A Study Of Hugh Taylor's Archival Thought

Hugh Alexander Taylor was one of the most influential archivists in Canada in the 20th century.He ranged widely,trying to connect archives with social memory,new media technologies,historical traditions,ecosystems and a broader spiritual meaning.Taylor is keen to rebuild files.He constantly asks questions in the theory and practice to overthrow the tradition and establish new contacts from a more macro perspectives of archives and archival work.He had already had the obvious postmodern thoughts before the postmodern theory into the field of archival research.And he was called"the most imaginative archives scholar"by Terry Cook.In the mid-20th century,the modern archival academic community represented by Hugh Taylor promoted the emergence of new archives,the enrichment of archives and the modernization of archival management activities.Taylor's archival thought is a valuable legacy in the archival field.He promoted the rediscovery of"the principle of provenance”and the development of Canadian"Total Archives".He called on archivists to step out of their professional confines and embrace the challenges of the information age.He studied archival paradigm earlier than others and analyzed the conditions of paradigm shift and the profound changes brought by paradigm shift to archival tradition.This paper first introduces Taylor's life experience and academic achievements.By reviewing Taylor's life experience,we can trace the background of the emergence of his archival thoughts,and and find the changes of his writing career in various stages by introducing his representative academic works.The third chapter mainly discusses Taylor's thought of"Total Archives".This part puts Taylor's general archives thought into the overall development process of Canadian archives.He puts forward the connotation of total archives and further linked total archives with the construction of extensive social memory.The fourth chapter mainly discusses Taylor's thoughts on archival profession.The arrival of the information age has prompted Taylor to rethink the challenges and role orientation of archivists in the electronic environment.The fifth chapter mainly discusses Taylor's thoughts on archive paradigm.As an early researcher of archival paradigm,Taylor analyzed the conditions of paradigm shift and the profound changes brought by paradigm shift to archive tradition.Finally,the conclusion summarizes the significance of Taylor's archival thoughts to the development of archival theory in North America,archival education and archival practices in Canada.Taylor provided us with a new way of thinking.Many of his archival ideas were revolutionary and had an important influence on other archivists.The comprehensive and objective evaluation of Taylor and his archival thought will provide some experience for the development of archival theory and archival practice in China.