Schellenberg in Cyberspace

In the last few years, advocates of the ideas of David Bearman have written that archivists need a ''new paradigm" for electronic records. The new ideas would change or overturn traditional archival theory and practice, as represented by T.R. Schellenberg and the first writers about electronic records. This article discusses several of the new ideas and the differences between traditional archival writers and those who support a new paradigm for electronic records. the last two decades, archivists have struggled with the challenges presented by electronic records. The first writers about electronic records believed that archivists could apply traditional archival theory and practice to records in electronic format. In the last few years, however, some writers have argued that the very nature of electronic records requires archivists to adopt new ideas that would change or overturn traditional archival principles. Archivists trained in and practicing traditional archival theory and practice, as represented by the writings of Theodore R. Schellenberg, can find the new ideas confusing and unsettling. They well may ask, whatever happened to Schellenberg and informational value? This article assesses the new ideas regarding electronic records with reference to Schellenberg and traditional archival theory, practice, and literature, but also draws on contemporary writings that oppose the adoption of new archival theory and practice specific to electronic records.