“Public Memory Meets Archival Memory”

• Cox, Richard J. "Public Memory Meets Archival Memory: The Interpretation of Williamsburg's Secretary's Office," American Archivist 68 (2005): 279-296.

This article discusses the Secretary's Office in Williamsburg, Virginia, which was the first public records office in the United States. The structure was completed in 1748, so it predates both the revolution and the establishment of the republic. Cox notes that it is "the only original Colonial central government building extant." However, most people, including historians and archivists, seem to know and care very little about the history behind the Secretary's Office. This is true in spite of the fact that the building exists in Williamsburg, which is a type of mecca for American history buffs.

Cox examines the history of the interpretation of the office, pointing out that very little emphasis has been placed upon the office as a records office. It has been used for exhibitions and public speeches, but because, in all likelihood, many consider records to be boring, this original intent of its use has not been highlighted very well. Cox concludes that this lack of emphasis on records keeping and archives as a function of the building needs to be corrected. Indeed, it is ironic that a town that so often relies on archival sources would fail to emphasize archival science. He hopes that this will be corrected by the 400th anniversary of Virginia in 2007, and he suggests a possible layout for an exhibit about archives and records keeping in the Secretary's Office.

Advocating Archives: An Introduction to Public Relations for Archivists Book Review

• Finch, Elsie Freeman. Advocating Archives: An Introduction to Public Relations for Archivists, Metuchen, NJ: The Society of American Archivists and Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1994.

Advocating Archives is a collection of essays that describes public relations in archives from a variety of perspectives. It addresses issues such as the relationship between patrons and archivists, raising funds, celebrating significant events, and marketing. The book is well developed and would be beneficial to consult, particularly in an occasional nature to address a specific problem or issue related to public relations. It also offers a few public relations case studies and several appendices that assist in planning for a public relations program for an archives.

The first chapter, "Talking to the Angel," addresses the subject of building a public relations program. The authors look at five elements of service that define an archivist's relationship to the public. These five elements are, "the archivist's professional stance, the physical and psychological environments archivists provide the resarcher, the nature of records as the public views them, and what research tells us about the users of records" This chapter provides a foundation that archivists can use to shape the public's perception of them and their duties.

In "Money Talk," Judy Hohmann points out that many archivists ignore the vast resource of private sector money that could underwrite their efforts. Instead they generally look to sources of public funding through grants. Hohmann points out that the private sector funneled to educational institutions "a total of $12.41 billion in contributions in 1990." In this chapter, she discusses how to solicit these types of funds from corporations, foundations, and individuals.

The third chapter, "In Print, On Air," addresses how archivists should approach using the press to inform partrons about significant events in the archives. The author provides instructions for contacting newspapers and television news channels, meeting with the media, holding press conferences, and drawing attention to your collections. In general, archivists should broadcast their information locally rather than nationally.

Philip Mooney's essay, "Modest Proposals," addresses the ways in which archives can gain publicity for their collections by using marketing concepts. Mooney says that four types of marketing tools can be used for archives: publications, exhibitions, audiovisual productions, and public relations activities. He provides suggestions on how to develop brochures and guides, where to place exhibitions, and when and how to use audiovisual productions. His most helpful suggestions were in his public relations section, where he stressed the need for developing positive relationships with reporters to help promote collections.

The fifth chapter addresses the subject of planning for public programs like anniversaries. The author, Timothy Ericson, argues that participating in these events is important because it gives archivists a better public image, it allows them to demonstrate the value of archives, and it offers them a chance to educate patrons. He humorously says that the archivist's first law of outreach is, "Human beings are unable to resist celebrating any anniversary divisible by twenty-five." Ericson believes that archivists must anticipate these events, investigate what focus the institution desires to emphasize in them, use outside help in planning, carefully schedule how they participate, and evaluate the successes and failures of the event after its conclusion. The diagrams he includes for planning events are very helpful.

Chapter six addresses how to make use of volunteer workers and how to set up an maintain a "friends of the archives" group. Many of the suggestions for interviewing, educating, and planning for volunteers are applicable to managing archives in general.

The final chapter supplies tips for troubleshooting public relations issues in archives. The authors of the article contend that many probelms can be avoided if archivists assess their physical plant, their workers, their patrons, their relationship to the media, and the impact of special events. By thinking carefully through these issues, archivists are able to put provisions in place that will minimize the impact that any of these things can have upon public perceptions of their archives. If negative situations do arise, the authors recommend that archivists be honest with the press, supply a press release, and speak of the situation as positively as possible. For example, if records are destroyed through faulty piping, the authors point out that the archivist can focus on the records that were saved rather than the records that were destroyed or the faulty physical plant. The archivist can admit that damage was done, but the positive spin on the situation mitigates some of the negative publicity the situation can present. Finally, the archivist should encourage the press to follow up on these types of situations to show how they find resolution. The authors contend that the best way to troubleshoot these situations is through adequate planning in advance.