Goals

The subject areas and documentary media given priority by the Board cannot be adequately addressed without undertaking initiatives in education, appraisal, preservation and access.

Education:

The Board stresses the importance of educating record creators about the necessity of taking responsibility for preserving their records, of educating current and potential users of records how to better utilize the documentary heritage which does exist, of educating repositories about the purposes and rewards of preserving historical records, and of educating educators about the important role which primary sources can and should play in the classroom.

Appraisal:

NHPRC and the Board have long supported efforts to survey records outside of repositories as a first step toward their preservation. The limited resources of many repositories has heightened the importance of thoughtful and stringent appraisal and reappraisal projects to ensure that only the most useful and significant records are preserved.

Preservation and Access:

The Board continues to value "nuts and bolts" records projects which support arrangement, cataloging, and (when necessary) conservation work. The Board is, in addition, especially concerned with projects which not only make records accessible, but which actively promote their use.