Although acknowledged as an essential archival function, appraisal is a complex process that is not fully understood. The authors examine the premises from which T.R. Schellenberg derived many of the practices used to appraise modern records and identify some problems in the widespread use of his approach. As an alternative, they offer a model comprised of the elements that should be considered when making an appraisal decision. Three interrelated categories of elements are discussed: value-of-information, costs-of-retention, and implications-of-the-appraisal-recommendations. While the focus is upon the appraisal of university administrative records, this model represents another step toward the development of a more systematic understanding of the entire appraisal process.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
April 01 1985
Exploring the Black Box: The Appraisal of University Administrative Records
Frank Boles;
Frank Boles
1
University of Michigan's Bentley Library
Search for other works by this author on:
Julia Young
Julia Young
2
Mississippi Newspaper Preservation Project, School of Library Service, University of Southern Mississippi
Search for other works by this author on:
The American Archivist (1985) 48 (2): 121–140.
Citation
Frank Boles, Julia Young; Exploring the Black Box: The Appraisal of University Administrative Records. The American Archivist 1 April 1985; 48 (2): 121–140. doi: https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.48.2.1414g624328868vw
Download citation file:
Citing articles via
Get Email Alerts
Level Up! Lessons Learned from Six Years of Collaborative Technical Skills Development
Max Eckard<span class='al-author-delim'>, </span>Elizabeth Gadelha<span class='al-author-delim'>, </span>Mike Shallcross
Redesigning Program Assessment for Teaching with Primary Sources: Understanding the Impacts of Our Work
Jen Hoyer<span class='al-author-delim'>, </span>Kaitlin Holt<span class='al-author-delim'>, </span>John Voiklis<span class='al-author-delim'>, </span>Bennett Attaway<span class='al-author-delim'>, </span>Rebecca Joy Norlander
Tales from “THE disK FILES”: Lessons Learnt from a Data Recovery Project in 2003–2006 at the National Archives of Australia
David Pearson, FSA<span class='al-author-delim'>, </span>James Doig
The Social Movement Archive
Lori Podolsky