We are concerned about the sudden announcement on
April 8, 2004, that the White House has nominated Allen Weinstein to
become the next Archivist of the United States. Prior to the announcement,
there was no consultation with professional organizations of archivists
or historians. This is the first time since the National Archives and
Records Administration was established as an independent agency that
the process of nominating an Archivist of the United States has not
been open for public discussion and input. We believe that Professor
Weinstein must—through appropriate and public discussions and
hearings—demonstrate his ability to meet the criteria that will
qualify him to serve as Archivist of the United States.
When former President Ronald Reagan signed the National
Archives and Records Administration Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-497),
he said that, “the materials that the Archives safeguards are
precious and irreplaceable national treasures and the agency that looks
after the historical records of the Federal Government should be accorded
a status that is commensurate with its important responsibilities.”
Earlier in 1984, when the National Archives Act was being discussed,
Senate Report 98-373 cautioned that if the Archivist was appointed “arbitrarily,
or motivated by political considerations, the historical records could
be impoverished [or] even distorted.”
P. L. 98-497 clearly states that, “The Archivist
shall be appointed without regard to political affiliations and solely
on the basis of the professional qualifications required to perform
the duties and responsibilities of the office of Archivist.” In
1984, House Report 98-707 noted, “The committee expects that [determining
professional qualifications] will be achieved through consultation with
recognized organizations of archivists and historians.” The law
also states that when the Archivist is replaced, the President “shall
communicate the reasons for such removal to each House of Congress.”
President Bush has not given a reason for the change, and there is no
evidence to suggest that it is being made because of John Carlin’s
resignation.
We agree with these statements and believe that the
decision to appoint a new Archivist should be considered in accordance
with both the letter and the spirit of the 1984 law.
We call on the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs
to schedule open hearings on this nomination in order to explore more
fully 1) the reasons why the Archivist is being replaced and 2) Professor
Weinstein’s qualifications to become Archivist of the United States.
Among other issues, we believe it is important to learn more about Professor
Weinstein’s:
Knowledge and understanding of the critical issues
confronting NARA and the archival profession generally, especially the
challenges of information technology, and the competing demands of public
access to government records, privacy, homeland security, and ensuring
the authenticity and integrity of all records.
Thoughts on how NARA should balance competing
interests for protecting sensitive or confidential information with
those seeking to gain access to records created by government agencies.
Ideas for continuing essential programs as well
as important new archival initiatives, such as the Electronic Records
Archives project.
Thoughts on fully supporting the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), whose grants have been
instrumental in starting and supporting the production of published
editions of historical documents and in helping to raise the level of
archival practice at state and local levels.
Experience and demonstrated ability to lead and
manage a large government agency such as NARA.
Plans for protecting the professional integrity
and political non-partisanship of NARA as a governmental agency.
Council of State Historical
Records Coordinators
tslavin@coshrc.org
American Association of
Law Libraries
baish@law.georgetown.edu
American Association for
State and Local History
davis@aaslh.org
American Library Association
fdifulvio@alawash.org
American Historical Association
ajones@historians.org
American Studies Association
asastaff@theasa.org
Association for Documentary
Editing
esther.katz@nyu.edu
Association of Research
Libraries
prue@arl.org
Conference of Inter-Mountain
Archivists
gordon_daines@byu.edu
Coordinating Council for
Women in History
jscanlon@bowdoin.edu
Illinois Library Association,
Social Responsibility Forum
cgulyas@colum.edu
Michigan Archival Association
reynoldsg@hope.edu
Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives
Conference
lisa@soroptimist.org
Midwest Archives Conference
smcshane@iun.edu
National Association of
Government Archives and Records Administrators
tellis@slco.org
timothy.slavin@state.de.us
National Humanities Alliance
jhammer@cni.org
New England Archivists
http://nils.lib.tufts.edu/newengarch/
Northwest Archivists, Inc.
jodi.allison-bunnell@umontana.edu
Organization of American
Historians
oah@oah.org
Progressive Librarians
Caucus
iskra@earthlink.net
Society of American Archivists
ericson@sois.uwm.edu
Society of California Archivists
Wisconsin Library Association
nmcclements@library.wisc.edu
