Re-creating the editorial process: a case study in archival decision-making

This report examines the creation of archival records in a publishing setting and discusses the ramifications of the decision-making process through which historical evidence comes to be preserved. As the central source of primary material for historical research, archives are an invaluable resource in the quest to uncover the past. However, far from being an objective record, archival materials are created through an interpretative process. In order to distill an accurate yet concise representation of the editorial workflow, the selectivity inherent in archival work plays a part in the writing of literary history. The following is a case study of archival decision-making, based upon the preparation of editorial files at D&M Publishers Inc. for shipment to the Simon Fraser University Library archives. Recommendations are offered to publishers hoping to amend their record-keeping practices through following standard archival procedures.