The Society of American Archivists' 2005 Fellows' Ernst Posner Award was presented to the Hoover Institution's Elena Danielson for her article in the most recent volume of the American Archivist.
The award, established in 1982 by the Fellows of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and named for former SAA president Ernst Posner, recognizes an outstanding essay dealing with some facet of archival administration, history, theory, and/or methodology published in SAA's semiannual journal.
The award was presented to Danielson on August 19, 2005, during SAA's 69th annual meeting in New Orleans.
Danielson, associate director of the Hoover Institution and director of its library and archives, received the award for her essay "Privacy Rights and the Rights of Political Victims: Implications of the German Experience" in volume 67 of the American Archivist.
This superior exposition of the conflicts between privacy, security, and access as exemplified in the East German Stasi files clearly and effectively sorts out and explains these competing elements. She shows that opening records can help address past injustices and strengthen the democratic process. The article reflects substantial research using primary and secondary resources in multiple languages and offers keen analyses of the issues. Danielson demonstrates that privacy rights and the right to information can be reconciled, an issue that is timeless and often vexing for archivists and citizens of all nations.
Previous recipients of the Fellows' Ernst Posner Award include George Bolotenko, an archivist in the Political Archives Section of Library and Archives Canada, for "Frost on the Walls in Winter: Russian and Ukrainian Archives since the Great Dislocation (1991–1999)" in volume 66 of the American Archivist; James O'Toole, a professor of history at Boston College who specializes in American religion, for "Democracy—and Documents—in America," in volume 65 of the American Archivist; William G. Rosenberg, history professor at the University of Michigan, for his article "Politics in the (Russian) Archives: The Objectivity Question, Trust and the Limitation of Law," in volume 64 of the American Archivist; and Terry Cook, professor in the Archival Studies Programme at the University of Manitoba and an archival consultant, for his article "'The Imperative of Challenging Absolutes' in Graduate Archival Education Programs: Issues for Educators and the Profession," published in volume 63 of the American Archivist.
Founded in 1936, the Society of American Archivists is North America's oldest and largest national archival professional association. SAA's mission is to serve the educational and informational needs of more than 4,100 individual and institutional members and to provide leadership to ensure the identification, preservation, and use of records of historical value. More information is available at www.archivists.org.
