Texas questionnaire on professional issues

Attention records managers, archivists and preservation administrators in
texas:

The Spring Seminar in Archival Enterprise of the Graduate School of
Library and Information Science of The University of Texas at Austin
asks archivists, preservation administrators who work with record
material, and records managers in Texas to complete the questionnaire
below and return it to us by email or snail mail by March 31.

The questionnaire is being distributed as part of a project the Seminar
is engaged in to gather and analyze information for the Texas Historical
Records Advisory Board.  The Board is beginning a two-year strategic
planning process, the first step of which is preparation of a report
describing and characterizing the current state of archival enterprise,
records management, and preservation administration in Texas.  A
questionnaire in paper form is being prepared and will be distributed
soon to directors of archival, records management, and preservation
administration functions to gather information on their programs.

The questionnaire below is designed to gather data from archival,
records management, and preservation professionals from their personal
perspective on the state of their profession and its work in Texas.
Consequently, we ask every person working in Texas with archives, in a
records management capacity, and/or in preservation administration as it
applies to records to help us, and to help the Board in its capacities
as advisor to the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission on grant requests from Texas and as a center for focusing
concerns of these three professional communities in Texas, by giving us
your views.

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    Respondents name:
    Name of institution:

    1.Regardless of your job title, do your responsibilities in working
    with records include the work of (check all appropriate):  ___ an
    archivist, ___ a records manager, ___ a preservation administrator,
    ___ other (please identify).

    2.Are you in regular and effective working contact with persons in
    one or more of the professions (archives, records management,
    preservation administration) other than your own?

    3.If you have such contact, what are the issues common to yours and
    the other profession(s) with which you deal (e.g.: electronic
    records, preservation of different records formats, retention
    schedules, funding and outreach)?

    4.Do you belong to the professional association of, or subscribe to
    the journal of, ___ your own profession, ___ one or ___ both of the
    other two professions?

    5.Do you believe that the work of those in the other professions has
    a positive impact on your achieving your goals (that is, for
    example, that archival work in your organization contributes to your
    work as a records manager, or vice versa)  ___ yes, ___ no, ___ no
    opinion, ___ not applicable.

    6.Would you find it useful to have inter-profession discussion of
    common records issues in Texas?  Y / N

    7.If so, what method of communication would best accomplish the
    exchange of ideas among the three professions?  Please rank with "1"
    being the most useful:

    a. ___ newsletter
    b. ___ formal organization, as a state-level version of the National
    Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators
    c. ___ listserv
    d. ___ regular meeting (how frequently?): ___________________
    e. ___ continuing education programs
    f. ___ other (please elaborate)


    8.Do you personally subscribe to any of the following listservs
    (check all appropriate):

    a. ___ archives
    b. ___ records management
    c. ___ Conservation DistList
    d. ___ electronic records
    e. ___ other (please identify)

    9.If you subscribe to a listserv, what are the principal ways you
    use your access (check all appropriate)

    a. ___ general information
    b. ___ to keep up with and/or comment upon concerns of the
            profession
    c. ___ to keep up with holdings in other repositories
    d. ___ to enjoy working on reference questions
    e. ___ to post information about your work
    f. ___ to post information about your repository
    g. ___ to post queries
    h. ___ other (please elaborate)

    10.What issues beyond those identified in this questionnaire are
    challenging you as an archivist, records manager, and/or
    preservation administrator working with records in Texas that can be
    dealt with by the Texas community of archivists, records managers,
    and preservation administrators?  Please (1) list them, (2) provide
    a brief description of the problem you identify, and (3) suggest any
    solution(s) you see.

    11.From your answer to question 10 and from the topics raise in this
    questionnaire, please identify in priority order, with "1" being
    your top priority, the 5 issues most important to you working with
    records in Texas.

    1.
    2.
    3.
    4.
    5.

Thank you very much for taking the time to give us your insight.  If,
after you post your reply, other matters come to your mind that you
would like to tell us about, please do so. We can be reached at

    John Hyslop <jah [at] fiat__gslis__utexas__edu>
    Katie Salzmann <ksalzman [at] fiat__gslis__utexas__edu>
    c/o David B. Gracy II
    Graduate School of Library and Information Science
    Education Building 564
    The University of Texas at Austin
    Austin Texas 78712-1276
    512-471-3821
    Fax: 512-471-3971

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 8:73
                 Distributed: Wednesday, March 8, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-8-73-017
                                  ***