Aaron D. Purcell. Academic Archives: Managing the Next Generation of College and University Archives, Records, and Special Collections. Chicago: Neal-Schuman, 2012. xx, 314p. $95 (ISBN 978-1555707699).

Abstract

This title first attracted my attention when mentioned in the April issue of American Libraries. The mention was only a sentence, but, as it expanded on the title, I read it to herald a gutsy author willing to profile the emerging academy, predict the records it will produce, and outline a scheme (or schemes) to manage them. I was disabused when the review copy arrived. Mr. Purcell acknowledges that colleges and universities face challenges today but offers no particular insight as to where the sector is headed—up, down, or out. Economics and digitization, it seems, may force cosmetic change . . .