Articles
Author: Elsie Freeman Finch (National Archives and Records Administration)
Archival advocacy and public relations is a daily activity. Our publics already have an opinion about us, and that opinion is a reflection of the quality of our service and products. In other words, we practice public relations now whether or not we do so consciously. To do it well, we must understand what public relations is and how to integrate it with traditional archival functions. Advocacy, not the implementation of traditional functions, is now the core activity of the archives, but certain misconceptions about how advocacy operates and how we should practice it often prevent us from advocating. Once these misconceptions are laid aside, archivists can practice advocacy, ensuring long-term identification and preservation of, and access to, archives. When archivists understand and practice their role as advocates, certain other changes will take place affecting funding, education and training, products, programs, and collaboration which will further benefit archival institutions and the profession. This essay was originally presented as the keynote address at the MAC Fall meeting, October 6, 1994, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
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How to Cite: Finch, E. F. (1995) “Archival Advocacy: Reflections on Myths and Realities”, Archival Issues. 20(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/archivalissues.10649