Varsity Letters: Documenting Modern Colleges and Universities

by Helen Willa Samuels

A study of the functions of colleges and universities, Varsity Letters is intended to aid those responsible for the documentation of these institutions. The seven functions examined are: to confer credentials, convey knowledge, foster socialization, conduct research, sustain the institution, provide public service, and promote culture. The functional approach provides the means to achieve a comprehensive understanding of an institution and its documentation: a knowledge of what is to be documented and the problems of gathering the desired documentation. Samuels offers specific advice about the records of modern colleges and universities and proposes a method to ensure their adequate documentation. She also offers a method to analyze and plan the preservation of records for any type of institution.

Genres: Library Science, Nonfiction, History

290 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

Reviews

[Ed Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to learn more about how documentation strategies fit into archival appraisal, and saw this book cited quite a bit. I knew from the title that the focus would be on academia, but was hoping (since I don't work in academia) that I would be able to apply some of the techniques to my own environment. Apart from the introduction, the book seemed very practically focused on documentation strategies in universities, and I wasn't easily able to extrapolate to my own work in the federal government. It seemed like some intellectual work had gone into its perspective, and the book was largely putting those ideas into practice. I think I need to find some other works of Samuels that describe the underpinnings of documentation strategies.

[laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samuels goes into a lot of detail about the functions of universities and what they represent, and is very descriptive about what records should be included and where there is issue about documentation. Some of the recommendations aren't very practical, but still a fresh observation on appraisal methods.