Description
Book SynopsisThis book will explore ways of establishing value and measuring in the archives and specials collections.
There is a vast literature about ways of measuring value for cultural heritage assets as a whole, particularly museums and visitor attractions, but archives and special collections in libraries have largely been overlooked. They have been very poor at garnering statistical data and devising ways of measuring the impact of what they do, unlike museums and visitor attractions with their much heavier footfall.
Do Archives Have Value? discusses the various valuation methods available, including contingent valuation, willingness to pay and value chain, and assesses their suitability for use by archives and special collections. The book also assesses the impact of the transition to the digital in archival holdings, which will transform their character and will almost certainly cost more. The discussion will be set in the context of changing societal expectations of the archive in the wake of child abuse and other scandals where records to address grievances must be kept irrespective of cost.
Trade Review'Comprised of ten impressively informative articles by experts on their subjects, Do Archives Have Value? discusses the various valuation methods available, including contingent valuation, willingness to pay and value chain, and assesses their suitability for use by archives and special collections...A unique, seminal, and expressly organized and presented work of collective scholarship, Do Archives Have Value? will prove to be an essential, core addition to professional, college, and university "Library Science & Technology" collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.'
-- James A. Cox * Midwest Book Review *
'The question the editors of this collection of essays ask seems beguilingly simple: do archives have indeed value? But as Moss and Thomas point out in their introduction to the diverse contributions from across the world, the answer is not as straightforward as it seems.'
-- Danielle Westerhof * InforPro *
Table of Contents1. The Value of the Clinton Emails for Research 2. The Value of Russian Archives Before and After Revolution 3. The Value of Archives in Public Inquiries - The Case of the Hillsborough Tragedy 4. The Value of Find & Connect - Australia's Response to Child Abuse 5. The Chinese Long Tradition of Record Keeping 6. Why and How to Value 7. Valuing Digital Content 8. The Commercialization of Archives.
