Article Review

O’Toole, J. M., (1990). Recording, keeping, and using information. In Understanding archives and manuscripts (pp. 7-25). Chicago: Society of American Archivists.

Records are created for a number of reasons:

• Personal: narratives such as memoirs and diaries, or records of significant events such as entries in a family Bible
• Societal: for groups of individuals, for example, meeting participation and minutes
• Economic: records of money management, payroll
• Legal: government, property, court proceedings
• Functional: blueprints, maps, scientific data
• Symbolic reasons: photographs, diplomas

Beginning with early clay tablets, the technology of making records has evolved. Paper/pen/pencil, the printing press, and typewriters were early inventions. Early storage methods evolved from filing systems and photographic records to computers.

Although technology aided record keeping, it also inhibited record keeping. For example, correspondence that was once written and kept was replaced with telephone conversations that are usually not recorded. Because of the abundance of information, archivists must look at the big picture rather than at individual items. Archives are useful for personal, societal, corporate, and research purposes.

Comment:

The NAU SCA collection focuses on the Colorado Plateau. It houses several million items, some of which are letters, diaries, photographs, maps, and oral history interviews. Over 5,000 of these items are available through the Digital Archives.