under 'Staatliches Schulamt [placename redacted]/ Allgemein/Daten aus
[placename redacted]', is described as containing files on administrative reform,
disciplinary proceedings and meetings of school heads. Under Extent, it is noted that
the entity contains 142 subfolders and 923 files. The inconsistent, heterogeneous
nature of the internal structures in the fonds can be shown when this is contrasted
with another example, the entity 'Information', which comes under 'Staatliches
Schulamt [placename redacted]/Allgemein/Arbeitsschutz und Lehrergesundheit'.
It is described as containing documents on two presentations, and the Extent field
notes that it consists of only seven files (no subfolders).
5.3. Remaining problems, questions and comments
The result of the 'time and motion' study showed that, while such appraisal is not
impossible, it is extremely unsustainable from an economic point of view. For eight
months, three to four hours a day, I viewed and deleted individual files. The time
investment was justified because this was a pilot project, but in the future the effort
must be significantly reduced. The project also highlighted a vicious circle where
such fonds are concerned: due to their size and complexity, one cannot decide
whether it is worthwhile to carry out individual file autopsy without having seen a
substantial proportion of the individual files first.
It is also possible to make a criticism of the authenticity of the outcome, as suggested
by Gilliland and Bischoff: the result is that the agency's actual way of working may
be falsely represented, as significantly more organized than it was.46 In other words,
the existence of disorder is also a historically relevant fact. The literature on
appraisal often encourages archivists to document deletions and the reasons for
them, so that the original fonds can be reconstructed, but this was not possible in
this situation - another idea that is not scalable (although it should be noted that
the original complete folder and file structure has been preserved in the form of
metadata). Is authenticity a value that trumps all others, for example usability?
In this context it should be noted that German archivists already appraise within
databases, a procedure that is sometimes referred to as 'Tailoring'.47
The aim of this analysis is not to argue that such cases should in general be handled
the same way as in this pilot project. In this respect I find Sloyan's suggestions a little
too optimistic: she suggests that 'totally disordered collections should not be
accepted as a prevailing trend' and that 'Many people use directory structures
to store and locate their files, rather than rely on search functions'.48
This assertion appears to be based on the experiences of the Wellcome Library,
which show that 'file organization is more likely to be present the larger the capacity
of the storage media'.49 However, Sloyan does not address the question of whether
the medical scientists whose data the Wellcome Library handles are likely to be more
punctilious in the organization of their (extremely valuable and sensitive) data than
other users in different occupations. It may be, for example, that the creative
professions show less rigor in structuring data than medical researchers or lawyers.
Epilogue
It may one day be possible to steer a middle course between economic
unsustainability and unwanted deletion in cases like ours, by using new
technology.50 The UK National Archives are currently examining whether such
fonds can be made easier to analyze through the use of eDiscovery/data analytics.51
This appears to be a promising line of enquiry, which draws on earlier, similar
suggestions for digital appraisal by authors including Gilliland.52 This software
identifies similar, as well as identical, files, and even thematic patterns indicative of
file relationships within the fonds.53
If a software environment could be developed that would allow visualization of the
data using eDiscovery/data analytics, de-duping and removal of empty folders,
automatic logging of deletions as well as of the original folder structure as part of the
metadata, renaming of folders, and packaging of the data for the digital repository,
the previously described workflow with its various individual tools could be replaced
with a single solution that could offer the archivist a better overview. It would also
address some of the concerns about authenticity.
I therefore conclude this analysis with a new working hypothesis: that the method
developed by the Wellcome Library, which is similar to the approach that was
attempted in our project's initial stages, will work for fonds with a significant
amount of internal structure and organization. These are more likely to come from
individuals than from organizations, although we cannot exclude the possibility
that an organization which consistently follows good records management practices
may also produce a fonds that can be appraised in this way. It is also possible that an
individual may be capable of creating a fonds so chaotic that the Wellcome Library
method would not work. However, in cases of significant internal disorganization,
I propose that the way forward will probably involve either new technologies or the
adaptation to archival needs of technologies already being used by the legal sector.
While this analysis has shown that file-level autopsy is indeed possible, it is also clear
that it is too time-consuming to be sustainable in practice.
praktijk
46 Gilliland, 3 5; Bischoff, 49.
47 Bischoff, 47.
48 Sloyan, 22.
49 Sloyan, 22.
158
isabel taylor a hydra-like Russian doll: appraising and describing the shared drive
of a staatliches schulamt
50 Harvey, 29.
51 The National Archives, The Application of Technology-Assisted Review to Born-Digital Records Transfer, Inquiries
and Beyond: Research Report (2016) 16-17, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/technology-
assisted-review-to-born-digital-records-transfer.pdf. Many thanks to Anthea Seles for drawing this report to
my attention.
52 Gilliland, 37.
53 The National Archives, 17.
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