The pragmatic archivist: An exploration of information management in K-12 independent schools

The archival records of primary and secondary schools are valuable sources of information that could support their institutions’ administrative and curricular activities, as well as the collective memory and identities of their community members, but only when they are captured, made accessible, and preserved. As archival management is perceived as extraneous to a school’s core function of educating students, recordkeeping is not always prioritized. This disregard can lead to ad-hoc, decentralized, or non-existent information management strategies, which in turn leads to knowledge not being shared or captured, and records not being preserved. Both the school and its archive suffer. This research explored the nature and purpose of information and records within K-12 independent schools and established connections between different organizational variables and information management.Research is sparse on the management of primary and secondary school archives, and even less touches on independent schools specifically. The primary objective of this research was to examine the state of information management in K-12 independent schools in Quebec, Canada from an archival perspective. It explored the different types of records that are created or acquired by K-12 school archives (as well as those that are not), the information management needs of these schools, the organizational variables that could be important regarding information management in schools, and the role of school archivists.This was a case study of a single school, which included three different data collection methods: a document analysis to understand how the school’s records were managed; interviews with administrators to learn about the records they create and information they need; and a faculty survey to see how their informational practices and requirements compared with the administrative staff. The case study was followed by interviews with archivists from similar schools to gather their perspectives as well as to see if any of the themes that had been uncovered would be present in other institutions.The data clearly demonstrated that, in the case study school, information management was not always prioritized, and as such, administrative staff, teaching faculty, and the school’s archival collection suffered. Organizational information tended to be shared most effectively between small departments and close colleagues without the benefit of strong centralized information management policies and procedures. The school archivists interviewed tended to be under-resourced, under-supported, and inundated by the magnitude and scope of their responsibilities. The management of the school’s digital records was specifically an area of concern. A functional analysis was completed that detailed many of the different records that independent K-12 schools create or acquire and should be retained by their archive. It also included an examination of some of the appraisal and accession, use and access, and management and preservation considerations that should be addressed. Ten ‘moments of failure’ were then identified that could lead to gaps in a school’s archive. This was followed by an examination of some of the information management needs of a K-12 independent school, which led to an analysis of six organizational variables that could be important regarding information management programs in schools. Finally, it argued that, especially as business records have embraced the digital, the role and positioning of school archivist must be revisited to remain relevant and effective

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