STHC-L: The Science, Technology and Health Care Archives Forum

Re: Grad student seeks input; Here's survey on list-servs as evidence

• Date:   Mon, 02 Aug 2004 08:26:21 -0700
• To:   sthc-l@library.ucla.edu
• From:   Deborah Day   < Deborah AT library.ucsd.edu >
• Subject:   Re: Grad student seeks input; Here's survey on list-servs as evidence
• Message-ID:   s10dfab6.025@LIBRARY.ucsd.edu

Filled out survey, below. DD.

Deborah Day
Archivist
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0219 USA
tel: (858) 534-4878
fax: 858 534 5269
web: http://scrippsarchives.ucsd.edu/

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SURVEY ON THE VALUE OF LIST-SERVS AS EVIDENCE

1. Do you consider list-servs to comprise records? No

2. Do you consider list-servs to offer value as evidence? No, not at this point in time. 
When list-servs were first introduced, they offered valuable insights to the communities 
I serve (university/science). Now they are too large, too broad, and people don't use 
them to reach consensus as they did when list-servs were first introduced.
Library/archival list-servs now seems to be simply gossip magnets.

3. If so, how are you defining evidence? I'm using the archives definition of evidence, 
proof of authenticity and authority.

4. If so, which archives-oriented or library-oriented list-servs do you think offer evidential value? 
None of them.

5. Creators of archives-oriented or library-oriented list-servs are often their users. 
Do you think these creators can determine the evidential value of such list-servs? 
No, because a lot of the people who use those list-servs are low level processors, not 
archivists. An appraisal of this sort would have to be made by archivists familiar eith 
the principles of selection and appraisal.

6. Do you think list-servs have altered or are altering how archivists or librarians 
conduct evidence-seeking or research? No.

7. Do you think specific archives-oriented or library-oriented list-servs warrant archiving? 
No. Although they can be used to locate controversies, and controversies can be an interesting 
way to document communities.

8. If so, which one(s) and why?

9. If you're the administrator for an archives-oriented or library-oriented list-serv, 
is there an archiving policy in place regarding the list-serv? No.

10. If so, if this policy is publicly available online please provide the URL.

11. Who do you think should be responsible for maintaining archives of archives-oriented or 
library-oriented list-servs? SAA, or the regional organizations that create and maintain them.

12. How long should archives of archives-oriented or library-oriented list-servs be maintained? 
I don't think they have the research values exhibited by records of permanent value. 

Please feel free to provide additional comments. Thanks for your help and time!