Research: Topics: Environment: Guide to Documenting Environmental Affairs in New York
A Guide to Documenting Environmental Affairs in New York State
Appendix C: How the guide was developed — Documentation planning method
The subject of environmental affairs is vast and multi-faceted, and potential topics for documentation are numerous and could be organized in many different ways.
At the heart of the guide is the understanding that different organizations and groups—governments, businesses, non-profit and community organizations, ethnic groups, and individuals— and different regions of the state have very different perspectives on environmental issues and different ways of thinking about and documenting their activities. No single group of archivists, scholars, or other experts could be expected to fairly represent the diversity of the state in establishing statewide priorities for documentation.
Therefore, the State Archives worked with people from many regions and many sectors of the community concerned with the environment—the people who create, care for, use, and are the subjects of historical records—to identify the issues, topics, events, organizations, and people that are most important to document in New York.
The method used to create the guide included the following steps:
- Conducting background research to identify critical developments, trends, events, functions, legislation, individuals, and organizations in New York’s history of environmental affairs. The results of the research are summarized in the sixty-page report, "Environmental Affairs in New York State: A Historical Outline."
- Defining topics/subtopics for potential documentation emphasis within the area of environmental affairs through dialogue with subject experts and individuals active in different facets of the field.
- Identifying existing documentation to determine what historical records already exist for New York’s environmental affairs in archives, libraries, and other repositories. A summary of the documentation assessment is provided in the "Preliminary Guide to Environmental Documentary Sources in New York State."
- Consulting with the field for advice on identifying the major environmental issues, establishing priorities for documentation, and locating important collections that might be in danger of being lost or destroyed. The process included numerous meetings and telephone conversations with individuals and a series of eight regional meetings of eight to twelve people each, with representation from state and local government, non-profit organizations and activists, business, higher education and journalism, and repositories such as libraries and historical societies.
- Determining priority documentation needs by comparing existing documentation with the topic areas considered most important by people in the field and identifying the critical gaps in the historical record.
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Documentation Planning Methodology
The following summarizes the method used to develop this guide. Although the steps outlined below follow a logical sequence, they do not take place in strict chronological order. Several run concurrently, and the results of "earlier" steps are often revised on the basis of information gathered in "later" ones. This methodology is intended to be applicable to documentation planning in any topic area.
Step 1. Define documentation topic and determine its parameters.
- Draft definition of the documentation topic and its parameters — the boundaries of the topic.
- Consult with subject experts, researchers, and records creators to develop and validate definition.
Step 2. Conduct background research to determine documentary universe.
- Identify significant developments, trends, events, functions, legislation, individuals, and organizations within defined parameters.
- Prepare historical overview of topic from secondary sources
- Conduct preliminary online search of existing documentation
- Consult with subject experts, researchers, and records creators for additional information and validation and on how to organize and subdivide the topic. (Use individual meetings, focus groups, email and phone as appropriate.)
- Develop a list of topics and subtopics that need to be documented.
Step 3. Prioritize topics/subtopics.
- Establish a project advisory group to provide formal advice on project progress.
- Define criteria and method for prioritizing topics and subtopics.
- Define documentation levels from minimal to extensive collecting
- Prioritize topics/subtopics according to criteria. Identify documentation levels for the topics/subtopics.
- Consult with subject experts, researchers, and records creators to refine and validate priorities.
Step 4. Assess existing documentation in relation to priorities.
- Compare existing documentation with priority topics and subtopics to identify documentation needs
- Define and identify documentation gaps and the levels of documentation needed to address them.
- Publish initial findings and solicit additions and corrections from readers
Step 5. Identify and prioritize actions needed to address documentation needs.
- Identify the most important steps to be taken, who should be involved, and how to begin implementation.
- Identify records creators and repositories as potential partners in action.
- Plan short- and long-term actions to address gaps in the documentary record.
- Take immediate action to save selected important and endangered records.
Step 6. Prepare and distribute documentation plan.
- Draft plan identifying priority areas for documentation, extent of documentation, key individuals/groups to be documented, potential partners, and actions needed to achieve documentation goals.
- Review plan with key contacts, including records creators, repositories, and users, to validate conclusions.
- Distribute and publicize the plan widely, particularly among constituent groups.
