Human rights are moral principles or norms for certain standards of human behaviour and are regularly protected in municipal and international law. They are commonly understood as inalienable,fundamental rights "to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being" and which are "inherent in all human beings",regardless of their age,ethnic origin,location,language,religion,ethnicity,or any other status. They are applicable everywhere and at every time in the sense of being universal,and they are egalitarian in the sense of being the same for everyone. They are regarded as requiring empathy and the rule of law and imposing an obligation on persons to respect the human rights of others,and it is generally considered that they should not be taken away except as a result of due process based on specific circumstances.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt,it was accepted by the General Assembly as Resolution 217 during its third session on 10 December 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris,France. Of the 58 members of the United Nations at the time,48 voted in favour,none against,eight abstained,and two did not vote.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch,charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also tasked with increasing public access to those documents that make up the National Archives. NARA is officially responsible for maintaining and publishing the legally authentic and authoritative copies of acts of Congress,presidential directives,and federal regulations. NARA also transmits votes of the Electoral College to Congress. It also examines Electoral College and constitutional amendment ratification documents for prima facie legal sufficiency and an authenticating signature.
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials –in any medium –or the physical facility in which they are located.
An archivist is an information professional who assesses,collects,organizes,preserves,maintains control over,and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consist of a variety of forms,including letters,diaries,logs,other personal documents,government documents,sound and/or picture recordings,digital files,or other physical objects.
Library and Archives Canada is the federal institution,tasked with acquiring,preserving,and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the fifth largest library in the world. The LAC reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
The Society of American Archivists is the oldest and largest archivist association in North America,serving the educational and informational needs of more than 5,000 individual archivist and institutional members. Established in 1936,the organization serves upwards of 6,200 individual and member institutions.
The Archivist of the United States is the head and chief administrator of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) of the United States. The Archivist is responsible for the supervision and direction of the National Archives.
Archival science,or archival studies,is the study and theory of building and curating archives,which are collections of documents,recordings,photographs and various other materials in physical or digital formats.
Archival processing is the act of surveying,arranging,describing,and performing basic preservation activities on the recorded material of an individual,family,or organization after they are permanently transferred to an archive. A person engaging in this activity is known as an archival processor,archival technician, or archivist.
James Berton "Bert" Rhoads served as fifth Archivist of the United States. He was born in Sioux City,Iowa. Rhoads received his B.A.,in 1950,and M.A.,in 1952,from the University of California at Berkeley. He earned his Ph.D. in History from American University in Washington,D.C.,in 1965.
Shelley Sweeney is a Canadian archivist. She was university archivist at the University of Regina from 1983 to 1998,and the Head of the University of Manitoba Archives &Special Collections from 1998 to 2020. She helped found two regional archival organizations,the Saskatchewan Council of Archives and the Saskatchewan Archivists Society,and the University and Research Institutions section of the International Council on Archives. Sweeney is a charter member of the Academy of Certified Archivists and,with colleagues,wrote the first code of ethics for the Canadian archival profession.
The International Council on Archives is an international non-governmental organization which exists to promote international cooperation for archives and archivists. It was set up in 1948,with Charles Samaran,the then director of the Archives nationales de France,as chairman,and membership is open to national and international organisations,professional groups and individuals. In 2015,it grouped together about 1400 institutional members in 199 countries and territories. Its mission is to promote the conservation,development and use of the world's archives.
Archival research is a type of research which involves seeking out and extracting evidence from archival records. These records may be held either in collecting institutions,such as libraries and museums,or in the custody of the organization that originally generated or accumulated them,or in that of a successor body. Archival research can be contrasted with (1) secondary research,which involves identifying and consulting secondary sources relating to the topic of enquiry;and (2) with other types of primary research and empirical investigation such as fieldwork and experiment.
National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention.
Luciana Duranti is an archival theorist and professor of archival science and diplomatics at the School of Library,Archival and Information Studies,University of British Columbia in Vancouver,Canada. She is a noted expert on diplomatics and electronic records. Since 1998,she has been the director of the electronic records research project,InterPARES. She has disclosed the concept of the archival bond originally initiated by Italian archivist Giorgio Cencetti in 1937.
Two years after German reunification,the Commission of Inquiry for the Assessment of History and Consequences of the SED Dictatorship in Germany,which was a truth commission that lasted from 1992 to 1994,was established by the German government with the objective of looking at the history and the consequences of the former East German communist government. It released its report in 1994,but some felt that more could be investigated. This resulted in the establishment of the Commission of Inquiry on Overcoming the Consequences of the SED Dictatorship in the Process of German Unity lasting from 1995 to 1998,which had the same objective,but investigated more thoroughly.
The Midwest Archives Conference (MAC) is a regional archivist association serving the Midwestern region of the United States. MAC was founded in 1972 and held its first fall meeting in the Bismarck Hotel in Chicago,Illinois. While MAC has over 800 members from various states and countries,the MAC region is composed of Illinois,Indiana,Iowa,Kansas,Kentucky,Michigan,Minnesota,Missouri,Nebraska,North Dakota,South Dakota,Ohio,and Wisconsin. MAC holds annual conferences with roundtables,panels,and workshops targeted towards archivists,curators,and librarians. Conferences have addressed such topics as federal funding for archives,documenting social history through the records of various ethnic groups,conservation,and data reporting standards for archival institutions. Other presentations have discussed how an archives can tie into their parent institution's anniversaries and big events,or how to make popular music collections a part of your archives. Annual meetings include informational sessions and notable plenary speakers,such as Pulitzer Prize winning author Leon Dash,who spoke at the 2006 Annual Meeting in Bloomington,Illinois. Annual conferences also often include themes,such as "Documenting Rural America" (the theme of the 1986 conference held in Hudson,Wisconsin.
Tanya Zanish-Belcher is an archivist and associate professor. She is currently the Director of Special Collections and Archives at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem,North Carolina. She specializes in Women's,Gender and Sexuality Studies and has written several books and articles as well as given presentations on these topics. She has been invited to speak on several occasions as an expert historian and archivist across the United States.
The Emmett Leahy Award is given annually to individuals who have had major impact on the field of information management. The award has been given since 1967,and honors Emmett Leahy,a pioneer in records management.
