EDITORIAL

 

 

This issue concludes the 2023 publishing year, albeit published in 2024 due to the unpredictability of many elements that come together to make a society journal, including managing the time demands of authors and peer reviewers, Editor and production team changes and availability, and at times, the general pace of life in these current times which means over-commitments, juggling multiple hats and roles, and the nature of human life. Thanks to the move to a Society-based publishing model, however, we have been able to publish all the articles in this issue ‘online first’ as they are finalised, allowing authors to disseminate their findings and experiences as soon as possible. As always, online first articles are available from the Archives and Manuscripts website at publications.archivists.org.au

In this issue, we present three peer-reviewed articles and three reflections on professional practice. Each of the articles interacts with key issues facing the profession today and shares new knowledge and ways of thinking about the challenges, whether they be AI-supported transcription¹ or the use of social media in archival advocacy.^2,3 We also present two articles that challenge the way archivists have historically thought about interacting with communities, both within the records themselves, and those who look to access them. Schilling considers these challenges through description and positionality,⁴ while Thieberger et al. consider this through the lens of access and discoverability.⁵ These two articles talk to current conversations, both global and within the Australian archival context.

What is common through these six papers is the ongoing commitment to an always emerging archival practice, one where both evidence and experience are regarded as influential, and where there is space for the voices of those with stakes in the work we do to be heard.^1–6 We encourage further submissions to the journal that continue to develop these ideas and give space to the variety of (sometimes competing) voices and stakeholders who are influenced by archival practices.

We would like to take the time in this Editorial to also thank two outgoing Editorial Board members for their commitment to and support of Archives and Manuscripts during their tenure on the Board.

Dr Shadrack Katuu (Editorial Board member 2012–2024) is stepping down from his role on the Editorial Board after 12 years, during which he has seen the breadth of work undertaken across the journal. Shadrack joined the Board soon after the transition to the Taylor & Francis publishing model and was involved in the transition to the current open access publishing model. We thank Shadrack for his careful consideration of issues raised by Editors and Council, and especially for his advocacy for academic research taking place outside of traditional research institutions.

Professor Maryanne Dever (Editorial Board member 2019–2023) has had a long standing relationship with Archives and Manuscripts, including as Guest Editor of the 2014 special issue Literary archives, materiality and the digital (Volume 42 Issue 3). Maryanne was appointed to the Editorial Board in 2019 and has provided guidance and input to three General Editors. We thank Maryanne for her service to the Board and acknowledge the important role she played in bringing disciplinary knowledge to the Board from outside the information studies discipline.

In 2024, we are looking for new members of the Editorial Board and encourage any interested readers to reach out for more information about what a role on the Board entails.

Angela Schilling and Dr Jessie Lymn
General Editors
journaleditor@archivists.org.au

Notes

1.	Kasperowski et al., ‘Temporalities and Values in an Epistemic Culture: Citizen Humanities, Local Knowledge, and AI-supported Transcription of Archives’, Archives & Manuscripts, vol. 51, no. 2, 2023, pp. 3–22.
2.	Julie Daly, ‘School Archives and the Visibility of Heritage via #throwbackthursday’, Archives & Manuscripts, vol. 51, no. 2, 2023, pp. 71–76.
3.	Laura Sizer, ‘Harnessing Social Media to Advocate for the University Archive’, Archives & Manuscripts, vol. 51, no. 2, 2023, pp. 55–62.
4.	Angela Schilling, ‘Anti-Racist Archival Description’, Archives & Manuscripts, vol. 51, no. 2, 2023, pp. 43–54.
5.	Nick Thieberger et al., ‘The New Protectionism: Risk Aversion and Access to Indigenous Heritage Records’, Archives & Manuscripts, vol. 51, no. 2, 2023, pp. 23–42.
6.	Catherine Banks, ‘The Influence of Feminist Archival Theory on State Archival Exhibitions’, Archives & Manuscripts, vol. 51, no. 2, 2023, pp. 63–70.