Government archivists serve more than one interest. They are responsible to
citizens, as the source of democratic power, and they are responsible to government,
as their employer, and as the creator of the records through which government is held
accountable to citizens. This thesis explores the role that archives and archivists can
play in support of democratic accountability, and traces the historical development of
archivists' perceptions of that role. Examples of conflict between serving citizens and
serving the state are explored to demonstrate the potential for conflict in the work of
government archivists.
How government archivists perceive their responsibilities determines the role that
archivists and thus archives play in democratic society. It also determines how
archivists deal with the conflicts that can arise because of the dual nature of their
responsibilities. Seven government archivists were interviewed about their perceptions
of their responsibilities and role as public servants in a democratic state, and about their
experiences with incidents when their responsibilities were in conflict. The interviews
also explored the following factors that determine how government archivists fulfil their
role: the expectations and restrictions put on public servants; the level of professional
autonomy granted to government archivists as public servants; the predominance of
economic determinism within government administrations; the attitude of the archival
profession toward activism and advocacy; and the need for a watchdog over
government record-keeping.
The findings of the interviews led to the conclusion that archivists need to
articulate a strong, common language of purpose that emphasizes the importance of
preserving and providing access to archives as the evidence of the actions of
government administration. This strength, when accompanied by a clear understanding
of the political nature of archival work, will help government archivists deal with the
constraints and conflicts of their position within government and within society.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/6000 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | McClure, Susan Margaret |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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