Designed to help people working with archives in small archival collections, the third edition of Organising archival records: a practical method of arrangement for small archives focuses on explaining how to apply the archival processes of arrangement and description to a range of record formats.
The author, David W. Carmichael, understands the topic well, having written the first two editions of the book, and has worked in a number of archives management roles. A distinguished Fellow of the Society of American Archivists, he was previously the Director of the Georgia Division of Archives and History and the Records and Archives Centre, and also established the Westchester County (New York State) Archives (p. 123.)
While there are some other excellent introductory texts being published that cover the full range of archival processes (one of the more recent is Hamill’s (2012) Archives for the Lay Person), this slim book of five chapters is still very useful.
First, it clearly explains the processes behind organising archives. Clear introductory texts on this are essential, as archival organisation is based on the fundamental and unchanging archival principles of provenance and original order, both of which can cause confusion for those more used to subject-based organisation practices.
Second, it is specifically designed as an introductory manual for the non-professionals. As stated in the Introduction, “this manual is designed for the person who has little or no formal training in archival work but who is responsible for the care of historical records” (p. 1). The style is friendly and in the first person and provides excellent analogies that engage the reader and get them thinking about how they would apply these concepts to their own archival records. Important concepts are not watered down but explained thoroughly and comprehensibly for the non-expert, although there may be minor points that are less clear to non-US readers.
Chapters 1 and 2 provide a good outline of the purpose of archival organisation and the different levels of organisation. Chapter 3 provides specific step-by-step guidance on how to carry out arrangement and description of paper-based records, including assigning a unique code, examining the collection and writing up the associated documentation, arranging and numbering each series and unit and creating what Carmichael calls “access points” into the information within the collection. Chapter 4 focuses specifically on the arrangement and description of electronic records not in electronic management systems, which contains some excellent and up-to-date advice not often found in other texts. Chapter 5 provides a wider context to other archival issues and processes that impact on archival organisation, such as appraisal, custody, labelling, handling and preserving material, promotion, storage and security. Issues of necessity are dealt with briefly and solutions based on good practice and sensible decisions rather than technical solutions, but these chapters still provide useful introductory context for non-professional readers.
Following Chapter 5, examples of different templates and documentations are provided, as well as a section containing exercises and answers relating to content in earlier chapters. Both of these are thoughtfully chosen to support and enhance the information in the chapters and to help readers apply what they learnt.
While readers with specific format-based arrangement and description issues (such as how to manage records in electronic records management systems) will need to use other resources as well, the text provides sound introductory advice. It also acknowledges that the reader is expected to talk with other professionals and read other material as required. The arrangement of the content and the older-style formatting means that the manual needs to be read through from start to finish to get the most out of it – something that may not always be possible in a busy workplace.
Readers who do have the time to read it through will be rewarded. It is a useful, practical and readable book that will help anyone who needs to know how to carry out the processes associated with archival organisation.
