The
Congress on Research in Dance (CORD) Archives Program serves
as the central organizational advocate for the collection,
preservation and public awareness of the information and
records created by, for, and about CORD. It exists to
identify, collect and preserve records of enduring value to
the organization and to deliver useful information service
about the Archives to its membership. The CORD Archives
Program carries out its unique mission under the authority
of the CORD Board of Directors that governs the care and
disposition of CORD's records.
Through
its professional and service-related activities, the
Archives Program aims to achieve the ultimate goal of
advancing the educational and research mission of the
organization as an institution, and of promoting inquiry
into those who have built and sustained the organization. It
has a primary responsibility to solicit, select, and receive
data recorded in all formats produced as part of the
official business of CORD from its governing board and
membership at large, past and present. The Archives Program
also actively collects records that reflect all aspects of
CORD's broader functions in the areas of conferences, public
programs and publications. The CORD Archives Program uses
its structure to foster an informed perspective on the
history and administration of the organization. This pursuit
is carried out principally by advising and assisting the
creators of the records as to collection and retention of
materials, and by promoting awareness of the content, value,
and uses of the collection to the CORD Board of Directors
and membership, and to the related research
community.
Through
the ad hoc Committee on Archives of the CORD Board of
Directors, the archives program ensures the collection
development, preservation and management of the
organization's archives and records. In doing so, the
organization is documenting and preserving a very important
part of America's dance heritage. The CORD Archives are
permanently housed in the Performing Arts Reading Room of the Music
Division of the Library of Congress. Assessment and
transfer of materials was completed last year. CORD is very
grateful to the Library of Congress for its assistance in
the development of the program and its acceptance of the
collection. The ad hoc Committee on Archives hopes to plan
exhibitions and other public programs drawing from the
collection.
