A grant of $42,500 from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the Mellon Foundation will fund a visiting archivist with 2-5 years' experience in professional archival work during 1994/95. The fellow will examine Manuscripts' collection development policy for private papers and records and meet with subject selectors in the Libraries and with interested faculty about the future of the collecting program.
Manuscript materials cost little to acquire (almost all are gifts) but are expensive to process, store and service. Archivists have always faced sobering realities in choosing what to collect. The responsibility is heavier in an age of unprecedented bulk, numerous and changing formats, changing research methodologies and scarcer resources for public agencies. Inviting librarian colleagues and faculty to participate in setting priorities should lead to more informed choices on the part of archivists.
The fellowship is intended to provide early career experience in a full range of archival functions. The fellow will help acquire private donations and will assist with the appraisal and transfer of official university records. There will also be an opportunity to improve existing inventories and guides to archival holdings and participate in tests to convert them to machine readable records. The project promises to be mutually stimulating and profitable.
Contact Karyl Winn at 543-1879 or by e-mail at kwinn@u.washington.edu for further information.