The preservation and administration of private archives hives

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Rosemary Seton

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 This study was prepared for the Records and Archives Management Programme of Unesco's Division of the General Information Programme under a contract with the International Council of Archives. It is based upon a survey of the current situation in selected Member states of Unesco, regarding the acquisition, preservation, arrangement, description and access to the principal categories of private archives, including those of business and labour organizations, universities and colleges, religious organisations, cultural and scientific institutions, estates and families. The findings of the survey are analysed to determine trends, needs and problems, with special reference to the needs of developing countries. The study concludes with recommendations for actions at the international level to assist in ensuring more comprehensive and effective preservation and administration of private archives. Appended is an annotated bibliography of writings used and consulted in the preparation of this study

1.2 Data for the study were gathered through the use of a Questionnaire which is reproduced in the Appendix. Copies of the Questionnaire were sent to 65 institutions, records offices, libraries and museums thought to have holdings of private archives and manuscripts. One may conclude that the 39 institutions responding are more active or concerned in the administration of private archives and manuscripts than those who did not reply, but there might be other explanations.
The following analysis shows the sampling achieved:

Analysis of Respondents

1.3 The first 23 questions of the Questionnaire dealt with institutional practices and policy relating to private archive administration. The remaining seven questions concerned the general state of private archives in the respondent's country. There was a disappointing response to this part of the Questionnaire, in that 20 institutions did not reply to the key question (30): "What suggestions would you make for the improvement of private archive administration in your country?" and 17 did not respond to the question (28): "Of the following categories of private archives, which do you consider to be neglected?" In consequence, the author has relied, for this part of the survey, more heavily on publications and journal articles for the necessary information. In addition, copies of the last seven questions were sent to members of the Committee on Business Archives and the Committee on Literature and Art Archives of the ICA.

1.4 Answers to the Questionnaire varied in quality and length, some respondents, especially those whose native tongue is not English, appearing to experience difficulties with some of the questions. The author, however, is grateful to all those who, despite urgent demands on their time - an example more newsworthy than most is affordable by Dr Oldenhage of the Bundesarchiv, who was "sorry that the Hitler diaries prevented" him "from answering in time" - all who nonetheless attempted to answer the questionnaire. She is doubly grateful to those who thoughtfully enclosed relevant pamphlets, information sheets and similar material. If the author has mentioned some institutions more than others in this study it is not because of any bias, but because their answers encapsulated or illustrated a point more aptly, or more fully.

GUIDELINES

15.1 It is difficult to define precisely the term private archives, especially when what is regarded as private in one country is considered as public in another. For the purpose of this survey the author suggested the categories mentioned in the terms of reference of the contract (see pare 1.1). In socialist countries private archives are considered to be part of the state archival fonds. In has, therefore, been difficult to include an investigation of the very different systems operating in those countries, which perhaps should be the object of separate consideration. Nevertheless, an analysis of the survey findings leads to the following conclusions:

i) Historians and allied scholars are broadening the scope of their researches; "historians are now interested also in the economic, military, cultural, social, religious and a whole host of other matters" (11, p30). In addition, there is a growing awareness in most countries of the importance of the cultural heritage.
ii) Side by side with these developments, an unenlightened attitude persists on the part of many owners of private archives and the public at large. There is a great need for education and for the publicising of archival services in most member countries.
iii) Urgent action is needed to prevent dispersal and destruction of private archives and manuscripts. A national register of archives should be an essential first step in all countries. This will be a formidable task, requiring initially at least, teams of investigators and compilers and will require significant funding.
iv) The time has come to give legal protection to private archives where desirable and practical. Measures might include registration and classification of private archives, prohibition of the sale and destruction of classified archives and requirements that private owners make adequate provision for the preservation and availability of their archives. It should be recognized, however, that compulsory legislation might well prove counter-productive and that more might be achieved by way of financial aid or tax concessions, for example to owners depositing their archives in a recognized repository.
v) Where private owners are aware of the importance and value of their archives they often lack the expertise and resources necessary both to arrange and preserve their archives and to make them available for public consultation. Advice and assistance should be much more forthcoming than they appear to be at present. Steps should be taken to prepare and distribute a range of archive manuals suitable for the administrators of the various categories of archives in private hands.
vi) Advantage should be taken of the increased public concern with the need to preserve the cultural heritage. Governments must be encouraged to pay more than lip service to this need. More financial interest and involvement is required from governments. Archivists should forge closer bonds with the custodians of other parts of the cultural heritage.
vii) In addition to the general recommendations above the following categories of private archives covered by the survey required particular attention.

Business Archives

Much remains to be done to overcome inertia and ignorance among business managers with regard to record management and to persuade businessmen of the value of their archives for scholarship, even after the company history has been written. An active rescue service is urgently required in many countries, particularly for the records of defunct companies. Surely in this area, where financial resources are available, it must be possible to harness commerce, scholarship and archival expertise to preserve these records for posterity.

College and University Archives

In some countries these are public records and treated accordingly. In many countries the administration of these archives has been neglected. College and University managers need to be urged to operate an efficient records management system and to develop university archives. Academics should be persuaded not to leave papers and manuscripts to accumulate in corridors and study rooms but to call in an archivist for advice.

Religious Archives

Much needs to be done to prevent further neglect, dispersal and destruction. Urgent action needs to be taken when records are in the hands of individuals or lie abandoned in disused religious buildings. Advantage should be taken of the recent increased concern for these archives.

Scientific Archives

These archives often require very specialised management. Archivists in such institutions need to forge strong professional links in order to overcome a possible sense of isolation.

viii) Besides the categories covered by the survey the following are reported as at risk: records of social movements, pressure groups, voluntary organisations, papers of ethnic minorities, etc. Urgent action is required to identify and preserve such records.
ix) Oral archives should be used to supplement holdings of private archives.
x) Restrictions on access to private archives should be kept to a minimum, though the legitimate interests of the donor/depositor and owner should always be taken into account.
xi) There is a manifest need, in a number of countries, for the law on copyright, in respect of the use of unpublished materials, to be clarified and/or brought up to date.
xii) Private archive administration should be included in archival training courses.
xiii) Private archives and manuscripts are administered by a variety of institutions - record offices, libraries, museums, and historical societies. Co-operation between these institutions and the professional associations of their staffs is essential. Private archives should be administered according to archival principles and procedures.
xiv) All of the above recommendations apply to developing countries where private archives and manuscripts have received insufficient attention. Survey and acquisition programmes should be written into development plans and should be the object of international funding.

14.2 Recommendations for action at the international level

These findings and conclusions, in turn help support the following.

i) To alert governments to the need to enact protective legislation and increase financial assistance.
ii) To promote greater co-operation between professional associations of archivists, librarians and other custodians of private archives and manuscripts.
iii) To initiate a world-wide publicity programme to arouse archival consciousness, particularly directed to owners.
iv) To undertake the preparation of manuals for the handling of private archives for the use of custodians, owners and trainee archivists.
v) To promote a greater concern and action by International Council on Archives, its branches and committees on all aspects of private archive administration.
vi) To provide increased aid for private archives administration in developing countries.
vii) To enlist the participation of historians and other interested scholars in these projects and activities.

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