Course talk:ARST573/Archives and War

Hey Chelsea, Your wiki so far is amazing - lots of great information presented in a logical way.

I don't have any major suggestions, but I noticed a few minor things that could be edited: under "Value of Archives in War", second sentence should contain commas -- "Archives, and the records they contain, provide invaluable information..." same section: "Archives may be destroyed through artillery combat and aerial bombardment due to their location in war zones" could be read as saying that archives are always located in war zones. It's obvious that you don't mean this, but you may want to re-word: "Archives in war zones may be destroyed..."

It might be helpful to define cultural internationalism vs cultural nationalism a bit earlier. I know I was hoping for a definition when you first mentioned those; they're pretty big terms!

Section on nationalism vs internationalism "International legislation - such as that of 1899, 1907, and 1954 - are often premised on..." Should say "...is often premised on..."

Thank you so much for catching these mistakes, Alexandra! I'll be sure to fix them.

Thanks again, Chelsea

Hi Chelsea,

You mentioned that Brooks was an employee of Schellenberg in your "American discourse on the home front" section. I was thinking maybe you could link his name to a source that provides his bio. I'm just thinking that lay people may not know who Schellenberg is :)

Mariko

Hi Mariko,

What a great suggestion - thank you, Mariko! I never thought about further explaining who Schellenberg is, but I see your point about making the article as accessible to the public as possible.

Thanks again, Chelsea

Hi, Chelsea!

You have done a bang up, crackerjack job with this wiki.

This is such a fascinating topic. And I wish I knew as screen writer and director willing to take on the story of archivists on the English homefront during World War II, because that would make an amazing movie.

Speaking of hyperlinks (sort of) my only real suggestion is a small one. I was happy to see that you included links to the Military and Secret Service Archives page and the Archives and Repressive Regimes page, but I think you could also link to the Archives and Power page, especially given the sections on how records were used to increase or diminish power during the Napoleonic Wars and World War II. Other than that, you've done great work.

TOC

Hi Chelsea,

Thank you for the comment and suggestion on linking to the Archives and Power wiki - I never thought of doing that... I guess I had narrowed my vision to my pod-group... but I totally see your point! I'm off to add the link now. Thanks again!

Chelsea

Hi Chelsea,

Just a little suggestion about your footnotes: It looks like you are using Chicago style. Is there a particular reason you're not using "Ibid"?

Hi Mariko,

I've been waiting to plug in "Ibid." references until I am sure my citations won't be changing anymore. I was worried that if I put in "Ibid." too soon, and then deleted or added information, the "Ibid." would reference the wrong source because the footnote before it may point to a different resource than originally intendend. Thanks for making sure I don't forget, though!

Chelsea

Ah, good call. Sorry about that.

Mariko

Oh my, that would have been a good idea.

I am so sorry I didn't think to do that.

Hi Chelsea, This entry is great so far! It is very interesting to read, well written, and well structured. One small comment I have is that the introductory paragraph could perhaps be a little less academic. I hate to suggest changing it because it is so well written, but I feel like wiki entries don’t normally have thesis statements, but instead just provide introductory facts. For example, rather than saying “This article explores the value of archives in war and three central issues that result from the damaging impact of war on archives – legislation, conflicts between cultural nationalism and cultural internationalism, and restitution,” you could perhaps say something like “Archives play a valuable role during wartime…Three central issues that result from the damaging impact of war on archives are…”

Hopefully that makes sense! And I may be wrong about this but it is just the impression I have gotten from reading other wiki entries.

Katie

Hi Katie,

Thanks for pointing this out to me. I find it hard to balance academic and wiki styles just right, and you do make a good point about most wiki introductions being very general. I'll think over it the next few days and try to adjust it to something more suitable.

Thanks again, Chelsea

Hey Chelsea,

If you're looking for some sources for your section on WWI I came across a little bit on the UK National Archives website http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/britisharmysoldierafter1913.htm There's a short blurb about the destruction of records on the right hand side of the page.

Thanks for the link and information, Kathryn! This looks like great support for my analysis on archives and war.

Hi Chelsea,

I was just wondering what is meant by "emblems" in this sentence:

The 1954 Hague Convention suggests that all nation states should recognize the value of records and protect both their own and other nations through the appropriate transportation of records during times of war, enabling archival personnel to continue working in occupied regions, and the identification of collections that require protection via emblems.
Perhaps you could add a small explanation to your wiki.

Hi Kathryn,

Thank you for pointing this out to me - I will clarify this in the wiki shortly. The basic premise is that groups in war zones should place internationally recognized emblems onto fonds (I'm assuming these emblems would go onto archival boxes or something similar, not the records themselves) so that other forces realize the records have historical importance and thus try to avoid destroying them.

Thanks again, Chelsea

Hi Chelsea,

Your wiki entry is so well-researched that I don't have a lot more to suggest. However, if you want more info on the whole cultural nationalism vs. internationalism issue, here are a couple of resources: World Heritage List: Bridging the Cultural Property Nationalism-Internationalism Divide, The Notes by Anglin, Raechel http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/yallh20&collection=journals&page=241

and Why Do Think Its Yours - An Exposition of the Jurisprudence Underlying the Debate between Cultural Nationalism and Cultural Internationalism by Sljvic, Ana http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/gwilr31&collection=journals&page=393.

Thank you for the extra sources, Mariko! I'll be sure to check them out :)

Hi Chelsea, Great use of headings and subheadings! I really don't have much to suggest except maybe add some media if possible? I was hunting around for war archives and I found photos of the Nuremberg Laws http://blogs.archives.gov/aotus/?p=1618. I'm not sure what the copyright situation is on them though. Although the laws weren't used in the trials, maybe the link will lead you to some photos of records that were.

Hi Mariko,

Ah yes, media... I'll be sure to get on that! I'm always a bit nervous incorporating media into assignments due to copyright. Thank you for providing me with the Nuremberg Laws link and reinforcing the need for media!

Thanks again, Chelsea

Hey Chelsea,

If you're looking for images for your wiki I would recommend checking Wiki Commons. I've been looking for military images and I've found a lot of them. Many of the older images from LAC are in the public domain and this should be clearly indicated.

Good luck!

Kathryn

Hi Kathryn,

Thank you for your suggestion! After reading your comment I started to search the site and tried out a couple of photos. I think I've attributed them correctly...

Have a good night!

Howdy Chelsea! Great work so far! I think this is a really interesting topic. You might consider adding a section on World War I if you haven't already. Since it was largely the first mechanized war and it was so utterly destructive in the areas it occurred there might be some valuable content for you in the topic. This could also tie into the Russian Revolutionary War. Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestions Rob! I have been thinking about WWI but thus far haven't found enough material about its actual impact on archives... there should be something out there, though. I never thought to look at Russia, you make a good point about tying in the two wars.

Thanks again!

Hi Chelsea, your Wiki is nicely constructed, packed with fascinating information, and follows what you set out in your introduction. I like how you discuss more universal concepts and then provide specific examples to illustrate them. One suggestion I have at the moment is that the Wiki ends a bit abruptly. Have you considered adding a conclusion or wrap-up or reflection at the end of the Wiki? Maybe I'm used to reading papers and expect a summation of what's been discussed, and it may not be necessary or appropriate for a Wiki, but I think it would round it out nicely.

Hi Cristen, I wasn't sure if I should include a conclusion or not as we are writing 'wiki-style'... but I think you are right in saying that it ends abruptly. Thanks for your advice! :)

Hey Chelsea, wow you've done a lot of work. My only concern at this point is that you haven't cited a lot of your sentences. For example there are no citations for this entire passage:
Archives represent a nation’s values and important historical moments and thus the seizure and destruction of records, regardless if intentional or unintentional, will damage the morale of a nation. The value governments, citizens, and occupying forces place on archives make them prime targets in military conflicts. Thus, archives often experience looting by citizens and foreign troops, destruction, and the seizure of records by occupying military personnel during times of war due to their value and ability to represent a nation.
I think it's important in a wiki to cite all sentences based on even a smidgen of fact. How do you know that archives often experience looting - this is obviously based on a fact you got from some source.

Hi Kathryn,

Thank you for bringing this to my attention! The sentence you quoted was a synthesis of my views on archives during times of war after doing all of the research. Having said that, my views are based on fact (as you pointed out), so I'll be sure to go over the citations more carefully.

Thanks again Chelsea