Hi Kate,

Some further thoughts in response to your email.

are we not missing the point of what we do if we keep entire
> systems rather than appraise

My point exactly!  As I said in my first email, I see appraisal as
*the* defining traditional core skill of the archive profession.  The
issue is that whereas until now that skill has had an appeal born of
necessity (ie we can't keep everything so what should we keep).  With
the advent of MyLifeBits and more importantly the theory that lies
behind it, that skill may nolonger be seen as being important.  The
whole point of MyLifeBits is that we *can* keep everything and moreover
that we *should* keep everything (please note I am merely explaining
this view not condoning it) so why bother appraising?

 Maybe the question we need to consider, before we think about our technical
> abilities, is how and why do we appraise?

The 'why' is, I'm sure, open to debate.  At its most fundamental level
however it is hard to deny that it was originally born of necessity.
In the paper world you simply could not keep everything.  Firstly
because of the practical problems of storage and secondly because with
manual finding aids it would take an age to find what you did want.  So
we invented a methodology for weeding out the ephemera and identifying
and preserving historically valuable material(evidence of decision
making etc etc) which kept the volume manageable and avoided waste.  I
can see no theoretical argument against keeping everything, it simply
wasn't practically possible.  Now if you follow the MyLifeBits approach
the whole underlying assumption on which our approach to appraisal is
based has gone (or at least will go soon) ie  'we *can* keep everything
so why not and focus our collective efforts on improving *access* to
it'.  Archivists will find themselves swimming against a pretty
powerful current if the only defence of the importance of appraisal
that we can muster is that it is what we as archivists have
always done!  So is it time for us to learn new skills, and if so,
what??


Thoughts?

Regards

Steve




On Mon, 25 Nov 2002 15:02:46 +0000 kate manning
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> With regard to the developing discussion on the influence of technology on
> appraisal, are we not missing the point of what we do if we keep entire
> systems rather than appraise (even if this is time- and resource-consuming),
> i.e. select the records that properly reflect the functions and activities
> of the creator (government, institution or person) whatever the format?
> Maybe the question we need to consider, before we think about our technical
> abilities, is how and why do we appraise? When we know what we need to keep,
> we can work towards the infrastructure necessary to keep it.
>
> Regards,
>
> Kate Manning
> Archives Department
> University College Dublin
>
>
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----------------------
Steve Bailey,
Records Manager
Joint Information Systems Committee
Tel: 07092 302850
Email: [log in to unmask]