Category Archives: Book Review

Archives in the Ancient World

Getting back to the classics & connecting to the ancient origins of the profession

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Archives in the Ancient World is a great introductory text for those researching the history of ancient archives. As the first general survey of archival techniques and institutions, Ernst Posner’s book explores the relationships between ancient archives and the organizations that created them from the Near East to the Neo-Parthian Empire.

Before its publication in 1972, archives professionals knew little about the practices of their Egyptian, Greek and Roman predecessors. In this work, Posner encourages us to look to the history of archives and records administration to guide us into the future. While his book is rich with historical details, he suggests that our reflection and use of this history should be practical, rather than just a function of our own curiosity. In our ever-changing profession, this book challenges archivists to apply historical background to our own experience as one way to enrich our professional practice.

New Book on the Reference Shelf

Primary Source Collections in the Pacific Northwest: An Historical Researcher's Guide

Nancy Bunker, a trained archivist and historian, is the perfect tour guide for Pacific Northwest scholars writing about the history of the region. She provides a detailed look at 175 institutions and their collections. Covering a broad cross-section of repositories — from academic to public libraries, museums & historical societies to government archives — each profile includes contact information, directions, URLs and email addresses, costs, accessibility, and subject specialties. She also provides a variety of indexes, which enables users to search by county, date range of material, ethnicity/religion, and subject. You can find this book on the Archives Reference Shelf. (LC Call No. Z 732.N95 B86 2005)