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2017

Format:	Book
Author:	Thomas, David, 1950- author.
Title:	The silence of the archive / foreword by Anne J. Gilliland ; David Thomas, Simon Fowler, Valerie Johnson.
Publisher, Date:	Chicago : Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2017.
Description:	xxvi, 187 pages. ; 23 cm
Summary:	Records and archives, whether maintained by individuals, organizations, or community groups, are important sources that provide evidence of, and information about, the course of their creators and the environment in which those actions occurred. But at time incompleteness can be frustrating to those who seek to use them. The authors explore the societal impact of records and archives, and the consequences that result when records are absent or uniformative. They look at the ways in which the lack of comprehensive record keeping creates "silences" which, though unsettling to some, are sometimes inevitable.
Subjects:	Archives -- Acquisitions. Appraisal of archival materials. Records retention.
Other Author:	Fowler, Simon, author. Johnson, Valerie (Archivist), author. Gilliland, Anne J., writer of foreword. Yeo, Geoffrey, writer of introduction.
Notes:	First published in the United Kingdom by Facet Publishing, 2017. This edition simultaneously published in the United States. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:	Geoffrey Yeo -- Anne J. Gilliland -- Enforced silences / Simon Fowler -- Inappropriate expectations / Simon Fowler -- The digital / David Thomas -- Dealing with the silence / Valerie Johnson -- Imagining archives / David Thomas -- Solutions to the silence / Valerie Johnson -- Are things getting better or worse? / David Thomas.
LCCN:	2017448574
ISBN:	0838916406 9780838916407
Other Number:	988058994
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Trade Reviews

Library Journal Review

What archivist hasn't fielded a request for records not held by their repository? Variations in record keeping through time and by country can undermine researchers' hopes. Thomas (iSchool, Univ. of Northumbria; coauthor, Shakespeare in the Public Records), Simon Fowler (associate teaching fellow, Univ. of Dundee; coauthor, Army Records for Family Historians), and Valerie Johnson (interim director, Research and Collections, National Archives) present a comprehensive treatment of the whys behind archival gaps, addressing the "silences" caused by record creation, destruction, and retention and the impact of technology on the preservation of records. The authors emphasize that archivists are imperfect gatekeepers of documentation for the public memory, whose decisions about what constitutes historic significance, sometimes influenced by unconscious biases, determine the availability of records. Limited resources and the sheer volume of digital records pose challenges for chronically understaffed and underfunded archives. Engaging with Records and Archives, edited by Fiorella Foscarini and others, offers case studies of similar issues, while The Craft of Knowledge, edited by Carol Smart and others, approaches the topic from the researcher's perspective. VERDICT For current and future archivists.-Betty J. Glass, Univ. of Nevada Lib., Reno © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

In examining the concept of silence, the UK-based authors of this volume focus on historical, cultural, and political contexts having critical implications for archives. They address enforced silence, misinformed popular expectations, dealing with the silences or gaps in the digital record, and possible solutions and prospects for archives in the current environment, styled by some as a post-truth era. While corporate and government structures continue to shape the archival record for political purposes, gaps in staff training and record-retention policies also contribute to these silences, as have misinformed popular perceptions of archives and inappropriate expectations of researchers. Technology presents an additional challenge to archival integrity because of the need to preserve content such as ephemeral social media or email communications, the sheer abundance of digital records, the anonymity of record creators, and pervasive concerns about sensitivity and privacy--all factors that further exacerbate the practical and intellectual problems of archiving. Dealing with silence often involves interpreting and fictionalizing what is described as "absent heritage," which implies working with deliberate and inadvertent forgeries and fabrications. That Soviet-era maps omitted churches, for example, offers an analogy to archival finding aids with missing or omitted information; in both situations, critical gaps in knowledge are a serious consequence. This work is highly recommended for various specialists in archival operations, including manuscript curators, records managers, digital archivists, and government-document specialists, as well as practicing and future historians. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduate students through professionals/practitioners. --Arjun Sabharwal, University of Toledo

Booklist Review

The historical record is imperfect for numerous reasons. In The Silence of the Archive, three British archivists wrestle with the deficiencies (silences) of archival repositories. Archival silences cannot be avoided. Records may not have been created, or they may have been manipulated or destroyed. In the present digital, or post-paper, world, staggering amounts of data are being created, and much of it is lost. Thomas, Simon Fowler, and Valerie Johnson, all former or current employees of the National Archives, delineate the silences and the reasons behind them. They also offer methods for breaking the silence or sometimes simply accepting it. Filled with thought-provoking and pertinent anecdotes (many of which are related to Great Britain), this is an interesting book for those who create, manage, and use archives.--Frutchey, Jim Copyright 2018 Booklist

Summary

This new book provides a groundbreaking discussion of a major but little considered issue: Why do archives, sometimes seen as the repositories of truth, often fail to satisfy users because they do not contain information which they expect to find?

Silences range from details of individuals' lives to records of state oppression or of intelligence operations. The book brings together ideas from a wide range of fields, from contemporary history through family history research to Shakespearian studies. The authors describe why these silences exist, discuss their impact, and survey how researchers have responded to them in the digital age.

Marking the first time that the question of silence in the archives has been discussed holistically and from a broad perspective, this book examines the causes, responses, and implications both for researchers and for the archive itself. Key topics include:

enforced silences; inappropriate selection; dealing with the silence; possible solutions; and the meaning of the silences.

Table of Contents

	Introduction to the Series Geoffrey Yeo	p. ix
	About the authors	p. xiii
	Foreword Anne J. Gilliland	p. xv
	Introduction David Thomas	p. xix
1	Enforced silences Simon Fowler	p. 1
	Introduction	p. 1
	The power of the written	p. 3
	Silence in informality	p. 6
	Conflict and oppression as a cause of silence	p. 9
	Selection as a cause of the silence	p. 14
	The wrong kind of silence	p. 17
	The silence of the secret	p. 22
	The silence of destruction	p. 29
	Conclusion	p. 34
2	Inappropriate expectations Simon Fowler	p. 41
	Introduction	p. 41
	'Writing lived lives': the skewing of the archive record	p. 42
	When silence means silence: what records cannot tell us	p. 45
	Silence in other ways: cultural differences	p. 48
	The catalogue - hiding silences in plain view	p. 53
	Conclusion	p. 60
3	The digital David Thomas	p. 65
	Introduction	p. 65
	Digital preservation	p. 66
	New dangers	p. 68
	E-mails	p. 81
	Digitized records	p. 82
	More information equals less knowledge	p. 84
	Authenticity	p. 87
	Capturing the archive	p. 89
	An existential threat to archives?	p. 90
	The future	p. 93
	Conclusion	p. 95
4	Dealing with the silence Valerie Johnson	p. 101
	Introduction	p. 101
	False silences	p. 101
	False voices	p. 102
	Forcing open the doors: letting hidden voices speak	p. 103
	Filling the silence: allowing silent voices to speak	p. 103
	Acknowledging the silence as silence	p. 105
	Filling the silence: finding alternative voices	p. 106
	Reading voices back into history	p. 107
	Looking forward: listening to all the voices	p. 107
	Avoiding 'white noise': the need for some silence	p. 108
	Creating and welcoming the silence	p. 110
	Conclusion	p. 113
5	Imagining archives David Thomas	p. 117
	Introduction	p. 117
	Imagining archives	p. 117
	The slave trade	p. 119
	Imagined re-creations	p. 120
	Forging archives	p. 121
	Imagining Shakespeare	p. 122
	Further into the hall of mirrors	p. 132
	Complete fictions	p. 134
	What does forgery tell us about archives?	p. 135
	Conclusion	p. 136
6	Solutions to the silence Valerie Johnson	p. 141
	Introduction	p. 141
	Is legislation the answer?	p. 141
	Challenging silence in the archives: the archivists	p. 142
	Users as creators: taking back the power	p. 149
	Accepting inevitable silence	p. 153
	Changing voices in a new digital world	p. 154
	Conclusion	p. 158
7	Are things getting better or worse? David Thomas	p. 163
	Index	p. 181

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