Week VIII:

Outreach
March 16, 2011
Education Programs: Outreach as an
Administrative Function
(Elsie Freeman)
 Outreach is an extension of reference
work…
 Mistake to call it decorative or
expendable in comparison to other
administrative duties/tasks
 The “public” is a difficult term…not a
single body of clients
What is Outreach?
 Outreach can range at the least from simple
exhibits, tours, and curatorial talks to more
sophisticated activity, including multilevel
conferences, traveling exhibits, group instruction,
teacher workshops, courses based on the archives
using records as text arid archivists as facilitators,
or cycles of activities focused on a theme or a
period. But in developing any of these educational
services we must first decide for whom we are
producing them, at what level of sophistication they
need to be produced, and in what formats they can
best be supplied to the maximum number of people.
Such development removes from outreach its charity-
basket connotations and turns it into an
administrative device, one in which we make
decisions about whom we serve and in what ways we
serve them.
Discussion Questions???
 Freeman argues that education programs and
outreach activities have long been seen as isolated
and separate events in archival institutions (pg. 282).
Why is this so? If outreach is seen as an extension of
reference work, and reference work is a part of the
technical archival process, then why is outreach not?
Or is this a comment on the “legitimacy” of reference
archivists echoed in writings like Duff and Fox?
 Freeman suggests that archival administration often
sees outreach as superfluous, but then tells that many
archives are doing outreach on their own. If it is so
widely viewed as being decorative or unnecessary,
why are so many archives active in outreach? Why
does she contend that short programs are not
effective?
Who are our Users? Public?
 5 out of 10 Genealogists
 1 out of 10 Casual Researcher
 2 out of 10 Students
 2 out of 10 Researchers likely to Publish
(Study from National Archives)
Outreach Programs
 Organizing Principle:
◦ Reach More Clients in Less Time
◦ Service in Bulk means Multiplying the Number
of Potential Clients
◦ Provide Multiple Service(s) to any Single
Public
 Who will execute these programs?
 Who will pay for them?
 Does the current staff have the skills to
do this? Do we need to hire someone?
Three Possible Options
 Assess Talents of Existing Staff
 Creation of Networks Within a Region
◦ “Talent Networks” like “Research Networks”
 Learn How to Do It Ourselves!!!
◦ Possible Courses, Workshops, Training???
◦ Existing Literature
Do We Charge for Outreach
Programs???
 “Nothing in the world is free. . .. Although a
museum staff with imagination and common
sense can run programs at a very low cost,
ultimately there is a bill. If the audience is
divided into interest groups that pay fees
commensurate with the program or services
received, it is possible to cover all or most of
the costs of the program.”
 Audience size tends to increase after a charge is
levied.
 Provides funds to ensure further such programs
in the future…
Discussion Questions???
 Do you agree or disagree with Freeman’s
approach to “learn how to do it ourselves” if no
other source is available?
 Freeman argues that to pay for outreach
programs…archives should charge for them. She
explains that the National Archives charges for
their outreach programs. How feasible is this
solution for smaller archival facilities? What are
the advantages/disadvantages of charging for
outreach programs?
 How much license should the public have in
determining when they have been given “good
value for their money”? Especially when much of
the general public does not understand how an
archives operates.
Public Programs (Kathleen D. Roe)
 Kathleen D. Roe is the Director of
Operations at the New York State
Archives and a Fellow of the Society of
American Archivists.
 MSLS, Wayne State University (1979)
 BA & MA in History, Michigan State Univ
(1968-1974)
 Has worked at the New York State
Archives for over 32 years in a variety of
positions…
Public Programs
 Serve a crucial function for archives by
acting as the interpreter between a
repository and the public…
 Promote archival goals to acquire and
preserve valuable resources, encourage and
expand the use of historical records, and
raise public awareness of archives and their
purpose…
 Public programs are less clearly defined than
other parts of the total archival process
◦ Different terms…outreach, educational programs,
external programs, development services & public
service
Purpose of Public Programs
 The basic archival functions of acquiring and preserving
records with archival value can be expanded through the use
of public programs…
 Public programs can increase and encourage the use of
archival materials…
 Public programs can raise awareness of archives and their
holdings, as well as identifying the role and uses of records in
society…
 Public programs can be used by archival institutions to
encourage and improve communication with their parent
institutions and with groups who allocate funds…
 Public programs can be an important factor in assuring more
complete documentation in a number of crucial areas…
 Public programs are a major means both for increasing the
types and numbers of archival users, and for encouraging
new and better usage…
The Public Program Audience
 Number of Audiences:
◦ Scholarly and Historical Researcher
◦ Teacher/Student Community
◦ Professionals in Various Fields
◦ Researchers Following Personal Interests
◦ General Public
 Match the general interest areas within
their own particular holdings with groups
who would find them of interest…
Kinds of Public Programs
 Oral Histories
 Basic Information Programs
◦ Brochures, Slide Shows, Tours & Speeches
 Educational programs designed to bring
historical records to students at primary,
secondary, and university level.
◦ Archival teaching packets are a particularly
popular method for reaching student
populations.
 The author mentions finding aids…are
they a public program???
Archival Exhibits
(James Gregory Bradsher &
Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler)
 Both authors have worked for the National
Archives as well as members of SAA.
Ritzenthaler is currently a senior staff member of
the Document Conservation Laboratory in
Preservation Programs for the National Archives
[she gets to handle the Declaration of
Independence].
 Archival exhibits are mounted to interest, inform,
stimulate, entertain, and educate viewers…
 Useful in drawing attention to the resources
available in archival institutions and serve as an
invitation to further research…
Establishing a program and defining
an audience…
 Adopted to fill a need
 Should meet conservation standards
 Scaled to fit resources and expertise
 Written policy statement defining the
objectives of the program???
◦ Regulations and guidelines
◦ Govern type, size, complexity and frequency
 Policy should define audience
 Permanent, semi-permanent or changing
often???
Types of Exhibits
 Two basic types…
◦ Organized around a subject or type of object or
commemorate/celebrate an event
◦ Those that present archival institutions and their holdings
in a favorable light by focusing on various archival activities,
functions, and services
 Thematic or subject exhibits can explain and
interpret historical events, activities, and topics, as
well as simply introduce visitors to the raw materials
of history.
 Exhibits that focus on the institution can explain the
nature and value of archives, describe the mission. of
the archival institution, and depict specific archival
operations.
 Institutional exhibits can be mounted to show the
contributions the archival institution has made to the
community or the world of scholarship.
Choosing a Subject
 Must be selected to meet the interests of
both the viewer and the institution.
 Exhibit staff should try to pose questions
that evoke concrete rather than theoretical
responses (who, when, where, what, how,
etc.)
 Frequently exhibits are mounted in
connection with a specific event, such as a
speech, a conference, or an anniversary. Thus,
the event itself dictates the subject of the
exhibit.
Planning
 First step is research to determine if
resources exist within the archives to
develop the topic.
 Proposal outlining purpose, scope, major
themes & tentative dates.
 Once approved, action plan developed.
 Time allocated:
◦ Research
◦ Conservation Work
◦ Marketing
◦ Installation of Exhibit
Selecting Exhibit Materials
 Integral to Subject Being Presented
 Must Advance Theme or Idea Behind the
Exhibit
 Strong Documentary Value & Visual
Impact
 Quality outranks Quantity
 Written Documents are not Dull (BUT
too many can overwhelm)
 Better to Have Mix of Materials
 Must be Sensitive to Privacy Issues
Designing an Exhibit
 Coordinate the number, size, thematic placement,
and format of the items to be exhibited…
 Space available for the presentation of each
theme…
 Layout in each case or panel should be sufficiently
attractive and interesting to gain and hold the
attention of the viewer
 Visitor traffic patterns need to be studied and
planned in relation to the distribution of display
cases, free-standing panels, and overall room size
in order to eliminate traffic hazards…
 Colors and textures are important design
elements in an exhibit…create mood
 Lighting, labels and overall physical appearance is
very important…
Discussion Questions???
 Where does one go to learn the nuts and bolts of
exhibit design? Bradsher discusses floating mats
and other fun techniques but doesn’t really
explain where to find how-to information on
these processes.
 In your opinion, where do Bradsher &
Ritzenhaler's instructions on building exhibits in
archives fit into the conversation on user needs?
How user-oriented do they expect archives to
be? Working in a small regional manuscript
repository, what amount of time and resources
might you allocate for exhibits?
Preservation
 Records on exhibit are more vulnerable to
damage or theft than those in passive storage.
 Some documents are more susceptible than
others to exposure to light or fluctuating
temperature and relative humidity.
 It is important to acknowledge that damage will
occur and to determine whether this is
acceptable and to what degree (with exhibited
documents).
 Mounting, temperature, humidity, air quality, light
levels and duration of the exhibit must all be
considered.
 Exhibit cases should be air-tight and fitted with
pick-resistant locks.
Program Coordination
 Exhibits must be publicized if the target
audience is going to be aware of their
existence.
◦ Distribution of posters, brochures, and
banners; direct mailings; and listings in tour
guides
◦ Receptions with food (what concerns this
brings up)
◦ Producing a catalog or checklist
◦ Do you use volunteers??? Need to be
supervised…
Administrative Considerations
 Expensive…what are the costs?
 Staff time?
 Outside funding possibilities…
 Do we charge?
 Do we sell items (catalogs, slide sets,
posters and postcards)?
 Do we need items from other institutions
to enhance/complete our exhibit?
 Permanent file on each exhibit should be
created.
Viewing the World Upside Down
(Terry Cook)
 Dr. Cook was the Director of the
National Archives of Canada for over 22
years (retired).
 Currently teaching Archival Studies for
both the University of Ottawa and
Manitoba
 PhD History, Queen’s University (1977)
 Both a Fellow of SAA as well as the
Association of Canadian Archivists
A New Approach to Public Service
and Public Programming…
 Do archivists serve the "general public" or
"cultural elitists?“
 Should archivists think more about
genealogists?
 Are archives and historical researchers
shunning each other, as the profession moves
"toward a new focus of archives for the
people?“
 Should the “public face” of archives now be
considered part of heritage tourism or a
cultural industry (even entertainment)???
New Face of Archives
 Four Phases of Image, Awareness,
Education & Use
 Reference Tools “respond to the needs of
the users rather than the expectations of
archivists.”
 Should describe records to meet
researcher’s needs…
 Look to the Corporate Worlds for
examples…
In Search of Excellence
 Published in 1982 (Tom Peters & Robert H. Waterman, Jr.)
 Sold 3 millions copies in 4 years
 Explores the art and science of management used by leading
1980s companies with records of long-term profitability and
continuing innovation
 Eight Key Themes:
◦ A bias for action, active decision making
◦ Close to the customer
◦ Autonomy and entrepreneurship
◦ Productivity through people
◦ Hands-on, value-driven - management philosophy that guides
everyday practice - management showing its commitment.
◦ Stick to the knitting - stay with the business that you know.
◦ Simple form, lean staff - some of the best companies have
minimal HQ staff.
◦ Simultaneous loose-tight properties - autonomy in shop-floor
activities plus centralized values.
 Know Thy Market, Know Thy Customer…
Discussion Questions???
 After considering Terry Cook’s
contention that archives have been
affected by the American corporate
culture of the 1980s, should archives be
wary of adopting any corporate like styles
of management? Is any emulation of the
way corporate America operates and
manages a slippery and dangerous slope
for archives?
Information Anxiety
 During the writing of this article, over
1,000 books are published internationally
everyday.
 9,600 different periodicals published in
the US alone every year.
 Worlds total amount of printed
information doubles every eight years.
 And remember this was written before
the explosion of the Internet…
Discussion Questions?
 Cook states that archivists should not let the public
programming driven by “trendy consumerism” “betray” the
“organic integrity” of archives (pg. 131). Do you agree that
trends in customer gratification and market research have
influenced the archival profession? If so, is this a negative or
positive impact on archival institutions and archivists? How
can archival records keep their “organic integrity” in a world
concerned with the client, the service, and the satisfaction?
 Cook argues that “Unless the focus of archival work in
appraisal, description and public service and outreach is the
process of records creation and the creator and the archival
materials that result from both, archivists condemn
themselves and their users to a diet of fast food, of quick hits
of facts, names, and dates without context and without much
meaning.” (9) Do you agree of disagree with Cook? Should
archival public programming have a user-driven focus or a
focus on “records creation and the creator and the archival
materials that result from both”?
Discussion Questions???
 How does Terry Cook propose that
archivists can aid in easing information
anxiety?
 Cook mentions “information anxiety” as
defined by Wurman as the inability to keep
up with the flow or information overload. In
light of this constant pressure of material on
repositories is it feasible to want to increase
a repositories “user anxiety” by public
programs and outreach events and exhibits?
Is more always better or should repositories
balance their overloads and should they be
careful what they wish for?