Building an Organizational Memory: the Mandel Foundation Archival Project
An exciting and important project is happening at the Mandel Foundation at its headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. A rich collection of historical records and memorabilia related to the Foundation is being identified and archived. The collection contains materials related to Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel and the Mandel Foundation, which they founded in 1953. In addition, to archiving materials related to the Founders and the Foundation, the collection may also include materials related to Premier Industrial Corporation, which was founded by the Mandel brothers in 1940.
If we only knew what we know
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In the daily life of organizations and institutions, masses of information and data are collected, and new knowledge is created. One of the great challenges modern organizations address is how to take stock of all that they know and have. To tackle such challenges organizations introduce knowledge management processes that will enable access to organizational data and information – some of these procedures are used to build an organizational memory. |
The Mandel Archive Project was born out of a desire to maintain fidelity to the Mandel brothers’ legacy and vision in their philanthropic efforts
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Building an organizational memory is not just a technical procedure of data collection or practical know how. It is a process that is expected to strengthen the capacity of the organization, its organizational culture and identity. It comes to promote a "climate" in which the values and beliefs of the organization are canonized, accessible and transferred on. In a way, when there is an organizational memory, the organization is larger than the sum of its parts. One of the ways to promote such a memory is by archiving in a systematic way, and creating inventories that enable usage by different users.
Archiving at Mandel
The Mandel Archive Project was born out of a desire to maintain fidelity to the Mandel brothers’ legacy and vision in their philanthropic efforts and to create a historical accounting of their success in the corporate world. During the creation of a DVD on the Mandel brothers’ legacy, a need for an inventory of documents and photographs was identified. Laura Yates, who has an MA in Library & Information Science from Kent State University, was brought on as an Archival Consultant and created an inventory in 2008.
In 2009, the project expanded to preserve paper and electronic documents, photographs, news articles, and videos. Kristen Dute joined the project to assist with the heavy workload of transferring documents to archival quality storage. Kristen’s history degree and internships at a local archive have provided her with the background necessary to work with historical collections.
An outgrowth of the project is the creation of a Records Retention Committee, to determine which records, pre-2010 and in the future, are historically significant for scholars and researchers. The records identified by the committee and the inventory taken in 2008 were used to identify those records that would be stored and preserved in an archive.
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The preservation process involves transferring the physical records to folders and boxes that meet preservation standards and storing them in a facility with the proper temperature and humidity controls
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The preservation process involves transferring the physical records to folders and boxes that meet preservation standards and storing them in a facility with the proper temperature and humidity controls. It also involves establishing a structure for folder and file names used for electronic records to be stored in a secure area of the Foundation’s network. In addition, we have found a wealth of newspaper articles and these are printed on highly acidic paper that will continue to yellow over time. We have chosen to scan the most important articles to preserve their content for the future. |
One of the interesting results of the project will be the step-by-step manuals for future processing and scanning that were created by Laura and Kristen in an effort to ensure uniformity for processing records. The procedures established will be used to assist the Mandel Foundation in Israel to evaluate and preserve their historical records in order to create a comprehensive archive.
When completed, the Archive will include material such as documents, photographs and memorabilia related to Premier Industrial Corporation; correspondence, internal memos, and grant files of the Mandel Foundation; photographs of the founders and grantee events; videos of interviews with and speeches by the Mandel brothers; and newspaper and magazine articles related to Premier Industrial Corporation, the Mandel Foundation, and the brother’s involvement with Jewish organizations.
Why archive at the Mandel Foundation?
A major goal of the Archive Project is to create a comprehensive archive that records the vision, passion, leadership and management strategies utilized by the Mandel brothers in their corporate and philanthropic endeavors. Once completed, this collection will be of value to future researchers studying the history of Cleveland, Ohio; philanthropic and non-profit history; corporate leadership and management practices; and Jewish education.
It is also important to transfer the Foundation’s institutional memory to future leaders of the Foundation. Knowing the reason for past decisions is important so the organization can keep the vision of the Founders while at the same time adapting to future environmental change. This transfer of knowledge is only possible if this institutional memory can be retrieved and accessed in the future. Organizing the historical records and establishing a process for records generated on a daily basis, will allow the information to be identified, located and utilized.
For more information on this project contact Laura Yates at lyates@parkwd.com. We welcome sharing our experiences with other organizations.