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[Given discussion last year of the use of archival material, this review
(and the book reviewed) may be of interest to some on the list.
Originally posted to H-LIS.--RBE]
Frank G. Burke. Research and the Manuscript Tradition. In association with
the Society of American Archivists. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1997. x
+ 310 pp. Appendix, glossary, bibliography, and index. $50.00 (cloth),
ISBN 0-8108-3348-4.
Reviewed by Susan E. Davis, University of Wisconsin, School of Library and
Information Studies. Published by H-LIS (February, 1999)
The title of this book would lead the reader to anticipate a narrowly
focused approach. Indeed, in the introduction Burke specifies that his
target reader is the "beginning researcher-academic, professional or
amateur" rather than the "budding archivist" who will be exposed to other
sources of information on manuscript use. But the author is shortsighted
in his assessment of his potential audience. Burke talks about both public
records and manuscripts, and the background and interpretations he
provides on all facets of their management have relevance and appeal to a
broader readership. New and experienced archivists will also learn a great
deal from Burke's graceful and thoughtful "tour behind the scenes of a
manuscript repository."
As a professional historian, archivist, and educator, Burke is in a fairly
unique position to reflect on the use of archival and manuscript
materials. He has held high level positions at both the Library of
Congress and the National Archives, served as Executive Director of the
National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and taught for
many years at the University of Maryland College of Library and
Information Services. This breadth of experience gives him the perspective
necessary to articulate both the joys of the search and the challenge for
the professionals and institutions charged with collecting and preserving
these valuable resources. The anecdotes and examples sprinkled throughout
the dozen chapters are testimony to his knowledge and appreciation of the
field of primary source research.
Chapter titles are clever and literary, and chapters usually begin with an
interesting quote. The topic of the chapter is not necessarily clear from
the title, and the order of the chapters do not always follow expected
logic (from the perspective of the professional archivist, which again was
not the author's intended audience).
In the first chapter, Burke uses the example of two letters written by
William J. Calhoun, American Minister to China, posted in Peking and dated
December 1911 and January 1912, to illustrate the differences between
personal papers and official documents. This comparison of content and
motive for writing gets at the heart of archival theory--that records and
papers are created in the course of normal ongoing activity for a reason.
This provenance is significant in terms of how documents should be
appraised, arranged, and described, as well as who owns physical and
intellectual property. Burke returns to these two letters several times
throughout the book to make specific points.
In the second chapter, "The Recovery of Reality," Burke explores the
different ways in which information is recorded, from forms of legal and
routine documentation to the kinds of materials individuals create when
trying to tell their version of a story or event. He suggests that
researchers often utilize the papers of state and local government
officials to verify the stories told in diaries, letters, and newspapers.
He argues that the scholarly focus on "Great White Men" was not
necessarily because archivists chose not to save alternative materials,
but rather that historians selected safer subjects. Materials have always
been there, just not necessarily as accessible.
Burke next turns to the ways in which researchers locate materials. He
describes sources such as the National Union Catalog of Manuscript
Collections as well as other published tools that include the holdings of
many repositories, explaining the quirks and pitfalls of various
approaches, as well as links between collection level descriptions and
more detailed finding aids. This is the first of several chapters that
will become dated as electronic methods of access multiply, and Burke
acknowledges that fact.
Access policies and the role of the archivist/curator are also covered in
later chapters. Chapter Nine, "The Cultural Crypt," ties intellectual
access to physical access and the policies and procedures that
repositories impose to maintain security over their collections of unique
materials. Chapter Eleven provides an excellent introduction to the legal
and ethical issues that govern both access to and use of historical
resources. Burke not only explains the Freedom of Information and Privacy
Acts and copyright law (the latter already outdated by recent legislation)
but also provides useful interpretation of several legal cases which
involved contested use of manuscript materials. This chapter will be a
particularly useful reference for archival educators trying to communicate
the complexities of ownership and access to their students.
Several chapters in the middle of the book cover the range of activities
undertaken by archives and manuscript repositories as they acquire,
arrange, and describe collections. Why does a particular collection end up
in a specific repository? How do archivists choose what to retain and what
to discard? Chapter Five, "Mapping the Roads to the Past," is a
particularly nice introduction to the challenges of processing collections
and the differences between organizational records and personal papers.
Burke clearly explains the levels at which certain kinds of activities are
likely to take place in organizations and the lack of equivalent
hierarchies in manuscript collections that makes research more difficult.
Any text that discusses the status of technology in a field is obviously
going to become outdated rather quickly, and this book is no exception.
Burke refers to the ways in which archivists are using computers to create
finding aids and provide access within their institutions and to a larger
audience. Chapter Six, "Tradition Confronts Technology," is particularly
detailed in the guidance it provides to researchers maneuvering through
online systems of bibliographic information. But Burke also discusses the
ways in which the computer is changing the means people use to create and
store their documents and the challenge future generations of archivists
and researchers will face in piecing together the historical record. These
are challenges that are moving to the top of the professional agenda for
archivists.
The least useful chapter to a broad audience is the one on documentary
editing, and the amount of attention devoted to this topic is indicative
of Burke's years at the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission, which has provided funding for many of these multi-year
projects.
This is not a reference book, nor is it easy to browse or search the
index. Individual chapters can stand alone, but the book is best read in
its entirety. A brief glossary of acronyms used follows the text, as does
a bibliography of both professional references and primary and secondary
sources consulted. The citations at the end of each chapter are
particularly useful.
The price of this book will put it out of the reach of the average person,
which is unfortunate. Burke has provided both the researcher and the
archivist a well-written and thoughtful explanation of the rewards and
challenges of working with archives and manuscript holdings, one which
reminded me of the reasons I and my colleagues have remained involved in
such work for so many years.
Citation: Susan E. Davis . "Review of Frank G. Burke, Research and the
Manuscript Tradition," H-LIS, H-Net Reviews, February, 1999. URL:
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=3899923075317.
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