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August 20, 2015

The Evolving Archival Record

Elisabeth Kaplan, George Washington University

Brian Lavoie, OCLC Research

Michelle Light, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Judy Ruttenberg, Association of Research Libraries

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• Introduction/background– The Evolving Scholarly Record– Stewardship of the ESR

• Archival perspective:– Panelists

• Panel discussion

• Audience comments & questions

Panel roadmap

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Framework:– Organize/support/drive

discussions about ESR– “Big picture” view of ESR– Define key categories of

material and stakeholder roles

– Common reference point for ESR within/across domains

OCLC Research Report:

The Evolving Scholarly Record

http://oc.lc/esr

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The evolving scholarly record

Increasing volume of contentIncreasing diversity and complexity of contentIncreasing distribution of custodial responsibility

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• The scholarly record is evolving, so …

• … stewardship models for scholarly record are changing too

• “Conscious coordination” key to securing future of scholarly record

New Report: Stewardship of the Scholarly Record

http://oc.lc/esr-stewardship 

Conscious coordination

“Collect more of less” “Curate locally, share globally”

“Move commitments above the institution”“Align local action with collective effort”

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The Evolving Archival Record …

The proportion of scholarly recordcomprised of “primary source”materials expanding

Stewardship models migrating intonetworks of specialization, mutualdependence & collective responsibility

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ELISABETH KAPLAN

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1. An increased commitment to the diversity of the archival record – even if that ambiguity makes us uncomfortable.

2. We may no longer be the frosting on the cake … if in fact we ever were. There has always been frosting between the layers

Some new ways of thinking about archives and special collections….

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“Research projects yield not only published outcomes … but also a host of ancillary materials.”

“The transition from print to digital is a central feature of the scholarly record’s transformation, but the full extent of the change runs much deeper. The boundaries of the scholarly record are in flux, as they stretch to extend over an ever-expanding range of materials.”

--Stewardship of the Evolving Scholarly Record

Increasing volume, diversity and complexity of content

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“SAA promotes the value and diversity of archives and archivists.”

-- Mission Statement

“SAA actively fosters activities that result in diversity of and access to the historical record.”

--Core Organizational Values

(SAA Strategic Plan, 2014-2019, adopted 2014)

SAA: valuing a diverse archival record

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“As we move inexorably toward greater electronic access for more and more of the standard secondary literature … the computer will represent the great leveller among libraries… But it will be the massive undigested collections of primary resources … that will distinguish research libraries from all those other libraries ….

--David H. Stam, 1992 “Celebrating 70 Years”

1992

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“For most research libraries, special collections are a point of considerable pride. Indeed, these collections are what distinguish and differentiate research libraries.”

--”Special Collections in ARL Libraries,” 2001

2001

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“Where once special collections were regarded as the top dressing on the solid cake of main library management, they are now regarded as distinctive signifiers, almost trademarks … ARL libraries want to be known for their distinctive collections, not by some characteristic shared by every other library.” • --Nicholas Barker, ”Celebrating Research,” 2007

2007

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“The GWU is seeking applications and nominations for an Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Archives… The person in this recently redefined … position will have the opportunity to lead a dynamic, multifaceted special collections and archives team and to take a lead role in developing policies, strategies and innovative scholarly approaches to growing the important collections and services that give the twenty-first century research library its identity.

--job ad, 2014

2014

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MICHELLE LIGHT

Issues and concerns in the OCLC Report:• Selection - “Choices will have to be made, and priorities

established.”

• Mutability - “Digital materials are more mutable than those in fixed form, and because of this, materials in the new scholarly record may not necessarily be static.”

• Size - “Vast amounts of material are being produced that could potentially be included in the permanent scholarly record, but it is unlikely that sufficient capacity exists to gather, organize, and curate all of these materials.”

Relevant areas of archival expertise:• Appraisal and records management• Trustworthiness• Provenance and multilevel description #saa15

Joan Krizack Haas, Helen Willa Samuels, Barbara Trippel Simmons, Appraising the Records of Modern Science and Technology: A Guide (MIT, 1985) p. 20.

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“Figure 3: InterPARES 2 Project Ontology C – ‘Trustworthiness,’” in Part Eight— Terminological Instruments: Terminology Cross-domain Task Force Report, International Research on Permanent Authentic Records in Electronic Systems (InterPARES) 2: Experiential, Interactive and Dynamic Records, 2008.

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“Administration Guide,” The Community Archive, National Register of Archives and Manuscripts, Archives of New Zealand, 2009.

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JUDY RUTTENBERG

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PANEL DISCUSSION

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AUDIENCE COMMENTS & QUESTIONS