Karen J. Trivette1
ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS 
AND PROPOSED ANSWERS
ABSTRACT
Purpose: There has been some discussion, perhaps even debate, as to whether archival 
science is a true science. This writer was intrigued by the notion that her thoughtfully se-
lected advanced degrees, and by extension her chosen profession and area of research, 
would be considered anything other than a true science. This writer decided to pose the 
question to colleagues and to embark on discovering answers that will satisfy not only 
her own curiosity but also perhaps that of others, as well.
Methods / Approach: This writer performed qualitative research by surveying the schol-
arly literature and by interviewing professional colleagues and asking their positions 
on the matter of whether archival science is a true science.
Results: The results of her investigation proved definitive and she is more convinced 
than ever that her chosen profession, that of archival science, is indeed a true and valid 
science. It was heartening for her to learn how many others agree. 
Conclusions / Findings: Archival science is correctly entitled as such. It follows the norms 
of scientific pedagogical training and practice, has confirmed adjacency to sibling 
sciences -- both applied and social -- and it draws informed conclusions framed by the 
scientific method of discovery.
Keywords: Archival science; applied science; social science; scientific method; discov-
ery; knowledge
1 Karen J. TRIVETTE, 3rd-Year Doctoral Student, Archival Sciences, Alma Mater Europaea-ECM; Professor, 
Fashion Institute of Technology-State University of New York (USA); Head, Gladys Marcus Library Special 
Collections and College Archives (SPARC); 1 West Street, Apartment 2802, New York, NY USA, karen.triv-
ette@almamater.si
 About the Author: Professor Karen Trivette is Head of (Library) Special Collections and College Archives at 
the Fashion Institute of Technology-State University of New York (FIT). At FIT, she oversees the care and 
provision of over 6000 linear feet of special collections and archives materials (1560-present day). She 
holds a BA in Art History (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) and an MLS in Library/Archival Science 
(University at Albany-State University of New York). Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in Archival Science 
(Alma Mater Europaea-ECM; expected 2023). She presents at local, national, and international archives 
conferences and has written and/or edited many publications on topics ranging from fashion forecast-
ing history to archives facility renovation.
50 ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette
1 INTRODUCTION 
In the course of her doctoral academic work, the author became privy to some discus-
sion, and even debate, as to whether Archival Science is a true science. She was intrigued, 
nearly insulted, by the notion that her selected advanced degrees, and by extension her 
chosen profession, would be considered anything other than a true science. She decided 
to pose the question to colleagues and to embark on discovering answers in the schol-
arly literature that would satisfy her own curiosity and perhaps that of others as well.
While the original inquiry for this writer was, “Is archival science a true science?” as she 
conducted her research, she realized that the better question was, “What kind of science 
is, or kinds of sciences are, archival science?
Even still, one can precisely pinpoint exactly when the discipline was first publicized as 
a science in the United States thanks to the recordkeeping of and the reporting on the 
first meeting of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) in 1937. The Washington Evening 
Star highlighted it as such:
Figure 1: Evening Star, June 20, 1937
As a result of her investigation, she is more convinced than ever that her chosen profes-
sion, that of archival science, is indeed a true and valid science.
2 METHODS 
This writer performed qualitative research by surveying the scholarly literature for rel-
evant content and by asking respected and veteran professional colleagues their po-
sitions on the matter of whether archival science is a true science. The latter of these 
approaches is covered in sections 2.2 and 4.3 below.
51ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette
2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW
In 2010, Ketelaar actually posed a similar research question to this writer’s as the title 
of Chapter 5 in Jennie Hill’s The Future of Archives and Recordkeeping: A Reader (2010); he 
asked whether archivistics2 were a science or an art? First, he addresses the position 
some have in that archival science is a creative endeavor and quickly points out that as 
early as the 19th-century, Spanish archives management manuals referred to the “arte 
de archiveros.”3 However, Ketelaar quickly notes that the practices of science and art 
are not, nor do they have to be, mutually exclusive. He recalls that both the science and 
art of archival science are actually connected, and perhaps inseparable by what Gilli-
land-Swetland has called the archival paradigm. She explains that the paradigm is “a set 
of assumptions, principles, and practices that are common to the archival community 
and are a model for its activities and outlook” (2000). 
Still others, such as Winnie Allen, clung to the notion that archivists were creative prac-
titioners. Hardesty introduced readers to Allen, who was the former archivist of the Uni-
versity of Texas at Austin and an early member of SAA from its founding in 1936. Her 
concept of archival work “predated the systemization and professionalization that T.R. 
Schellenberg worked so hard to foster” (2007). Hardesty quotes Allen as she told a jour-
nalist what in her opinion was the difference between a librarian and an archivist; she 
said, “A librarian is categorical; an archivist is creative” (2007).
Ilerbaig circles back, intentionally or not, to Ketelaar, stating that 
science had not been traditionally considered a bureaucratic or administrative en-
terprise in which records and recordkeeping play an important role. On the contrary, 
the scientific enterprise is viewed predominantly in very different terms: as an activ-
ity characterized by its creativity and theoretical ideas, rather than its organizational 
processes (2010). 
Ilerbaig continues to remark that it was not “until the 1960s and 1970s that scholars 
started to focus on science as a social enterprise” (2010) with structures of authority 
in scientific communities. More recently, the issue of science as a practice has come to 
the fore. “Since the 1980s, literature in science studies has focused increasingly on the 
analysis of the process of scientific practice, as opposed to its end results. With the emer-
gence of these new approaches, a view of science as more akin to a record-making and 
recordkeeping bureaucratic enterprise has developed” (Ilerbaig, 2010).
Valderhaug argued that “The emergence of archivistics, or archival science, as a separate 
discipline can be understood” by way of expressing the needs of society “to control the 
information in records and archives.” Similarly, he suggested we may understand the 
“theoretical and methodological development of archival science since the 19th-centu-
ry against the background of changes in societal functions and uses of archives, as well 
as the technological conditions for archiving and communication.” He continued, “I will 
suggest that archival science …has evolved from an auxiliary science of history to be-
come an independent scientific discipline” (2009).
Valderhaug concluded that this evolution and other shifts “have profoundly influenced 
archival thinking and led to the emergence of new and differing professional discourses 
and tendencies” in archival science and other disciplines as well. He declared such an 
evolution is one of the characteristics of a scientific discipline (2009).
2 Archivistics is synonymous with archival science.
3 Translated as “the archivists’ art.”
52 ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette
In a most direct fashion, Henttonen, remarks that 
Archival science is the science of contextual transfer and that contextual transfer 
takes place when information is transferred from one place and point in time (con-
text) to other places and points in time. Archival science examines this transfer: what 
makes information usable across contexts; what information should be transferred; 
how the information should be organized, managed, and preserved; what the trans-
ferred information is used for and what are the impacts that the information has for 
individuals and the society. This view to archival science connects it explicitly with 
other information sciences and opens possibilities for both the records profession 
and its research (2019).
2.2 PROFESSIONAL COLLEAGUE INTERVIEWS
On 19 September 2022, this writer interviewed Dr. Robert P. Griffin, Jr., Dean, College 
of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity (CEHC) and Prof. Dr. 
Carol Anne Carr Germain, Chair of the CEHC Department of Information Science and Tech-
nology (IST); CEHC is part of the State University of New York-University at Albany (NY). 
Together and separately, Griffin and Germain drove home the point that the College and 
Department were not only science-driven but also a melding of policy, information, and 
technology, which together are formed from each of their own scientific elements.
Dean Griffin, echoing Valderhaug, declared archival science as “an ever-evolving sci-
ence” but with solid roots. Prof. Dr. Germain noted how one of the fastest growing sec-
tors within IST is in the field of Informatics especially as it relates to health information 
management and with tethers to the UAlbany health sciences departments of biology, 
public health, and nursing. Of special concern are data analytics and policy components 
surrounding and influencing the gathering, storage, and use of personal data within an 
information system both in terms of the system’s design and its use. Regarding matters 
of policy, Germain pointed to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 
1996 (US) and the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) as examples.
Dean Griffin spoke at length about the matter of security – be it cyber, medical, legal, 
or otherwise – and that the security of information (and that which is affected by it) is 
dependent on secure data management. He pointed out that digital preservation is be-
coming more and more a mission critical component of archival science practice. Basi-
cally, if the data are not preserved properly, then the security of the information and 
by extension, the associated enterprise (person, organization, government, etc.) is at 
greater risk to untold compromises.
Other matters discussed were the digital aspects of scholarly communications, predic-
tive analytics, and emergency preparedness. All three of these aspects are supported by 
a systematic (i.e. scientific) approach to data management and preservation.
Dean Griffin summed up his thoughts by declaring if [archival science] is not a science, then 
it has to be[come] a science and one based solidly on the element of trust. This of course 
harkens back to Derrida’s opening paragraph in Archive Fever: A Freudian Impression:
Let us not begin at the beginning, nor even at the archive. But rather at the word 
“archive”- and with the archive of so familiar a word. Arkh we recall, names at once 
the commencement and the commandment. This name apparently coordinates two 
principles in one: the principle according to nature or history, there where things 
commence - physical, historical, or ontological principle - but also the principle ac-
cording to the law, there where men and gods command, there where authority, 
social order are exercised, in this place from which order is given...(1995).
One can then extrapolate that archival scientists are the stewards of truth.
53ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette
3 RESULTS 
The results of this writer’s investigation proved definitive, and she is convinced more 
than ever that her chosen profession, that of archival science, is indeed a true and valid 
science. It was heartening for her to have learned how many others agree, within and 
beyond the immediate profession. The DISCUSSION segment below explains why.
4 DISCUSSION
4.1 (ARCHIVAL) SCIENCE METHOD IN CONTEXT
To help make her case, the author put archival science to the test by exploring how the 
classical scientific method related to archival theory and practice.
The scientific method proposes six steps; they are 1. Make an observation; 2. Ask one 
or more questions; 3. Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation; 4. Make a prediction 
based on the hypothesis; 5. Test the prediction; and 6. Iterate. The author will address 
each of these separately.
When one makes an observation in a scientific capacity, one observes, examines, or sur-
veys specimens -- in archival science’s case, specimens are records -- to declare a record 
unit as archival, historical, or otherwise worth preserving permanently. Conversely, ar-
chival scientists determine which records are not represented in our respective reposi-
tories and procure them. In short, we employ appraisal tactics.
In the course of asking one or more questions, archival description mandates that we 
question what informational elements need to be recorded to reveal just enough for 
researchers to qualify a record unit as relevant to their research.
In the case of stating hypotheses or testable explanations, a potential hypothesis might 
be, “This records unit will serve x, y, and/or z researchers well and lead to an enlarged 
corpus of scholarly understanding.” A more pointed hypothesis statement would be, “If 
we expend valuable resources to preserve and make accessible x records, then we fur-
ther satisfy our repository’s mission.” 
Based on this hypothetical, we can then make a prediction: “Given that other record units 
in our possession that are analogous to the ones in question moved the repository’s mis-
sion forward, then it is quite probable that it will be a sound decision to acquire and 
commit resources towards the new accrual’s permanent care and provision.”
To test the prediction, once records are acquired, personnel will devise a plan to promote 
and advocate for their use. This can be achieved with an extended outreach program 
to targeted researcher audiences. It would also be necessary to evaluate and/or assess 
researcher satisfaction. 
Ultimately, archival scientists would respond iteratively and use the results of their eval-
uation to create new hypotheses and/or predictions. Indeed, each deliberative scenario 
should lead to a more refined collection and provide for evermore targeted audience 
engagements. Current and future archival questions that are explored and methodical-
ly answered have the potential to inform the next intellectual challenge and/or scien-
tific inquiry. 
In the most basic of terms, archival science makes routine use of the scientific method as 
practitioners carry out the field’s core functions and beyond.
4.2 NOT ONE SCIENCE, BUT MANY
Speaking of iteration, let us revisit the question, “What kind of science is, or kinds of 
sciences are, archival science?
54 ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette
If you believe that “proximity is power” (Robbins, 2022), then let us immediately consid-
er the most certain adjacency that archival science has to other sciences; they are Library 
Science; Information Science; Media Studies; and Computer Science.
Before diving deeply into such alignments, let us explore the definition of science. 
According to the Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science, science in the mod-
ern sense is both a discovery as well as an invention (OCHMS, 2003). Further, the Merri-
am-Webster Online Dictionary describes science as not only knowledge per se, but also as 
a “system of knowledge in which truths or laws are discovered and challenged through 
the process of the scientific method” (M-WOD, 2011).
Therefore, if we accept, or at least consider that archival science is an amalgamation of 
sciences, then what are those fields of scientific study? This writer’s initial instinct was to 
align the practice of archival science with the branch of applied sciences.
According to Wikipedia, applied science “applies existing scientific knowledge to devel-
op more practical applications, including inventions and other technological advance-
ments” (Wikipedia, 2022). Again, science is the enterprise that builds and organizes 
knowledge about the universe. In archival science’s case, the universe could be a single 
record, an entire fonds, or the full concept of archives and records management.
The following applied sciences, and perhaps others, too, can be together an amalgama-
tion that collectively serve as conceptual scaffolding to support and otherwise define 
archival science as a true science.
Applied engineering is the field concerned with “the application of management, de-
sign, and technical skills for the design and integration of systems, the execution of new 
product designs, the improvement of manufacturing processes, and the management 
and direction of physical and/or technical functions of a firm or organization” (Wikipe-
dia, 2003). These defining points relate clearly to archival records processing.
Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field of study that “identifies, investigates, and 
offers solutions to language-related problems” (Wikipedia, 2022). Consider the convey-
ance of a message via various media and then consider the reasoning behind and crea-
tion of finding aids and metadata catalog records. 
Education is “any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character, or 
physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, education is the process by which 
society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, and values” (Wikipe-
dia, 2022) from one to another. Archival theory and practice, by design, is an educational 
enterprise.
Forensic science is the application of a “broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions 
of interest to a legal system” (Wikipedia, 2022). Consider the need for physical and dig-
ital preservation vis-a-vis the demands of a legal system that requires absolute meas-
ures of authenticity, validity, credibility, integrity etc.; in other words, legal systems re-
quire records that hold legitimate and verifiable evidentiary value.
Perhaps the most direct applied science to align with archival science is management. 
At its most simple, management is “getting people together to accomplish desired goals 
and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively” (Wikipedia, 2022). 
The operation of a repository, the processing of an archival fonds, and/or establishing 
a digital preservation workflow all require solid management skills and experience.
But the adjacency exercise does not end with the scientific branch of applied science. 
Indeed, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC-Ch) Prof. Dr. Helen Tibbo 
stated, “I regard archival science to be a social science that underlies professional prac-
tice. Academics and practitioners not only manage all phases of the information/data 
55ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette
lifecycle, they also conduct research that supports their practice and the profession as 
a whole. Archivists investigate/conduct research on all components of the information 
lifecycle” (Tibbo, 2022).
Social sciences then is another of the branches of science to be considered adjacent; 
this branch is devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals 
within those societies. Of the many social sciences, the following have the most rele-
vant adjacency to archival science: anthropology; communication studies; history; law; 
and psychology. 
For a breakdown of how these select social sciences relates to archival science, please 
consider the following:  
Anthropology: The totality of human existence and experience; this is what archives 
strive to convey;
Communication studies: The sharing of symbols to create meaning; this matter of surro-
gacy is reflected in finding aids and creating digital images; 
History: The interpreting the record of human beings and their societies and institutions;
Law: An established system of rules that are capable of enforcement through institu-
tions; consider archival science’s best practices, security measures, etc.; and
Psychology: This is concerning behavioral and mental processes; for example, archi-
val description must be concerned with the user experience rather than an archivist’s 
indulgence. 
Also worth mentioning is the undeniable kinship archival science has to certain natural 
sciences including but not limited to biology (archival arrangement and description can 
mimic the organic, structural, hierarchical frame of the taxonomic rank)4 and chemistry 
(preservation and conservation tactics and materials). 
4.3 ARCHIVAL SCIENCE PLACEMENT IN UNIVERSITY CURRICULA 
Earlier, this writer mentioned the science of education and its relation to archival sci-
ence broadly. However, she was curious to investigate another clue or measure of confi-
dence that archival science is a true science, that being the placement of archival science 
advanced degree programs into a broader curricular context.
Her investigation covered three universities, each of which she has attended and/or 
graduated from: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH); the State Uni-
versity of New York-University at Albany (SUNY-UAlbany); and Alma Mater Europaea-Eu-
ropean Center Maribor, Slovenia (AME-ECM). The following is an examination of each of 
these institutions and in that order. 
UNC-Ch hosts the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) and confers the Master 
of Science degree as well as the Doctor of Philosophy. SILS is a distinct school within 
the larger university curriculum and offers an archives and records management con-
centration. For context, UNC-Ch first offered courses in library science during the sum-
mer of 1904. Students were charged a five dollar fee and received a certificate upon 
completion of their courses. An official UNC-Ch School of Library Science opened in 1931 
and welcomed thirty-seven students into the fall term with instruction from five fac-
ulty. Then, in 1987, “recognizing the growing importance of the study of information 
use and management” (UNC-Ch, 2022), the curriculum incorporated a broader scope and 
thereby instigated another name change, that to the School of Information and Library 
4 The ranking is: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Compare this to 
fonds, subfonds, series, subseries, file, item.
56 ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette
Science. Please refer to a brief response from UNC-Ch’s Prof. Dr. Helen Tibbo, Alumni Dis-
tinguished Professor, UNC School of Information and Library Science with expertise in 
archives and records management, beginning on page 11.
An educational institution’s mission statement can also offer clues to whether archival 
science is a true science. For example, the SILS mission statement states that the school
educates innovative and responsible thinkers who will lead the information profes-
sions; discovers principles and impacts of information; creates systems, techniques, 
and policies to advance information processes and services; and advances informa-
tion creation, access, use, management, and stewardship to improve the quality of 
life for diverse local, national, and global communities (UNC-CH, 2022).
SUNY-UAlbany positions its archives and records management concentration within 
the Information Science (IS) Master program. IS is a department within the university’s 
broader CEHC (College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecu-
rity). IS is also a pedagogical part of the university’s STEM (science, technology, engi-
neering and mathematics) series of academic programs. 
Let us expand the lens and consider an international institution, that being Alma Mater 
Europaea-European Center Maribor (Slovenia) or AME-ECM. 
A consortium of university programs administered by the European Academy of Sci-
ence and Arts, Alma Mater Europaea strives to cultivate international leadership in 
a variety of fields including education, culture, and law, among others. Alma Mater 
Europaea is an international university based in the Austrian city of Salzburg, with 
campuses in several European cities…The founding board stated that Alma Mater Eu-
ropaea would be based on three principles: Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft, Wirken. In Eng-
lish, this means: Science, Economy, Effect.
AME-ECM offers two Bologna levels of higher education leading respectively to the Ar-
chiving and Documentation Master degree and the Archival Science Doctoral degree. Its 
programs are accredited by the National Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Quality 
in Higher Education’s
Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency (discussed below on pages 17-18).
While merely three universities do not make a pattern, this writer can appreciate each 
example highlighted here as informed and strategic institutions regarding their peda-
gogical structure, academic programming, and degree conference.
4.4 ACCREDITATION, CERTIFICATION, AND PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES CONSIDERATIONS
Accreditation, certification, and identified competencies and standards also lend to the 
definition and/or identification of a science-related program. In the case of archival sci-
ence, this writer will introduce accrediting and certifying bodies and note the various 
relevant points as they relate to practice in the United States and to that of Slovenia/
Europe. She also will review specific points through the lenses of the three universities 
already mentioned.
Broadly speaking, accreditation in higher education is defined as “a process of external 
quality review created and used by higher education to scrutinize institutions and pro-
grams for quality assurance and quality improvement” (Eaton, 2009).
The American Library Association (ALA) is the entity that accredits master’s programs in 
library and information studies across the United States. The accreditation workflow 
begins with a review process, which is conducted by an external panel of authorities 
that verifies a program meets the “Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in 
Library and Information Studies” (ALA, 2022). The goal of accreditation is “to ensure edu-
57ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette
cational quality, judged in terms of demonstrated results in supporting the educational 
development of students” (ALA, 2022).
Graduating from an ALA-accredited program not only provides flexibility regarding the 
types of jobs graduates can apply for but also enhances their career mobility. In fact, 
“many employers require an ALA-accredited master’s degree for professional level po-
sitions” (ALA, 2022).
All graduate programs that include archival science and/or archives and records man-
agement concentrations at UNC-Ch and SUNY-UAlbany are accredited by the ALA.
4.4.1 UNC-CH
While specific exit competencies and learning objectives were not available at the time 
of this publication, as ALA-accredited programs, UNC-Ch graduates from MSLS or MSIS 
degree programs will be prepared to
• Employ the ethics, values, and foundational principles of the library profession.
• Promote democratic principles and intellectual freedom (including freedom of ex-
pression, thought, and conscience).
• Consider the history of libraries and librarianship and their role within the context of 
society.
• Recognize the history, preservation, and dissemination of information in all its forms, 
and its impact on libraries.
• Identify current types of libraries (school, public, academic, special, etc.) and closely 
related information agencies, such as museums, archives, and galleries.
• Identify social, public, information, economic, and cultural policies and trends of sig-
nificance to the library and information profession on the local, regional, national, 
and international levels.
• Understand the legal framework in which libraries operate, including laws relating 
to copyright and fair use, privacy, freedom of expression, equal rights (e.g., the Amer-
icans with Disabilities Act), open access, and intellectual property.
• Effectively advocate for libraries, librarians, other library workers, patrons, and ser-
vices, especially in terms of marketing, fundraising, and outreach.
• Use techniques to identify, codify, and analyze complex problems and create appro-
priate and collaborative solutions within library environments.
• Demonstrate effective verbal and written communication techniques, including 
electronically via video, live chat, and email.
• Hold current certification, degree, and/or licensure requirements of specialized areas 
of the library profession (ALA, 2022).
The UNC-Ch School of Information and Library Science (SILS)’s Master of Science in Li-
brary Science (MSLS) and Master of Science in Information Science (MSIS) degree pro-
grams were granted continued accreditation from the ALA Committee on Accreditation 
through 2029. 
4.4.2 SUNY-UAlbany
There are many learning objectives that SUNY-UAlbany students are expected to attain 
through their course of study within their archival science academic program and to 
earn the Master of Science graduate degree. After successful program completion, stu-
dents will
• Demonstrate a sense of professional identity by applying the concepts and principles 
58 ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette
of library and information sciences and related disciplines.
• Know the history of the information professions and understand the changing roles 
of information professionals in a global environment.
• Create, select, acquire, organize, describe, manage, preserve, retrieve and dissemi-
nate information using relevant theories and practices.
• Assess information needs of diverse and underserved populations and provide re-
sources and instruction to meet those needs.
• Recognize the crucial role of users in the development and delivery of user-centered 
information systems and services.
• Formulate, interpret and implement information policy including issues of privacy, 
equity, intellectual property, and intellectual freedom.
• Promote and demonstrate the use of ethical standards in the creation, management 
and use of information.
• Conduct and apply research to develop, maintain and evaluate information content 
and assess information services.
• Understand, implement and use appropriate technologies in the delivery of informa-
tion content and services.
• Apply management principles to the creation, administration and promotion of infor-
mation organizations and systems.
• Understand the information environment and build collaborative relationships to 
strengthen library and information services and literacy (SUNY-UAlbany, 2022).
The SUNY-UAlbany programs are currently ALA-accredited through 2027.
4.4.3 AME-ECM
Doctoral study of Archival Science (AS) enables candidates to have access to the most 
demanding skills and research needs in the field of archival theory and practice that are 
based on national and international foundations and standards. 
As mentioned previously, the AS program is accredited by the National Agency of the Re-
public of Slovenia for Quality in Higher Education’s Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency 
(SQAA). SQAA was founded in 2010 and was established to:
• Professionalize evaluation procedures by including the stakeholders in decision-mak-
ing process;
• Work transparently and according to principle of impartiality;
• Be responsible to the public; and
• Monitor procedures and correct the deficiencies according to predefined criteria.
SQAA is included in the European Register of Agencies and is a full member of the European 
Consortium for Accreditation, the Central and Eastern European Quality Assurance Agencies, 
and the International Association of Quality Assurance Agencies. Since 2015, SQAA has been 
a full member of the European Quality Assurance Association for Higher Education.
While not an accrediting organization, SAA (Society of American Archivists) offers stren-
uous guidelines for the development and sustainability of graduate level curricula in ar-
chival science programs. “The importance and complexity of archival work require that 
individuals entering the profession receive a strong graduate-level archival education 
based on core archival knowledge complemented by knowledge drawn from other dis-
ciplines such as anthropology, economics, education, history, law, library and informa-
tion science, management, museum studies, and sociology” (SAA, 2016). 
59ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette
SAA guidelines dictate that a fully developed graduate program in archival science must 
establish a curriculum that:
• Provides students with a solid foundation in the theory, methodology, and practice of 
archival science, and in archival history and scholarship;
• Strengthens this foundation by giving students the opportunity to acquire knowl-
edge from allied and complementary disciplines;
• Assists students to develop critical thinking and decision-making skills related to all 
forms of records in the context of business, government, public needs, scientific re-
search, or the protection of cultural heritage;
• Prepares students to manage and preserve authentic and trustworthy records as well 
as relevant materials regardless of format;
• Prepares students to conduct and communicate scholarly research;
• Prepares students to teach classes and workshops in archival literacy and the uses of 
archival resources; and
• Communicates to students the ethical and legal dimensions of their work and im-
presses upon them a sense of their professional and social responsibilities for the 
public good and serving diverse groups (SAA, 2016).
Institutional settings vary greatly. The increasingly digital and hybrid nature of records 
demands a broader range of skills and knowledge. These, combined with “a compre-
hensive understanding of archival theory and its practical application” will more cer-
tainly lend to graduates being able to manage and preserve past, present, and future 
archival content (SAA, 2016).
Upon successful certification, Academy of Certified Archivists’ members demonstrate 
continuing professional commitment reaching beyond education and experience. Cer-
tified archivists possess and further develop expertise in and knowledge of all aspects 
of archival management. “By demonstrating mastery of a defined body of knowledge 
and skills for successful archival practice, Academy members share a high level of pro-
fessional attainment that has been verified by certification” (ACA, 2022).5
4.5 IMAGE AS SCIENTIST
Life is a constant duel between perception and reality. -- Sonny Long
Readers, please consider Long’s quote above; this writer would challenge one to ask 
why not call the duel a tie and bring perception and reality into alignment with each 
other? Only when archival scientists understand the role of scientists broadly can they 
determine if they accept or define themselves as scientists.
According to the Science Council, a scientist is “someone who systematically gathers and 
uses research and evidence, to make hypotheses and test them, to gain and share un-
derstanding and knowledge” (2022). A scientist can be further defined by how they ex-
ecute these steps (i.e. by use of statistics or data); what they’re curious about and trying 
to understand; and where they apply (and how they use) their scientific knowledge. The 
business or industry of archival scientists is a matter of questioning and research and is 
a confidence-building enterprise. All scientists, whatever their industry, are united by 
their relentless curiosity and systematic approach to satisfying it.
5 The Academy of Certified Archivists has developed a useful list of domains of archival knowledge. See 
the “Role Delineation” section of the Handbook for Archival Certification (found within the “Exam Hand-
book”) online at http://www.certifiedarchivists.org. 
60 ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette
Leonard also grapples with perception but analyzes the concept further as he riffs off 
the original quote, which discusses possession:
“Perception is nine-tenths of the law” means: in the absence of clear and compelling tes-
timony or documentation to the contrary, the person in actual, custodial possession of the 
belief or perception is presumed to be the rightful owner; it is his reality. -- Jay Leonard
4.6 ADVOCACY WITHIN AND BEYOND
As noted above, ALA declares that successful archivist scientists must and will advocate 
for the profession, its peer practitioners, and the services they provide. Therefore, ar-
chival scientists must perceive themselves as scientists before they can successfully sell 
the concept and advocate for themselves as scientists. Questions remain; if “archivist as 
scientist” is not a self-perception, then why not? If not, then how do we persuade others 
of our expertise to relevant audiences including ourselves? Furthermore, since archival 
scientists are so concerned with context, then why not contextualize their discipline ap-
propriately? This writer is convinced that that is a charge for all archival scientists. She 
also believes that there is much more to discover along this particular path of inquiry.
5 CONCLUSION
This research effort has been a collective pursuit of 
Discovery (facilitate);
Knowledge (fashion): giving the discovered shape and form;
Understanding (formulate): knowingly formulate conclusions; and
Wisdom (further): accepting conclusions into cannon of behavior
Whatever its particular flavor, science is always pointed toward the concept of discov-
ery. In fact, it is my position that the measure of an archival scientist’s success is gauged 
in large measure by the extent to which s/he helps to make information discoverable, 
possibly knowable, and perhaps even understandable, all by design. Even after all of 
those responsibilities are satisfied, an archival scientist’s mission does not end there. 
Indeed, s/he is charged to go another step beyond: that being to share discoveries — 
and that which is known and understood about them — as far as resources allow and as 
widely as possible. This is the ultimate goal of our science: as archival scientists, we es-
tablish and secure not only our collective memory but also that of its evolutionary path 
ultimately to a shared collective wisdom.
6 REFERENCES
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62 ARCHIVAL SCIENCE? EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND PROPOSED ANSWERS Karen J. Trivette