The Silence of the Archive

What archivist hasn't fielded a request for records not held by their repository? Variations in record keeping through time and by country can undermine researchers' hopes. Thomas (iSchool, Univ. of Northumbria; coauthor, Shakespeare in the Public Records), Simon Fowler (associate teaching fellow, Univ. of Dundee; coauthor, Army Records for Family Historians), and Valerie Johnson (interim director, Research and Collections, National Archives) present a comprehensive treatment of the whys behind archival gaps, addressing the "silences" caused by record creation, destruction, and retention and the impact of technology on the preservation of records. The authors emphasize that archivists are imperfect gatekeepers of documentation for the public memory, whose decisions about what constitutes historic significance, sometimes influenced by unconscious biases, determine the availability of records. Limited resources and the sheer volume of digital records pose challenges for chronically understaffed and underfunded archives. Engaging with Records and Archives, edited by Fiorella Foscarini and others, offers case studies of similar issues, while The Craft of Knowledge, edited by Carol Smart and others, approaches the topic from the researcher's perspective.