Archival Appraisal: an analysis of different approaches

Abstract

Objective: Presents the Master degree research results in Information Science and has as general objective to systematize and articulate, in their theoretical and methodological perspectives, the propositions of authors of different theoretical approaches about Archival Appraisal.

Methods: Qualitative Content Analysis, having as empirical basis four texts of different theoretical approaches on document evaluation: "The Appraisal of Modern Public Records" by Theodore Schellenberg; “Macro-appraisal and functional analysis: documenting governance rather than government” by Terry Cook; “Improving Our Disposition: Documentation Strategy” by Helen Samuels; and " A avaliação em Arquivística: reformulação teórico prática de uma operação metodológica" of Armando Malheiro Silva and Fernanda Ribeiro.

Results: it was verified that all the analyzed authors consider that it is impracticable to preserve all documents and that appraisal is the adequate means to manage the large volume of documents produced and accumulated by the organizations. It was also verified that the four approaches converge, with respect to the preservation of a portion of documents that is significant, in some way, to the social memory. However, they differ as to the factors that determine the significance of these documents, namely: their potential for future research; the value that the society attributes to them; the ability to document a topic or area; or their ability to monetize institutional memory.

Conclusions: It concludes that the four approaches interact directly or indirectly through denial, assimilation, reaffirmation, adaptation and / or re-signification of ideas about the different aspects of Archival appraisal.