Discussion : On Appraisal, Selection, &

Acquisition
Read the following case:
The Dominican University Archives has selected and has begun accessioning the collection of a
River Forest resident, who is a neighbor of one of its administrators. (River Forest is the village
where the university is located) Hoping to acquire a collection that could launch the beginning of
distinguished collections in the archives, the university did not hesitate to acquire this particular
collection.
Assume that that same "neighbor" approached the administration about a recent purchase that he
had made at the estate sale of a deceased River Forest resident. The purchase was of some
records of the White Knights of the KKK that the deceased had. The records include documents
describing events, notes, correspondence, and the membership. The "neighbor" paid $50,000 --
the asking price -- for the records, He would like to sell you the records "at cost."
What would you do, if you were the president of the university or the archivist? What would you
do, "in this moment'?
Cite two or more sources on the reading list.
Post your response of no less than 400 words by February 3.

The first thing I would do is look to see if these records had sufficient value to be accessioned.
These records would be classified as intrinsic value because of public interest and historically
significant events involving racism, discrimination, and terrorism in the United States from
creation to today which gives off possible value (“Intrinsic Value in Archival Material” 2016). I
would also look into the quality of the record's importance or usefulness to hold on to them. It
would be important to consider if there's an informational value in this record. Look for factual
information about people, things, or phenomena. Evaluate the evidence value of which of the
records items are essential to show the purpose of the organization the records are about. Verify
if the paperwork is appropriate and clearly defines ownership of the seller with purchase history
or ownership history. Does the seller legally own said records before ever moving forward with
the transaction or conversation. For the price the seller is asking for I would need to research to
find if the uniqueness value was there to justify the price. But also factoring everything I
mentioned in this discussion, as well as if it was negotiable in any. In the same vein think about
what purpose would I serve to buy or obtain these records. How will I physically preserve and or
be used for future purposes. I think this brings up the question of who in society gets to decide
what records are of importance to keep. How would this affect the communities involved in the
acquisition as well as the ones affected by the records subject whether it be a negative or positive
impact? I would also have to determine if these records should be kept as a personal collection or
needed maybe for educational purposes and where will these records live in what environment. I
would also look into if this was material that my instutuion or place of employment would be
interested in. After analyzing what exactly the records entail outside what the seller informs me
of. It could be possible theirs already an established place or organization that has other records
on the KKK. They may want these records to improve their archives or possibly a donation. In
its broadest sense, an appraisal is a judgment about inherent values—the valuation of property,
goods, or other objects in terms of prices or other criteria, by a person who is authorized to make
such a judgment (Menne-Haritz 1994). I believe the process to determine whether these records
be kept for a specific purpose possibly couldn't be made with just one person's decision. I would
need to conduct a group analysis with my team. Focusing on the subject matter, cost, budget, and
record need.

Menne-Haritz, Angelika. 1994. “Appraisal or Documentation: Can We Appraise Archives by

Selecting Content?” The American Archivist 57 (3): 528–
42. https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.57.3.g114464381p11324Links to an external site..
“Intrinsic Value in Archival Material.” 2016. National Archives. August 15, 2016.
https://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/archives-resources/archival-material-intrinsic-
value.html.