Professor Richard Cox Publishes 13th Book

SIS faculty member Richard Cox, who also serves as Chair of the Library and Information Science Program, has co-authored an updated edition of Understanding Archives and Manuscripts with Boston College’s James O’Toole. This volume is an expansion upon the original 1990 edition and is the capstone volume in the Society of American Archivists’ (SAA) Archival Fundamental Series II.

Cox and O’Toole provide an historic background on archival construction through the initial development of the oral tradition, and the rise and spread of literacy which fostered the infancy of archival methodology. The authors discuss this development and address such pertinent issues as: the history of the archive profession; professional ethics and values; archival organization methods; and the challenges that modern archivists face in the digital era.

Understanding Archives and Manuscripts is a book that will prove useful to both seasoned scholars and those new to the archive profession. Tom Nesmith, Associate Professor at the University of Manitoba, Canada writes: “This thoroughly updated version of the 1990 edition is not only the best short introduction for students, new archivists, and anyone interested in archiving, but also provides the experienced archivist an invaluable summary analysis of the field’s burgeoning literature and increasingly complex issues.”

Dr. Cox joined the LIS program at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh in 1988 and has authored twelve other publications. He has served the SAA in a variety of leadership positions, including on the Governing Council, as editor of the American Archivist, and as Publications Editor. Among his numerous awards is the SAA’s Waldo Gifford Leland Award for superior writing in 1991, 2002, and 2005.

James O’Toole is Professor of History at Boston College. Dr. O’Toole is a three-time recipient of the SSA Fellows’ Ernst Posner Award for an outstanding essay in the American Archivist (1991, 1995, and 2004). He has served as president of both New England Archivists and the New England Historical Association.