Midterms
How do the choices made by the archivist in selection, appraisal and arrangement/description of archival materials ultimately affect the historical record?
Archivist have a greater impact on history, culture and how the future sees the present (past) than most. An archivist can pick and choose which record, document or artifact can go into storage for later research. Not only that, but how it is cared for (arrangement/display) and put out for the public to view can affect what the public can see as what is considered and worthy or important or miniscule to record.
One person can make many decisions, millions even, in a lifetime that can affect history, lives of other people and themselves. This question above, is a question that …show more content…
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this technique?
There are archives, and other various places such as museums that struggle with back-logs due to excessively large descriptions of said object. There is a theory created by Green and Meissner called the “More Product, less process” (MPLP), it is a suggestion or a method in theory that would reduce back-logging in cataloguing by creating only short and necessary information in the description.
What it means, is that the MPLP creates a description with only the bare minimum information to process the artifact/object quicker (and keep record of what is in inventory) and reduce time spent cataloguing it. There are advantages to such a plan, and there are also disadvantages to this theory of MPLP.
The advantages of MPLP, is to afford users more time to research the information they need rather than stick them with hours of digging to find what they might need; and to create archivist more time on objects/artifacts that need the time and dedication. By creating shorter descriptions for the object that resides within an archives, it reduces time spent cataloguing and getting the object out for display. Greene and Meissner (2005) argues that “The goal should be to maximize the accessibility of collection materials to users. Other efforts and objectives must be harnessed to serve that overarching goal, instead of to compete with it.” (pp. 240) In other words, this is more efficient in …show more content…
Such as, processing information at a fast paced to reduce paperwork and ‘backlog’ of cataloguing information and documents might cause more harm than good. One disadvantage to using the More Product and Less Process theory is that changing over or converting to a completely new system takes time and money. Another problem with the MPLP is that once the object/artifact is processed is where exactly does the archives place it? It is not just space that is an issue here, but funding and care. With minimal processing, the little details such as care become an issue as to where to put it and how is it going to be maintained, how are the archives or museums going to pay for this? The costs start to build, and converting to a new system takes time and money, which not many archival places have or it takes time to schmooze the necessary funds. Even Van Ness (2010) points out that “Ironically, minimal processing also increases costs for containers because more containers are needed.” (pg. 141) While some objects and places won’t cost as much to convert, there are places that have large collections but do not have the funds to convert to another system easily.
The theory of MPLP sounds like a grand plan to make things easier on the archivist, the archives and the user, but every plan has its pros and cons. There are a few merits that the MPLP has that can
How do the choices made by the archivist in selection, appraisal and arrangement/description of archival materials ultimately affect the historical record?
Archivist have a greater impact on history, culture and how the future sees the present (past) than most. An archivist can pick and choose which record, document or artifact can go into storage for later research. Not only that, but how it is cared for (arrangement/display) and put out for the public to view can affect what the public can see as what is considered and worthy or important or miniscule to record.
One person can make many decisions, millions even, in a lifetime that can affect history, lives of other people and themselves. This question above, is a question that …show more content…
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this technique?
There are archives, and other various places such as museums that struggle with back-logs due to excessively large descriptions of said object. There is a theory created by Green and Meissner called the “More Product, less process” (MPLP), it is a suggestion or a method in theory that would reduce back-logging in cataloguing by creating only short and necessary information in the description.
What it means, is that the MPLP creates a description with only the bare minimum information to process the artifact/object quicker (and keep record of what is in inventory) and reduce time spent cataloguing it. There are advantages to such a plan, and there are also disadvantages to this theory of MPLP.
The advantages of MPLP, is to afford users more time to research the information they need rather than stick them with hours of digging to find what they might need; and to create archivist more time on objects/artifacts that need the time and dedication. By creating shorter descriptions for the object that resides within an archives, it reduces time spent cataloguing and getting the object out for display. Greene and Meissner (2005) argues that “The goal should be to maximize the accessibility of collection materials to users. Other efforts and objectives must be harnessed to serve that overarching goal, instead of to compete with it.” (pp. 240) In other words, this is more efficient in …show more content…
Such as, processing information at a fast paced to reduce paperwork and ‘backlog’ of cataloguing information and documents might cause more harm than good. One disadvantage to using the More Product and Less Process theory is that changing over or converting to a completely new system takes time and money. Another problem with the MPLP is that once the object/artifact is processed is where exactly does the archives place it? It is not just space that is an issue here, but funding and care. With minimal processing, the little details such as care become an issue as to where to put it and how is it going to be maintained, how are the archives or museums going to pay for this? The costs start to build, and converting to a new system takes time and money, which not many archival places have or it takes time to schmooze the necessary funds. Even Van Ness (2010) points out that “Ironically, minimal processing also increases costs for containers because more containers are needed.” (pg. 141) While some objects and places won’t cost as much to convert, there are places that have large collections but do not have the funds to convert to another system easily.
The theory of MPLP sounds like a grand plan to make things easier on the archivist, the archives and the user, but every plan has its pros and cons. There are a few merits that the MPLP has that can