Richard Cox writes:
 
> Incentives. Why would any organization do self-evaluation? SAA should
> lobby with certain funding agencies to make it a requirement that an
> organization has done self-study before getting certain types of
> grants (not all, but certain kinds that merit evidence of a repository's
> future direction).
 
I don't think this is a good idea. Implicit here is that all archival
institutions, no matter how small or resource deficient, should meet
SAA's otherwise sound guidelines before receiving funds. (certain
kinds that is). This would be akin to NEA requiring small community
theaters to meet standards of the Guthrie or Kennedy Center. Small
archives and museums throughout the country are especially deserving
of all kinds of grant monies to maintain and preserve historical
materials, even though they may not have the resources to meet the letter
of SAA's guidelines. These institutions, which enrich thousands of small
towns and communities, should not be considered second class citizens in
the competitive bidding process.
 
SAA should perhaps consider conducting a survey to gain better insight
into whether institutions are presently meeting the guidelines. Based
on this data, SAA could present its findings to the profession. Many
have an approximate idea of where they stand, but a good comparative
survey would be revealing to those actually working in and running
archives. It would also provide sound data for crafting a future direction
for the guidelines.
 
Bruce Montgomery
Univ. of Colorado