[SOA] Advocacy and Government Accountability

[Nathan Tallman]

One way to advocate for archives is to remind people of our genesis as a
profession: the French revolution and the need to document actions taken by
government to hold it accountable. The recent Congressional investigations
into the loss of emails at the IRS highlight both the need for accurate
record keeping and *the fact that our government if failing to do so*.  SAA
has issued a response  <
http://www2.archivists.org/news/2014/saa-responds-to-loss-of-irs-emails>.

Many of us work for non-government archives and records centers. We must
remember that in addition to advocating for our own institutions and
collections, we must also advocate for the principles of our profession,
across all levels and domains. This may occasionally put us in tough
positions during lean times: do we fight to get the most for our
collections or do we fight for the greater good, to raise the standard of
record keeping and ensure that our government is capable of achieving our
founding principles.

All of this makes me wonder, how is our own state doing? Does the Ohio
state government have the proper authority, ability, and resources to
effectively provide leadership and ensure its own history is kept? I
honestly don't know the answer. But it makes me wonder. And it makes me
want to find out.

Nathan

--
Nathan Tallman
University of Cincinnati
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