Dear all,
As acting editor of the 'Newsletter' I am really heartened by the interest
shown in thinking of ways to improve the publication. Constructive
criticism from members of the society is what's needed, and be assured that
I'm printing out all suggestions and will take them to the next editorial
meeting, either in the approaching months, or early in the new year. I
agree fully that the 'Newsletter' could do with a bit of an update (both in
style, and sometimes in areas of content) and I readily admit of being
guilty, in the past, of skimming issues in the search for names in bold
type!
I think a large part of the debate boils down to the audience we want to
target. If we go for readers outside the profession, then will this mean we
need to explain ALL archival terminology, acronyms, etc, which may lead to
members of the profession feeling somewhat dummed down to? This is just a
question I raise and one I think which illustrates the idea of content being
determined by readership. As a further aside, I hope also that the
'Newsletter' isn't widely felt to be biased towards the Society. In terms
of articles we receive, they tend to regularly be from participants in the
Society, an unavoidable fact. I am keen to develop more independently
motivated pieces (as in my call for articles on archives & the media), and
to see the 'Newsletter' act in some way as a vehicle for wider (dare I say
it), 'theoretical' debate surrounding archives (eg, the recent listserv
discussion on 'manuscripts' vs. 'archives'). With the postgrad. courses
encouraging students to conduct their own research into archive
adminstration, then surely even the 'Newsletter' could feature articles to
do with the broader questions, and not just purely act the role of a
bulletin board.
As to the next few issues. As I'm only just settling into the whole
workings and editorial processes of getting an issue out, changes will not
immediately start taking place! Further suggestions however are welcome,
albeit some of them go as far as questioning the actual role of the
'Newsletter'!
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