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Subject: Ignorance about records managers, archivists, historians
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Here's an example of the uphill battle we face in breaking through the 
ignorance of many academic historians about the handling of Federal 
records.  And who has what role in the life cycle of records.  Take a 
look at
http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/29188.html
which is a blog entry by an academic on the History News Network 
website.

He links to the Telegraph story about the loss or misplacing of the 
original Apollo moon landing footage.  Notice the assumptions he makes: 
  (1) that this could have been prevented had NASA had an historian and 
(2) that it is a "crime" and very sad that NASA has no historian.

He gets all this, I suppose, from this passage in the Telegraph story:  
""It's not malicious or intentional, but I think it's unfortunate that 
Nasa doesn't have maybe just one more person whose job it is to look 
back at its history."  Unlike the professor, I took "history" to mean 
its records with long term or permanent value.

Yesterday evening, I sent the blogging professor some links to NASA's 
History Division website, along with an explanation of the role of 
records managers, rather than agency historians, in managing the life 
cycle of records.  I told him Federal records by law are governed by 
disposition schedules and typically are kept either at the agency or 
off site at Federal Records Centers.  I said permanent records are 
accessioned into the National Archives, not retained forever by 
agencies such as NASA.  I cited a typical records schedule, which might 
direct the agency to hold permanent records on site or at an FRC for 20 
years, then offer them for accessioning into NARA.  I explained that 
records officers are usually the point of contact with the National 
Archives.

I also explained the differences between archivists and records 
managers.  Apparently, judging from the correction he posted this 
morning, the professor has decided to contact NASA's history office and 
to find out "their relationship with the archiving of NASA's records in 
general."  He doesn't appear to have taken my advice to use the contact 
information posted on NASA's records management website.

You all might find this of interest, however.  (I also sent these links 
to the professor.)  See
http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?Internal_ID=N_PR_1441_001D_&pa
ge_name=main
which explains what NASA's records managers do.

See http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/iso_docs/doc/H_OWI_1070_I_018_Ba_.doc
which refers to NASA's historical reference collection, described as 
including "copies" of Federal records.

So there's plenty of public info out there, both for journalists and 
for scholars.  They just don't seem to use it nearly enough.  So we end 
up reading murky articles, which refer to scientists and engineers 
searching through an "archive," with no mention of records officers, 
the Federal Records Act, etc.  (Eyeroll)

(BTW, NODIS seems to mean NASA Online Directives System, rather than 
"no distribution.")

Maarja


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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org.
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