Archival Selection, Appraisal, and Acquisition

Utilizing largely a seminar format, the plan of this course is to introduce students to the definitions of archival selection and appraisal, and to the basic theories, principles, techniques, and methods that archivists use for identifying and selecting information with continuing or enduring value. Students will be asked to compare and contrast archival selection and appraisal to related activities in other fields, such as library collection management and development, artifact selection by museum curators, and the analysis of documentary evidence by historians.