I recently bought the «Encyclopedia of Archival Science», edited by Luciana Duranti and Patricia C. Franks and published earlier this year. I have to say I am very impressed by this book, to the point that I feel a little sad that I did not have it earlier – it would undoubtedly have made a useful addition to the scholarly literature that I have had to plough through during the last few years of studies.
In the preface, the editors state that «[t]he purpose of this Encyclopedia is to present the various and evolving interpretations and perspectives on archival concepts, principles, and practices.» Several different writers have contributed, and the articles (154 in total) are of varying lengths. I am sure that there are topics that have not been addressed that should have been, or entries that could have been left out. Nor should it be viewed as a book that has all the correct answers to all of our questions – however – being the first of its kind (printed encyclopedia) in the archival / records management field, it is a treat to have, and a treat to read!
I ordered my encyclopedia on Amazon. You can find it HERE. There is also a Kindle version that I have only tried the sample of, but it seems to work very well, so that might be an alternative for those who have (and use) a Kindle.