Training Historians to Work In Archives

The article I want to discuss this week is "What's History Got to Do With It?: Reconsidering the Place of Historical Knowledge in Archival Work"by Tom Nesmith. The piece begins with a lengthy historiography of Tina Turner who's 80's hit "What's Love Got to Do With It?" inspired the theme of the 2003 Annual Meeting of the Association of Canadian Archivists, What's History Got to Do With It?". I love when research articles go off in unexpected directions and provide little known historical facts. Did you know that after her abusive relationship with Ike Turner Tina Turner found a "role model for equal leadership roles in the Egyptian woman Hat-shepsut, rule Egypt for her young step son, Pharaoh Thutmose III, around 1500 B.C.E. Hat-shepsut was so effective that she was eventually treated as a Pharaoh and did not readily relinquish her leadership when Thutmose came of age". If you didn't know, now you know.

I'm Just Saying...Aliens Who Love Tina Turner???  Maybe.

Tina Turner is clearly the theme, inspiration, and reason for the season of this article on the connection between archives and history and I LOVE IT. Tina Turner drips from each word in this article--pure unadulterated Tina Turner divinity (you really have to read the article).  Eventually Nesmith comes around to discussing the 20th century archival problem of less concern about historical orientation and the diminishing relevance of archival academic historical interests. I learned the importance of being knowledgeable about archival histories in addition to having records management skills early on in my internship at the NCCU Archives.

I started working in the archives in October, after only being in Durham for 3 months, straight off a summer spent in FL and three years in grad school in New Jersey. I definitely would have benefited from enrolling in some public history courses, and gaining more familiarity with Durham/North Carolina State History. A crash course in North Carolina politics would have been especially helpful.  There were many times Mr. Vann began sentences with "You know, xyz was such and such, right!?!" to which I responded  "No", with a slight head nod and follow-up questions, ALWAYS (if you don't know something don't stay stuck in ignorance, ask questions). On the occasions when I had no reference point for Mr. Vann's "fun facts" I would make a note on a Post-It and do a little research after he returned to his office. There were also times when I'd divert to Mr. McMillion, former University Archivist and Registrar--also one of the few people still living who knew Dr. Shepard personally. Mr. McMillion spends a few hours a day shifting through records and providing reference assistance to former staff, students, and professors who often stop by to chat with him. Did I mention Mr. is close to 90 (if not already pass 90). Read (and see) about him here: http://hbcudigitallibrary.auctr.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/nccu/id/73/rec/19

In addition to quizzing Mr. M, I would attend history lectures and programs on campus to catch up. My membership in the Durham Public Library's Adult and Humanities Program provided me many opportunities to learn about Durham history from attending talks with local historians and publishing university professors. Nesmith imparts that the "best strategy is to base archival work on as much knowledge of the multiple provenances, many contexts of creation, or the overall history of the records as can be attained--and then use the power of this provenance information to locate, appraise, describe, and protect the integrity of the records." Though often fickle, exercising and maintaining  intellectual control over a collection requires a level of familiarity with its history and reason for being amassed in a particular way, at a particular time, by a particular person (or group of people). Archival practices should clearly convey knowledge about contents including different levels of detail about what materials are available and how they are arranged. What's History Got to Do With It? Plenty. The role of the archivist/historian is to be cognizant of and attentive to what about the collection would be of particular interest to researchers and other visitors to the archive. I think of the connection between archives and history like this: One can not recommend a restaurant at which one has never eaten. Nor can an archivist publicize a collection she is not acclimated with.