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Models vs. reality: appraising publishing records

University of British Columbia

Appraisal for selection determines which records of a creator will be permanently preserved for future generations. The archival community has continually attempted to establish guidelines that will provide assistance for the accomplishment of this difficult task. In recent years, a few studies of particular organizations and their records have offered practical guidelines that can serve as models for the appraisal of the records of other, similar creators. Among these are two models of publishing companies. While offering practical guidelines, such models represent only potential standards for appraisal. Determining their viability requires comparing them to an actual body of records created, used and maintained by a publisher. This thesis discusses the results of the comparison of the models to the reality of the records of the Vancouver-based publishing house of Douglas & Mclntyre Limited. Descriptions of the intent, format and included records of each model; and an examination of the history, structure, functions and records of the company are followed by a discussion of their points of correspondence and divergence. Comparison found that both models were only partially viable as appraisal standards. Tending to emphasize material of greatest interest to secondary users, each model included records that provided evidence of the functions and activities of publishing books. Failing to include any or all of the administrative, and especially financial records, of greatest use to the creator, neither model documented fully the operations of a publishing business. The thesis concludes with a consideration of which publishing records should be preserved; prevailing assumptions about business records; and the responsibility for the permanent preservation of a representative body of evidence of the full range of the company's functions and activities.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-05-20

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/8006

Archival Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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