1. O.K. so the article is kindof cheesy, but it gives you an idea of why people go into the archives field. Also, keep in mind that Fleckner is an archivist with the federal government and he feels strongly about his civic responsibilities. Fleckner's claim that, "what we archivists do is essential to the well-being of an enlightened and democratic society..." is a pretty bold statement. A Special Collection's archivist might say that their job is simply to help provide resources to the university and the public and how those resources are used is not their concern.
1. What do you think Fleckner feels are important skills for a potential archivist?

2. Based on this article what are some of the connections between the history and the archives professions?

Discussion Questions for "George Washington U. to Receive Jack Anderson's Papers..."

1. Is there an irony here when we consider Fleckner's assertions about the role of archivists in an "enlightened and democratic society" and what the FBI wanted to do with Anderson's papers?

2. In the article Tracy Mitrano is quoted as saying, "it would be very difficult not to see it as a slippery slope toward government controlling research in higher education and our collective understanding of American History." Is this an "alarmist reaction." I mean, after all, USU's second biggest source of revenue is the federal government through grants so they actually control much of research in higher education anyway.

Discussion Questions for "To Remember and Forget..."

1. How do societies communicate over time? What are the challenges of trying to communicate with the future?

2. What are the four different ways of connecting cultural memory with a specific landscape?

3. What are the pros and cons of societies 'editing' their collective memories?

4. Give recent examples of American society deciding collectively to remember or to forget a particular event.

Discussion Questions for "The Surest Proof..."

Don't worry about the footnotes and only glance over the charts. We're more interested in his main points.

First some background... this article caused a big stir in the archival community both because of its common sense approach as well as being theoretically interesting. It has lead many archivists to make sweeping changes in the way they appraise and process collections. Mr. Greene is the director of the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming and the president of the Society of American Archivists.

1. Most archivists consider historians to be their primary customers (both in importance and in number), but Greene discounts this idea. Do you agree or disagree with his opinion in this regard?

2. How do you think that a donor would react if they learned that their collection was ranked in the lowest "tier" or "documentation level?"

3. Note his opinion about internet research on pg. 328. Is their a problem with his assessment?

4. So how would an archive go about implementing the "Minnesota Method?"

Discussion Questions for Photography Lecure - 2/11/2010

1. History: We're Losing It: Did this article change the long-term prognosis for some of your own personal electronic files? How do you save electronic files?

2. History: We're Losing It: We can save the "historic" and throw out the "inconsequential," but how do we make that determination?

3. The West: The Visual Record: Should historical documentaries be held to the same standards as academic publications? Why or why not?

4. The West: The Visual Record: Is the archivists job to monitor the accuracy for how his/her photographs are used? Should he/she deny the use of an image if that use was intentionally innacurate?

Discussion Questions for "More Product, Less Process" - 2/18/2010

1. Summarize Greene's main point in 3-4 sentences.

2. Do you think MPLP applies to photographs?

3. Create a hierarchical list of what you think are patron "gripes" with archival research.

4. Any red flags that jump out at you with MPLP?

Discussion Questions for "Doing Oral History" - 3/11/2010

1. What distinguishes an oral history from a casual interview?

2. What are some of the criticisms leveled at oral history?

3. What are some of the ways that oral history "corrected" the historical record?

4. Do you have a relative or know someone who missrespresented a memory? How so and why?