Administrative Use and Users

(Partially funded by the Mellon Fellowship for the Study of Modern Archives)

Understanding administrative use and users was the first research directed toward an understudied archival user population. The research examined the information seeking patterns and needs of administrative users and found that they relied heavily on archivists to locate, select, and interpret primary sources for them. As a result, administrative users judged the authenticity of information by their level of trust in the archivist.

Articles: W. R. Brown, jr. and E. Yakel, "Redefining the Role of College and University Archives in the Information Age," American Archivist, 59/3 (Summer) 1996.

E. Yakel, and L. Bost, "Administrative Use and Users in College and University Archives," American Archivist 57/4 (Fall) 1994.

Investigators: Elizabeth Yakel, William R. Brown, and Laura Bost Hensey

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