News / iSchool faculty, alum and students contribute to volume on "Community Archives"

A recently-published volume “Community Archives: The Shaping of Memory” showcases the research of a number of representatives of the iSchool!  Dr. Richard Cox (Professor and lead faculty for the Archives, Preservation, & Records Management Specialization) was featured in the publication, as was Joel Blanco-Rivera (a current PhD student), and David A. Wallace (LIS PhD, 1997).  The book was co-edited by Jeannette A. Bastion, who earned her PhD in Library & Information Science here at the iSchool.

The intent of the volume is to examine the relationships between communities and the records they create – community archives -- at both practical and scholarly levels. The book discusses determining boundaries of a community and the reach of the collecting institution, and offers advice to practitioners on the strategies and methodologies for collecting and maintaining appropriate materials.  It also provides a discussion of how technology can either overcome traditional barriers to appropriate collecting or help to create new types of (virtual) communities. 

Published by Facet Publishing, the book looks at five major themes:  a community archives model; communities and non-traditional record keeping; records loss, destruction and recovery; online communities: how technology brings communities and their records together; and building a community archive. 

Joel Blanco-Rivera’s essay deals with “Truth Commissions and the Construction of Collective Memory: The Chile Experience.”  David Wallace’s contribution was titled “Co-creation of the Grateful Dead Sound Archive: Control, Access and Curation Communities.” Dr. Cox offers a concluding essay on the archivist and his role within the community.

More information about “Community Archives: The Shaping of Memory” can be found here.

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