Society and the Formation of a Documentary Heritage: " Issues in the Appraisal of Archival Sources
Society and the Formation of
a Documentary Heritage:" Issues in the Appraisal of
Archival Sources by HANS BOOMS1
Editors' Introduction
Hans Booms'article "Gesellschafsordnungund ~berlieferungsbildung: Problematik Zur archivarischer Quellenbewertung" originally appeared in Archivalische Zeitschrift 68 (1972), pp. 3-40 and is reprinted here with the kindpermission of that publication and of the author. The work is an expansion of an address delivered by Booms at the opening of the German Archives Conference in 1971. The text published below is an English translation of the article in its entirety - thefirst such translation to appear anywhere in the English-language archival literature. Atfirst glance, one may be struck by twofeatures of thepiece: its age and itsfamiliarity. It was writtenfully3peen years ago and, in view of major advances in the reproduction, manipulation, storage, and retrieval of information since that time, could be considered hopelessly outdated. Furthermore, BOO&' ideas have been cited quite regularly in the North American literature on archival appraisal. What, then, is the justijication for publishing the Booms article at this time? First of all, while it is true that archivists have initiated many changes in the administration of archives, especially in the area of automated storage and access, very little has changed in the way they appraise records under their care. Only afew studies on appraisal appeared in the 1970s and early 1980s, and those few simply tinkered with methods and theories developed by American archivistsjust afer the Second World War. a The single German term ~berlieferun~sbildun~ in meanings and concepts which confound any takes attempts to translate it into acceptable English: the translation is inevitably either superficial and incomplete or painfully awkward to read. W e have opted for painful awkwardness in an effort to salvage as many of the nuances of meaning Booms draws upon throughout the article.
a Documentary Heritage:" Issues in the Appraisal of
Archival Sources by HANS BOOMS1
Editors' Introduction
Hans Booms'article "Gesellschafsordnungund ~berlieferungsbildung: Problematik Zur archivarischer Quellenbewertung" originally appeared in Archivalische Zeitschrift 68 (1972), pp. 3-40 and is reprinted here with the kindpermission of that publication and of the author. The work is an expansion of an address delivered by Booms at the opening of the German Archives Conference in 1971. The text published below is an English translation of the article in its entirety - thefirst such translation to appear anywhere in the English-language archival literature. Atfirst glance, one may be struck by twofeatures of thepiece: its age and itsfamiliarity. It was writtenfully3peen years ago and, in view of major advances in the reproduction, manipulation, storage, and retrieval of information since that time, could be considered hopelessly outdated. Furthermore, BOO&' ideas have been cited quite regularly in the North American literature on archival appraisal. What, then, is the justijication for publishing the Booms article at this time? First of all, while it is true that archivists have initiated many changes in the administration of archives, especially in the area of automated storage and access, very little has changed in the way they appraise records under their care. Only afew studies on appraisal appeared in the 1970s and early 1980s, and those few simply tinkered with methods and theories developed by American archivistsjust afer the Second World War. a The single German term ~berlieferun~sbildun~ in meanings and concepts which confound any takes attempts to translate it into acceptable English: the translation is inevitably either superficial and incomplete or painfully awkward to read. W e have opted for painful awkwardness in an effort to salvage as many of the nuances of meaning Booms draws upon throughout the article.