Archives Week in New York City
It’s Archives Week in New York City 2019! Many people are aware that the Society of American Archivists (SAA) has deemed the month of October as #ArchivesMonth. Recently, they’ve used the day to do archival advocacy and outreach. For example, on the first Wednesday of the month they promote the #AskAnArchivist Day. On that day, archivists from institutions around the country, schedule time on twitter to answer questions. It’s a good way for archivists (or #archivists) to play around with social media, SEO and hashtags. Plus, it’s always nice for archivists to share knowledge.
Later in the month, on 10/10, the Council of State Archivists promote #ERecsDay aka Electronic Records Day. It’s got a great name for us digital archivists because 1010 is equal to ten in binary.
Archives Week in New York City
Meanwhile, New York City also celebrates archivists for one 9-10 day week in the month of October. We call it #ArchivesWeek. For the past two decades (or so), the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York (ART) has promoted Archives Week in New York City. This usually involves a community of archivists and archival institutions opening their doors to visitors and tours. In some years, the City also hosts Open House New York (OHNY) Weekend. This year, they do it again this weekend. In fact, the Municipal Archives is opening its doors and offering docents.
In addition to all of the other activities, ART, an indispensable organization, host a gala awards show complete with paparazzi and hors d’oeuvres and plaques. You can only imagine what happens when archivists gather with nearly 100 professional archivists!
For me, though, the highlight of #ArchivesWeek is always the academic symposium. I’ve been attending this for years and have on occasion moderated or participated in panel discussions. Though I’m not participating this year, I’m excited that the whole day is devoted to Rebels in the Archives! The description is provocative:
“…it is important for us to be cognizant of the fight against the accepted pieties and to sometimes take an active role in that fight ourselves. This symposium will help us to think about our role in the construction of future histories and when we need to join the rebellion.”
And, I have lots of ideas on it. However, I will be there only to enjoy listening to all of the archivists and historians. I admit that I am eager to hear and see the Columbia University archivists discussing the materials from the 1968 protests. Hope to see you there!
If you have questions about some of the great archives week in New York City, contact our Contacts page.
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ERecsDay and Electronic Records Day 2019
Today, 10/10/2019, is ERecsDay and Electronic Records Day. As part of the growing awareness of the challenges of managing and archiving electronic records, the State Council of Archivists commemorates October 10 as Electronic Records Day. In sum, for those of us who have worked in digital archiving over the last decade, it’s a great relief that we do this each year. Of course, most of the good stuff happens in bit-sized tweets on twitter, but it’s not all ephemeral!
So, this year for ERecsDay and Electronic Records Day, we’ve been tracking some of our favorite tweets on twitter. In fact, this year we interacted with a archivists at a variety of institutions including the National Archives, the Council on State Archivists, and the Library of Congress. Here’s some resources including quizzes and news stories.
#ERecsDay TAKEAWAYS
- There is a “Did you know: Some Interesting Facts About Digital Media” quiz from the Library of Congress . Though it’s short, it serves as a good baseline and shows how archival knowledge and insights affect our daily lives. . . . So check it out!
- Every year, the Council of State Archivists shares some of their excellent resources. Check them out here!
- “10 reasons why electronic records need special attention PDF” at CoSA
- National Archives provided answers about recordings and/or transcripts from different White Houses. They also provided links to the Nixon Presidential Library and to the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library.
- Preservica announces the release of a “The State of the State” report on State Archives in the US for the Council of State Archivists PDF.
All of these resources provide critical information related to electronic records and digital archiving!
If you have any questions or need some assistance, check out our site of past clients or our services.
Remember, it is very, very, very, very, very, very very important.
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DNI Testimony – Impeachment Inquiry (Part 4)
As we continue watching how the Impeachment Inquiry develops and plays out, we turn today to the DNI Testimony. We have ideated and designed a scorecard for informational appraisal. The Digital Archivy Scorecard evaluates information sources and information flows and provides grades in fjve different criteria: Assessment, Identity, Description, Priority, and Security Classification.
In this way, we can assess the value of content based on provenance, function, significance and accuracy. This relates directly to an assessment of the trustworthiness and significance. With that in mind, today we look at three additional pieces of information and evidence:
- in-person testimony of the Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI), James Maguire;
- letter written by Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (ICIG), Michael Atkinson; and
- White House Memo of the Conversation.
Each ones of these information sources provides data that can be used to evaluate the entire ecosystem. This holistic perspective takes into consideration the content of the information as well as showing the relationships between the documents themselves, and the people involved in creating the information ecosystem. Of course, at present, we have not yet seen the “verbatim” transcript of the 33 minute phone call.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: DNI TESTIMONY OF ACTING DIRECTOR MAGUIRE
On September 26, Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified before the House Intelligence Committee. He testified for more than three hours to discuss the complaint and the allegation of wrongdoing. The White House released a declassified version (the White House Memo) minutes before the hearing began. In his opening statement, Director Maguire described his experience and military service and also stated his support for the whistleblower and for protections.
Acting Director Maguire is new to the position. The phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President, which led to the whistleblower’s complaint, occurred on July 25, 2019. Three days after the phone call, on July 28, former DNI Director Dan Coats announced that he would resign in August. Coats was one of the longest serving national security members of the Trump Cabinet. Needless to say, with years of professional experience, his analysis often contradicted the President.
Maguire retired with three stars from the Navy. He was appointed Acting Director of the DNI in August. Prior to that, he spent less than eight months as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center. His testimony revealed that he may actually have acted legally and properly. However, questions remain as to whether he had the required contextual knowledge of the phone call. Or more importantly, whether his experience in intelligence may have been skewed by his past career in the Navy. He appeared before the House Intelligence Committee on September 26. His short tenure undermined his efficacy and may have affected his perspective. Additionally, his prior experience in the Navy may have led him to execute before fully considering the facts and the evidence.
DNI ACTIONS
The DNI Office received the whistleblower complaint on August 12. Maguire began working on August 16, and at first he refused to share the complaint with Congress because he claimed he was answering to a higher authority. He then sought outside direction. That may sound like a good idea, but his actions raise significant issues about their effects. As Rep Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, pointed out in questioning: Acting Director Maguire sought guidance on what to do about the whistleblower complaint, sequentially from two sources:
- first from the White House and
- then from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel.
In other words, the Acting Director conferred with the two offices that were mentioned in the whistleblower’s complaint that was classified as an “urgent concern .” Consequently, Maguire’s judgement is questionable. In fact, his testimony revealed that his deference to Executive Privilege may have implicated himself in assisting in the cover-up!
DNI Testimony Grades
With that in mind, we grade his testimony based on his direct knowledge of the complaint, his role and responsibilities as Acting Director, and on whether or not his answers were forthright and honest.
He receives D grades in Assessment, Identification and Description due toe the fact that he only spent a few days in office prior to making his first significant mistakes (contacting the OLC and the AG’s office). Though he may have acted in good faith, his testimony reveals poor judgement in two key aspects. Maguire was appointed without confirmation. He has been Acting Director for less than two months. As an information source himself, he lacks credibility due to his short tenure Consequently, he is unable to speak persuasively about his office’s responsibilities.
Due to his lack of awareness, the Acting Director Maguire receives failing F grades in Priority and in Security Classification. He must recognize the impropriety of checking with both of the parties implicated in the whistleblower complaint. This directly affects the grades for assessment and identification.
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Impeachment Inquiry: Whistleblower Complaint (pt 3)
As we join the nation in watching how the Impeachment Inquiry Whistleblower Complaint plays out, we have ideated and designed a prototype Digital Archivy scorecard for informational appraisal. The Digital Archivy Scorecard grades based on Assessment, Identity, Description, Priority, and Security Classification.
In this way, we can determine the value of content based on provenance, function, significance and accuracy. With that in mind, we will look at another piece of critical evidence: The Whistleblower Complaint. This will allow us to assess the accuracy and trustworthiness of the different data inputs that will be examined over the course of the next few weeks.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: WHISTLE-BLOWER COMPLAINT
The whistleblower filed his/her 9-page Whistleblower Complaint after the phone call between President Trump and Ukraininan President Zelensky. It is from August 12, 2019, and though it is unclassified, it has significant redactions. Further, though it is in PDF format, it is not text-searchable.
As we analyze the source, we examine its relevance and the provenance to gain a fuller understanding of its import. With this in mind, we gave significantly different scores for the Whistleblower complaint compared with previous blog entry (“Digital Archivy Scorecard on Information Appraisal (part 2)“).
In large part, this is due to the fact that we are confident in the identity of the sole author. We understand his perspective, and believe the accuracy and likelihood of his first-hand evidence. The clear language and thorough descriptions are all positive and could be used to support other sources. However, there are questions related to the document’s authenticity, provenance and chain of custody. Because there are redactions due to sensitive intelligence issues, the Description score suffers. This is a critical concern because accusations of a “mafia-style shake-down” are urgent and quite serious.
The priority of this source of information is very high, but it gets a B in Security Classification because parts of the complaint are redacted. This obscures and affects the complaint itself. Consequently, it also may change the meaning or message of the information itself.
However, on a whole, the Whistleblower Complaint is B-grade material. This information source is high-priority.
Stay tuned for Part 4.
Check out Part 1 on the Information Appraisal scorecard here.
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AskAnArchivist Day and #ArchivistJokes
AskAnArchivist Day – October 2, 2019
According to the Society of American Archivists (SAA), October is Archives Month. And, today, October 2, is AskAnArchivist day.
Time permitting, we will post some of the jokes and other frequently asked questions we have collected related to digital archiving.
Follow us on twitter for the latest updates on #AskAnArchivist Day.
Joke 16
Here is the Joke 1:
It’s #AskAnArchivist day!!
If you have ?s on #archiving or digital archiving, or if you want
to find #jokes about #archives and #Archivists, check back here!
#AskAnArchivist Joke 1
Q: What does an archivist like on scones?
. . .
A: . .. preserves
har har . . .
It’s #AskAnArchivist day! Samples from a collection of jokes curated over years. #archives #archivists
AskAnArchivist Joke 2:
Q: How did they find the #archivist in cold storage? . . . . .
A: . . . shivering
Here’s a question we often answer, even if it’s sometimes unasked. #askanarchivist
Joke 3:
Q: If content is king, what’s metadata?
. . . .
A. . . . Pope
Joke 4:
Q: What are a digital archivist’s favorite tools in the shed?
A: . . . . . . . . Access (axes)
#archivists actively promote open and equitable access to records in their care within the context of … www2.archivists.org/statements/saa
Joke 5:
Q: What TV star do archivists love most?
. . . . . . . A: Love? Nahhh, we RESPECT DA FONZ ! (respect des fonds)
Meme is courtesy of our friends at Archives 101 Zine (PDF) of Los Angeles Archivists Collective.
To learn more about “respect des fonds” and the archival principle of provenance, check out this definition from the Society of American Archivists
Joke 6
Q: Do you have any institutional records?
. . . . . .
. . .. ..
A: yeah, I’ve got some 🌍 Earth, 💨 Wind and 🔥 Fire
Joke 7
Q: What did the #archivist feel when her
shopping cart was cut off in the supermarket?
…. . . . . A: store-rage
Joke 8
Joke 9
Joke 12
Check out our case studies for additional questions that we answered and solutions that we found.
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