Archival Appraisal: Theory into Practice

Pavelić, Katarina. (2018). Archival Appraisal: Theory into Practice. BSc thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Information Science. [mentor Stančić, Hrvoje and Ivanović, Jozo].

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Abstract

In the review of literature within the archival community in the last few decades, a twofold question is always raised: What is archival appraisal and how to implement it? The first part of the question gave the community a definition of the term ‘archival appraisal’, but the definition varies internationally. In response to the second part of the question there are various theories of appraisal, like those of H. Jenkinson, T. R. Schellenberg, T. Cook etc. Each of these theories has a different approach to appraisal, depending on the author and his vision of the archive as a cultural heritage institution. The theories try to outline guidelines, which will make the appraisal an easy process. However, the theory does not always have to be put into practice, which is abundantly clear in the archival community. Based on the surveys conducted by Barbara Craig and Caroline Williams, the author of this thesis tried to point out the disagreement between theorists and practitioners when it comes to archival appraisal. In theory, appraisal is considered to be the prime archival task, but practice indicates that the importance of appraisal depends on institutional policies. In addition, an institution can claim to prefer one appraisal theory, when in reality the archivists carry out their own ideas. Craig and Williams both came to the conclusion that archivists still rely on their intuitive understanding of value, and consequently theories are no longer needed. Accordingly, is any theory at all relevant to the practice of archival appraisal?

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