What Is Advocacy?
- The Alliance for Justice has a “What is Advocacy?” information sheet.
- The I&A blog includes numerous reflections on what advocacy means for archivists and archives.
- Kate Theimer has written many blog posts exploring advocacy in the archival profession on ArchivesNext.
- Erin Lawrimore’s presentation from the 2013 SAA Annual Meeting, “Get Your House in Order: Advocating for the Profession by Advocating for Your Archives,” explores what it means to advocate within one’s institution.
- SAA offers a one-day workshop on Advocating for Archives.
Archival Advocacy Efforts
Here are resources created by archivists, archives, and interested parties to support archives. In most cases, the history and outcomes of these efforts have not been fully chronicled (at this time). If you have more cases or information please contact us.
- SAA advocacy initiatives, including #AskAnArchivist and American Archives Month
- 2014-2015 SAA President Kathleen Roe’s “A Year of Living Dangerously for Archives” campaign and “Archives Change Lives” video
- Provenance (Vol. 31, no. 1) – Special Issue on Advocacy (2013)
- DORIS (Department of Records and Information Services, New York), 2011-2012
- Jennifer Welch, Susan Hoffius, and Brooke E. Fox, “Archives, Accessibility, and Advocacy: A Case Study of Strategies for Creating and Maintaining Relevance,” Journal of the Medical Library Association, Vol. 99, Issue 1, 2011
- Preserving the American Historical Record (PAHR), 2009
- Save the Georgia Archives!, 2011-2013
- “Budget Cuts to Hobble State Archives in Georgia,” New York Times, 9/27/2012 covers cuts to government archives
- “Roundup of links regarding closing of public access to Georgia State Archives,” ArchivesNext, 9/17/2012
- Society of Georgia Archivists Advocacy
- Social Justice:
- Wendy M. Duff, Andrew Flinn, Karen Emily Suurtamm, David A. Wallace. “Social Justice Impact of Archives: A Preliminary Investigation,” Archival Science, Vol. 13, Issues 4, 2013
- Joy Rainbow Novak, “Examining Activism in Practice: A Qualitative Study of Archival Activism,” 2013
- Teaching:
- Richard J. Cox, “Unpleasant Things: Teaching Advocacy in Archival Education Programs,” InterActions, Vol. 5, Issue 1, 2009
Issues & Advocacy 