Maarja, I'm having to rely on my memory a week after the hearing, so I report this with the caveat that I may get something wrong. As I tell people, I'm an archivist because if I don't create a record, I'm going to forget it <g>. Archivist Weinstein did refer to possible reductions in force (RIFs). I was very pleased that he stressed that, as far as was possible, no one would be forced out of federal service against their will. He stressed that NARA staff was looking for creative ways to balance competing demands on the budget. In many ways, the issue at hand is a symptom of a larger problem: the lack of support for the National Archives. At the Joint SAA, NAGARA, COSA meeting, Archivist Weinstein commented "How many archivists does it take to change a policy? All of them." We need to work together to get NARA the resources it needs to do its job, a job that benefits us as citizens and that I believe is good for the profession as a whole. A stronger NARA can take a stronger leadership position. Part of that advocacy must be for the Partnership for the American Historical Record (PAHR), a significantly expanded grant program that will provide archives throughout the nation with funds to ensure that all of the nation's records are properly preserved. (For more on PAHR, see http://www.statearchivists.org/issues/NHPRC2007/pahr.htm.) -- Richard Pearce-Moses A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org. For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname *or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>