, we felt there was no better focus than the work of Society of American Archivists (SAA) Fellow and past SAA President John Fleckner, whose publications span more than forty years and address a variety of subjects.

In this first series, ten archival professionals responded to some of Fleckner’s most impactful and enduring pieces, from his early work on records surveys[1] and Tribal archives[2] to his later reflections on archival access,[3] technological changes affecting archives,[4] and his own career as an archivist.[5] All ten essays are valuable individually and as companion pieces to Fleckner’s original works.

However, they also illustrate the dynamic and iterative nature of professional discourse as authors alternately related to Fleckner’s experiences, challenged his assumptions, reflected on changes since his articles were published, and built on his conclusions in different ways. This is why it is important to revisit past literature—there is always something to add, whether it is through new advances, processes, critical frameworks, concepts, or experiences.

As we conclude the first iteration of Intergenerational Conversations, we also look ahead to our second series, which will focus on past SAA presidential addresses.[6] These addresses, which SAA presidents deliver at each Annual Meeting, are snapshots of the key issues facing the archives profession in any given year. They provide us with a window into the critical concerns and conversations of different eras. We hope you will join us as we continue to reflect on the enduring values of the archives profession and how these values shape our collective future.

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[1] Jordan Jancosek, “Records Surveys and a Healthy Collection Lifecycle,” Intergenerational Conversations, American Archivist Reviews Portal, February 26, 2024, https://reviews.americanarchivist.org/2024/02/26/records-surveys-and-a-healthy-collection-lifecycle/.

[2] Vina Begay, “Tribal Archives Is Self-Determination,” Intergenerational Conversations, American Archivist Reviews Portal, August 3, 2023, https://reviews.americanarchivist.org/2023/08/03/tribal-archives-is-self-determination/.

[3] Matthew Strandmark, “Answering the Call: Archival Literacy and Teaching with Primary Sources,” Intergenerational Conversations, American Archivist Reviews Portal, April 25, 2023, https://reviews.americanarchivist.org/2023/04/25/answering-the-call-archival-literacy-and-teaching-with-primary-sources/.

[4] Kate Thornhill, “Nineteen Years Since the Last Revolution and the Next: More Connectivity, More Technology, and Now Generative Artificial Intelligence,” Intergenerational Conversations, American Archivist Reviews Portal, November 2, 2023, https://reviews.americanarchivist.org/2023/11/02/nineteen-years-since-the-last-revolution-and-the-next-more-connectivity-more-technology-and-now-generative-artificial-intelligence/.

[5] Jessica C. Neal, “Fleckner Revisited: Reflections on Being an Archivist, Then and Now,” Intergenerational Conversations, American Archivist Reviews Portal, February 22, 2023, https://reviews.americanarchivist.org/2023/02/22/fleckner-revisited-reflections-on-being-an-archivist-then-and-now/.

[6] Society of American Archivists, “Presidential Addresses,” last updated July 29, 2021, https://www2.archivists.org/history/leaders/presidential-addresses.