Detailing every facet of archival and records management, this collection of 30 articles by the distinguished former Illinois state archivist is both a manual and a history of American archives administration.
The significance of Margaret Norton, Illinois state archivist from 1922 to 1957, in the evolution and maturation of archives administration in the United States cannot be overestimated. As early as 1930 she paved the way toward the recognition of archives administration as an indispensable element of public service entitled to full public support. Never preaching or dictating, she attacked the problems confronting the archivist, diagnosed their nature, and suggested how they may be dealt with—doing so with the wisdom that revealed a judicious mind.
Dealing with the concepts, principles, and techniques of archival management, these comprehensive essays brought together here thus demonstrate the art of converting theory into practice through incisive examination and explication of the vast dimensions of the archival profession.
Heretofore unavailable or buried in inaccessible journals the essays represent a precious source of material and study for archivists and students of the profession. Miss Norton’s essays have a timelessness and a currency that give them continuing value, because the techniques and concerns she expressed during her career have not been superseded in any large part, if at all. Norton on Archives stands as an important monument to her work, second only to the prestigious archives she help build in the state of Illinois.
