The power of meaning: The archival mission in the postmodern age

Abstract

Some archivists at the forefront of writing about the complexities of electronic materials have challenged the traditional U.S. definitions of "records," "archives," and "archivists." Where once those terms were broad enough to encompass virtually all forms of documentary material, these writers, exemplified by Richard Cox and Luciana Duranti, have urged on our profession a narrower conception of records and archives. This challenge threatens to undermine the important socio-cultural meaning of archives and archival material. It is vital that archivists reclaim and reaffirm a broad conception of their professional purpose and an equally broad definition of what constitutes archival material. To do otherwise is to accept a truncated and sterile vision of our profession.