The Archivist In Times of Emergency

Abstract

\XT HEN the Society of American Archivists honored me by elecy * tion to its presidency, I was happily pursuing my personal and official education among our good neighbors of South America, and, at the moment of receiving notification of my election, I was in Lima, the City of the Kings, being initiated by new-found friends into the fascinating mysteries of Peruvian archeology.My exaltation of mind at that time and under those circumstances and in that environment was such that I gave insufficient thought to the incongruous position that I, who had never been an archivist, would occupy as president of this professional association.However, on the way home, as the towering Andes and the low, tropical forests grew dim on the horizon, I had ample opportunity for reflection.I found some comfort in the thought that, if I had never been an archivist, there were many members of the Society who had not been archivists very long; and I drew inspiration from my memories of lifelong association with archives and of friendships with archivists in many lands.Furthermore, I assumed that the Society doubtless wished to emphasize the extension of its interest beyond purely technical or narrowly professional matters.This conception of the Society's character is confirmed by the contents of its journal, THE AMERICAN ARCHIVIST, by the range of the discussions in its meetings, by the report of Professor Bemis' Committee on the Training of Archivists, and, especially, by the presidential address of my distinguished predecessor a year ago, on "The Archivist in American Scholarship."The concluding paragraph of that notable pronouncement may admirably serve as introduction to my own remarks this evening.President Newsome said:The American archivist is a scholar, an expert technician skilled in the arts of his profession, and a public administrator.If he is alert

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