Currents of archival thinking

Currents of Archival Thinking explores key topics in the theory and practice of archival studies within three frameworks: (1) the foundational concepts of the discipline, (2) the main components of the archival mission, and (3) the metaphors that shape how we think about archives and archival institutions. Each essay will explore a given topic from both a historical and contemporary perspective, with contributors drawn from Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States and featuring a mix of academics and practitioners.

• Introduction: Shifting Currents p. vii Heather MacNeil
• Part I Foundations p. 1
• Chapter 1 A Contested Realm: The Nature of Archives and the Orientation of Archival Science p. 3 Terry Eastwood
• Chapter 2 Origins: Evolving Ideas about the Principle of Provenance p. 23 Jennifer Douglas
• Part II Functions p. 45
• Chapter 3 On or Off the Record? Notions of Value in the Archive p. 47 Ciaran B. Trace
• Chapter 4 Preserving Records of Enduring Value p. 69 Michéle V. Cloonan
• Chapter 5 Debates about Description p. 89 Geoffrey Yeo
• Chapter 6 Archival Mediation p. 115 Wendy M. Duff
• Part III Models and Metaphors p. 137
• Chapter 7 Life Cycle and Continuum: A View of Recordkeeping Models from the Postwar Era p. 139 Glenn Dingwall
• Chapter 8 Archives and Collective Memory: More than a Metaphor, Less than an Analogy p. 163 Margaret Hedstrom
• Chapter 9 Archives as Arsenals of Accountability p. 181 Livia Iacovino
• Chapter 10 Reenvisioning the Personal: Refraining Traces of Individual Life p. 213 Catherine Hobbs
• Index p. 243
• About the Editors and Contributors p. 251