In a message dated 7/4/2005 1:23:50 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

>         "As noted in my last post, it seems very much a similar situation
> on the other
> side, i.e., ARM professional's seeming disinterest in historian perspectives
> -- not just in the products of their studies of history, but in their
> perspective on records and recordkeeping.
> <snip>   I also obtained committee backing to invite Shelley Davis, former
historian of the IRS, > and author of Unbridled Power to speak, which she did. <
> snip>
> I made the misjudgment that there would be standing room only as ARM
> people would be so interested to hear what a historian had to say about
> serious
> lapses in recordkeeping in a major US agency. This was not about the history
> of the IRS. It was about real life, current, recordkeeping issues. Yet only
> a
> handful of ARM professionals showed up at that session. It was an
> embarrassment. Her book is still a must read in my opinion for all ARM
> professionals."

Rick, I agree with you that Shelley Davis's book is worth reading, I read it
when it first came out.

ARM professionals obviously face the prospect of coming up against the
quandaries Shelley once faced although one would hope they could be resolved more
easily.  Why people didn't turn out for her presentation, I can't tell.  Did you
ever get any feedback from those who chose not to come?  Was there a
competing conference session with an even more compelling topic?  Or were there other
factors that aren't obvious to me?

Shelly Davis Bishop, as she now is known, actually published a piece last
year in which she characterized the reception her book received.  Perhaps she had
in mind the lightly attended session you describe.

Ms. Bishop wrote last year "My career sacrifice, I have decided meant nothing
in terms of reforming IRS records management, alerting the historical
community to serious record keeping issues inside the government, nor increasingly
the availability of IRS records to potential researchers. Of course, this
implies that someone out there cares about IRS records. How does one explain the
nearly nonexistent reaction from the press, the public, and (most alarming to me)
my professional colleagues in the historical community to my revelation that
the IRS had systematically and intentionally (as well as unintentionally)
destroyed its paper trail for the entire twentieth century? Over the past few
years, I have been forced to reach the disturbing, if self-evident, revelation. No
one really cares."

I posted a response, telling her not to be discouraged.  I said these issues
can be arcane and hard to explain, that the media look for stories that will
appeal to the public.  Even in the historian and ARM communities, one can't
count on a unified response to situations such as hers.  Much depends on where
you sit, whether you're in the public or private sector, and how people as
individuals view issues of subordination, deference to power, the public trust, the
role of records within the government, etc.  A stance that serves the public
well in one job might be disastrous in another.

I don't mean to come across as too much of a relativist, some things clearly
are wrong no matter where you work.  Still,  some people hesitate to comment
on issues they don't know much about.  Of course, others comment on anything
and everything, LOL!

In my experience as a former NARA employee, I've found that people look at
accountability and record keeing in very different ways.  Perhaps Shelley Davis
Bishop ran into some of this, also.  I've posted a lot on the Archives List
about my experiences with the Nixon records.  I've gotten some wonderful
feedback.  But I also have heard from a few critics.  I don't believe that diminishes
me or the choices I made in any way, some people  just look at the issues
differently than I do, for any number of reasons (professional, ethical and yes,
even political).

I found Shelley's story compelling but would have used a slightly different
tone in writing it, had it been my story.  In my experience in the archives and
historian communities, stories about one's experiences are most likely to be
read if you at least allude to other viewpoints, as I did in acknowledging
here last week that it was natural for Nixon to fight disclosures from his
records.  I learned this myself through trial and error.

In posting about my experiences with the Nixon records on the Archives List,
I've gone as far as to cite sources for further reading, not just of people
who share my perspective, but also those who do not.  I don't mind if people
read both, I'm secure in my belief that I did what was right -- by my standards
-- and I see no harm in my providing a balanced list for further reading on the
issues.  Of course, judging by the commercial marketplace, there also is a
school of thought that believes that the only way to present one's story is by
writing, "I'm right, you're wrong, and anyone who disagrees with me is an idiot
[or worse]."  No, I'm not referring to Shelley's book, she didn't write like
that.  Maybe I should try that approach in talking about NARA, would it be
more effective than what I've done up to now?  Nah, just wouldn't feel right. ;-)

Still, it is worth thinking, what would any of you do, if faced with a really
serious ethical quandary involving records of _critical_ national import.
I'm not a records manager. I don't know the ARM community well enough to know
why turnout was so light for Shelley's presentation.  She wrote her book in the
1990s, perhaps the turnout for her session would have been greater if it had
come out after the business and recordkeeping scandals that occurred in the
private sector at the turn of the 21st century.  At any rate, Rick, I believe you
were right in trying to work her into the conference program.

Back in 1998, my agency actually released a report about a small area of the
issues raised by Shelley Davis.  To read, "IRS RECORDS: Inconsistencies
Between Statutes
Affect Records Appraisal," go to http://www.gao.gov/archive/1998/gg98004.pdf
.  Shelley Davis is mentioned, not by name,  but as the IRS Historian.

Maarja

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