A discourse on shadows: Archive ideals and ideal archives. How access and preservation shape the performance of archival discourse.

摘要

This thesis is a post-modernist and neo-Platonic perspective of archives and the overarching theoretical structure which supports the performance of archival duty. Using various sources: interviews, observations and readings, it attempts to trace the performance of archival duties, within several modern archives in Hawaii, to there originating source.;Part 1 looks at ideals as they are perceived as Platonic perfect forms. It identifies two models from popular culture that are mirrored within the modern archive---Access and Preservation. Part 2 explores the relationships between the particular archival duties of appraisal and description and the performance of the archival mission.;The final chapter looks at specific strategies that have worked to produce successful examples. It also sets the stage for further research needed in the field.