The final theme is that of appropriate archives and records management
education and research. Duchein noted that the loss of archival skills of
palaeography and diplomatic in 19th century Europe led to the establishment of
specialist independent schools to teach historical sciences: the Scuola del Grande
Archivio in Naples in 1811, the Archivalische Unterrichtsinstitut in Munich
in 1821 and the Ecole des Chartes in Paris, also in 1821. These schools taught
archivists as a specialist professional group, generally separately from librarians.
In some countries including France from 1850, only graduates from these schools
could be employed in the national archives. In the later 20th century, modern
archival science programmes developed within universities, often at graduate
level, including in England between 1947 and 1955, and in North America and in
Australia from the 1970s. An analysis of the development of archival education
helps to identify what kind of professional education is needed. How and why did
university education programmes and other routes to professional qualification
develop? What influenced the curriculum and programme developments? How
should professional education develop in future?
The rest of this chapter reflects on these four themes in a little more detail
and draws on the history of archives and archivists in England to illustrate
the points.10
Political engagement and the enactment of legislation
The first theme is political engagement and the enactment of legislation
affecting archives and records. Records and archives are created and maintained
by individuals and organisations whose functions and structures are strongly
influenced by government policies, legislation and regulation. In England,
government recognised the value of records and archives in many enquiries
and reports in the 19th and 20th centuries, but little legislation directly
affecting records, except for the records of central government, was enacted.
Understanding the historical interaction of government policy and legislation
with archives and records (and with archivists and records managers) is critical
to ensuring that archivists play their full and proper role in society in future.
The UK Public Record Office was one of the first national archives in the
world, established by the Public Record Office Act 1838 to secure the
preservation of the records of the courts of law and, after 1852, of central
government administration. At the end of the 18th century public records
were scattered between sixty buildings in London and Westminster including
the Tower of London, Somerset House, Carlton Ride and the Chapter House of
Westminster Abbey.11 A Committee to inquire into the state of public records
was established in 1800. The Record Commission which followed between
1800 and 1837 reported that 'the first and most obvious defect in the present
system is that records are deposited in different and widely scattered buildings.'
PROFESSIE
10 Elizabeth Shepherd, Archives and Archivists in 20th Century England Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate (2009).
11 John D Cantwell The Public Record Office 1838-1958 London: HMSO (1991): 33.
42
