Here's another reason why I'm leery of stereotypes, whether they exist in the
RIM or the archival world.

There can be substantial communications gaps between archivists themselves,
depending on whether they work in the private and public sectors.  And
sometimes people apply stereotypes unfairly, assuming that they know where others
stand, without knowing anything about their experiences.  That isn't always safe
and often is unfair.  I prefer to open rather than shut windows into the worlds
other professionals inhabit.

A poster on the Archives List recently wrote an impassioned letter defending
corporate archivists.  He asked for understanding from other archivists,
noting that "A snap decision from an aggravated executive can be irrevocable, and
holds the potential to wipe out decades of archival work. You want to talk
mission? Our number one mission is survival - without corporate archives, many
valuable business records may be lost ... to the corporation, to the historical
community, to posterity."

He added,

"You see, a corporate archives mission can run the gamut from serving as a
purely historical, publicly availiable resource to a closed, internally-driven,
intellectual property repository ... there's no one 'right' model. Fact is,
when survival is your number one priority, a corporate archivist does what the
company says to do. Sure, you raise awareness within the company of potential
issues that may potentially arise - ethical, legal, moral, etc.. And you hope
you're persuasive enough to carry the day. That's what being an ethical
archivist in the real world means. But nobody - not you, not I, not society - is
served if you draw a line in the sand that results in an archives shut down. And
no amount of academic scrutiny or pontification will change that elemental
characteristic of our world."

It was an insightful letter, but one which drew little discussion on the
Archives List.  His letter either made people uncomfortable or they just weren't
interested in reading about a world -- that of corporate archivists --
different from the one they themselves work in.  Most of the people who subscribe to
the Archives List work in government archives or in college and university
archives.  But I read the letter in full -- yes the whole letter and it was a
_long_ one -- because I dislike stereotypes and I'm very interested in the ethical
challenges archivists face.

Based on my past experiences, I know archivists in the public sector can face
a dual challenge -- how to survive individually and professionally in the
face of "aggravated" critics AND how to uphold the public trust.  These are not
always political issues, even for people who work in Washington.  Sometimes the
challenges center on how to handle ethical issues.

What works in the corporate world doesn't always work in the public sector.
And vice versa.  I would appreciate your keeping in mind that when you see
people like me writing about NARA, it isn't always about "politics."  Like the
corporate archivist who wrote the letter above, I may just be trying to open a
window into another world.  I for one am glad he posted to the Archives List,
it forced me to think about things I had not considered at any length.

Maarja

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