Jason Bell

Statement of Professional Philosophy

After my completion of my history degree I struggled to find what to do next. My options were to write about history and pray I end up with as many sales as Howard Zinn author of A People’s History, or teach. Both options were not for me. While at an internship in which I worked with preserving oral histories and managing the ephemeral materials that are associated with each history, I felt compelled to continue such work. Preserving history and making it accessible is a fit. As I look back on my life I have always desired order. I remember a time at the store when I was a child bored at the side of my mother while she was shopping. I ended up in the card isle putting the cards back in their proper places. When I discovered one could get paid for preserving the order and integrity of historical documents and photograph etc. I sought out positions to volunteer to be sure this is the direction I wanted my life to go.

My passion grew stronger. I began searching out universities that offered degrees in archival studies. The idea of Wisconsin made me cold. I liked the idea of working with the history of my own state and was happy to find that San Jose State University offered a Masters of Archives and Records Administration program. I had little technical experience and was not sure about an on line curriculum, but I went for it anyway. This was my chance to prepare myself for a professional career preserving and sharing California’s history.

Knowing that there was a gap in my understanding of how to utilize the Internet to preserve and share knowledge, I focused much attention on the activity of professional organizations like Internet Archive, Society of American Archivist (SAA), and Heritage Preservation: The National Institute for conservation. Being that MARA is an online course also boosted my skills to the point where I now am comfortable developing websites utilizing outreach software such as Omeka and PastPerfect.

One of the most beneficial courses I took was an elective on grant writing. This has provided me with the experience of writing a grant that was eventually used to gain funds for the Napa College Library to increase their database of online materials. It also happened that I was able to meet my instructor who also works as a county librarian who oversees the county archives. It really is a small world. I ended up doing two projects for this archive which fulfilled my internship and project requirement. I didn’t leave. I was hooked. Today I am no longer a volunteer but an employee doing exactly what I enjoy, increasing access to information that will become useful knowledge to the patrons through the development of a website. Following the guidelines of a grant I have acquired a hosting service (the county network lacked the LAMP package as it is an open source software package) then installed Omeka on top of Reclaim Hosting and added a transcribing software (Scripto) so that the archive could allow more public interaction with their materials. Soon those who have been given clearance will be able to transcribe county court cases dating back to the 1850s.

I have also come out of the MARA program with a greater understanding of how information travels through the internet and the need for governance of that information. While researching Internet Archive I learned when recreating the Library of Alexandria Brewster Kahl needs to have some backup to the data he is collecting. This was my introduction to how the cloud works and the importance of multiple servers for security.

Another experience I had was developing a SWOT Analysis of a local boy’s home; they required an in-depth survey of their records. The home was acquiring information at an exponential rate and needed to divest themselves of a data clog. With the information they gained from my analysis they were able to develop a governance policy which enabled them to have better control and access to their records.

I have developed connections with many people in various organizations including SAA, ARMA, Heritage Preservation: The National Institute for conservation, Connection to Collections, and of course National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). I will utilize these connections to stay current with the ever developing ways of managing information.

I now consider myself an archivist with a professional understanding of the technology my peers rely on to stay current with international standards while maintaining adherence to the Archivists Code developed in 1955 by the National Archives.

-The Archivist has a moral obligation to society to take every possible measure to ensure the preservation of valuable records, not only those of the past but those of his own times, and with equal zeal.

-The Archivist in appraising records for retention or disposal acts as the agent of future generations. The wisdom and impartiality he applies to this task measure his professionalism, for he must be as diligent in disposing of records that have no significant or lasting value as in retaining those that do.

-The Archivist must protect the integrity of records in his custody. He must guard them against defacement, alteration, or theft; he must protect them against physical damage by fire or excessive exposure to light, dampness, and dryness; and he must ensure that their evidentiary value is not impaired in the normal course of rehabilitation, arrangement, and use.

-The Archivist should endeavor to promote access to records to the fullest extent consistent with the public interest, but he should carefully observe any proper restrictions on the use of records. He should work unremittingly for the increase and diffusion of knowledge, making his documentary holdings freely known to prospective users through published finding aids and personal consultation.

-The Archivist should respond courteously and with a spirit of helpfulness to reference requests. He should not place unnecessary obstacles in the way of researchers but should do whatever he can to save their time and ease their work. He should not idly discuss the work and findings of one researcher with another; but where duplication of research effort is apparent, he may properly inform another researcher.

-The Archivist should not profit from any commercial exploitation of the records in his custody, nor should he withhold from others any information he has gained as a result of his official duties-either in order to carry out private professional research or to aid one researcher at the expense of another. He should, however, take every legitimate advantage of his situation to develop his professional interests in historical and archival research.

-The Archivist should freely pass on to his professional colleagues the results of his own or his organization's research that add to the body of archival and historical knowledge. He should leave to his successors a true account of the records in his custody and of their organization and arrangement.

Wayne C. Grover

Archivist of the United States1948-1965

References

          Grover, W.C., (1955). The Archivist’s Code. Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/preservation/professionals/archivist-code.htmlStatement of Professional Philosophy