Dear All
I am a student at University College London studying for an MA in Archives
and Records Management and am currently writing my dissertation which is on
the topic of archives and the media. I know that this is something which
has been hotly debated on the NRA list in the past and I hope that you will
all be as willing to express your views in response to this e-mail.
I am trying to determine whether archivists generally have a good or bad
relationship with the media, or, as may be the case for some, no
relationship at all. I have been led to believe from the people that I
have already spoken to that many people are wary of dealing with the media
for a number of reasons. I am also trying to determine what these reasons
are and how we can try and make working with the media a more pleasurable
experience. Below you will see a few questions which I hope you will take
the time to answer.
1. Do you deal with the media on a regular basis?
a. If yes, who do you deal with i.e. press, film crews, radio etc?
b. If no, why not?
2. Would you say that your experiences with the media have been
generally good or bad?
a. if good, what do you think made the experience good?
b. If bad, why do you think this was and how do you think it could
have been improved?
3. Do you think that archivists in general are comfortable with using
the media as a means of outreach?
a. if yes, why?
b. If, no, what do you think could be done to improve this e.g. media
training, written guidelines etc?
4. Do you have any particular experiences of dealing with the media
which you would like to share with me?
5. Do any archives have policy documents or guidelines which they use
when dealing with the media and if so would it be possible for me to have a
copy?
6. Would you be willing to be a case study for my dissertation?
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, all answers will be
kept confidential. Any additional comments on this topic would be
especially welcome.
Jennifer Birnie
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