n.activities in which archivists and their allies engage to gain support for archival records, the institutions that manage these records, archivists, and the archives professionO’Toole and Cox 2006, 131If public programs are intended to raise public awareness of archival programs and work, then advocacy activities to bring about specific results such as legislation, changes in public policy, or greater government financial support, are not less important.Welch, Hoffius, and Fox 2011, 57By combining traditional archival administration with innovative uses of digital collections aimed at institutional promotion and outreach, the Waring’s digital library became an advocacy tool that led to the Waring’s enhanced value to its parent institution.Hackman 2011, vii[Advocacy is] activities consciously aimed to persuade individuals or organizations to act on behalf of a program or institution.Dearstyne 2011, 138This case study analyzes the advocacy work behind the dramatic expansion of the New York State Archives’ local government records program during 1981–1995 and the campaign to continue the program’s new external funding source beyond a statutory 1995 “sunset.”Haws 2011, 199In short, successful archival advocacy in an organization is based on nurturing and maintaining important relationships and never missing an opportunity to demonstrate the value of the archives to the larger institution.Greene 2015, 29Advocacy on behalf of your staff presents an additional opportunity to connect, in person or through a message, to your boss and to continue educating him or her about what your program does and why it matters.SAA 2016SAA’s advocacy efforts are directed to three principal audiences: We target policymakers for important messages on archives- and records-related public policy. We work to raise general public awareness of the importance of archives—and the important work of archivists. And we provide resources for members to enhance advocacy within their own organizations with key decision makers, colleagues, and others.
Notes
The importance of advocacy to archives and the archival profession was recognized by the Society of American Archivists with the establishment of the J. Franklin Jameson Archival Advocacy Award in 1989, which honors an individual, institution, or organization that promotes greater public awareness, appreciation, or support of archival activities or programs.Although most often used broadly, in some contexts, advocacy is concerned more with influencing legislative and regulatory (i.e., public policy) decisions of government at all levels and is distinguished from activities involved in influencing groups other than legislators or regulators, such as the general public, institutional resource allocators, and users of archives.
