Bill Fischer has worked in the field of archives and records and information management for the past 26 years.  He spent ten years at the U.S. Department of State working in records and information management, and he has performed all of the major archival functions at the National Archives and Records Administration.  At present, he leads two major organizations at the National Archives: as the Director of the National Declassification Center and as the Acting Chief Records Officer.  He also serves on the Management Team at the National Archives and plays a role in the strategic leadership of the agency.  He notes, “These positions have allowed me to take an active role in shaping federal records and information management processes and support public access to historical records.  Records and information management and declassification play a vital role in a democratic society by ensuring adequate and proper documentation of government decisions and actions and transparency and accountability.  I’m proud of the work I’ve done to support these values in our society.  Working with foreign affairs records has also been one of the most gratifying aspects of my career.  I find the records fascinating, and they’re an incredibly rich source of information about the history of our country.  I take particular pride in the work I do to provide access to these records through the declassification process and to State Department historians as they compile the Foreign Relations of the U.S. series, the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity.”

For Bill, it was fascination with history that led to fascination with archives and records.  “I’ve always loved the thrill of discovery associated with old documents.  As a child, I remember my grandmother sharing our family history with me and pulling out old family documents and photos to help tell the story.  I’ve been hooked on history and historical records ever since.  I see it as a process that started with an interest in family and local history that expanded to broader fields of study, while I simultaneously developed a growing appreciation for the indispensable role of records and archives in preserving historical memory.”

Bill had his first taste of archival work during a summer internship at his local government archives in Butte, Montana.  He was an undergraduate History student at the University of Montana, and a friend of his who knew his interest in local history recommended him for a position.  “I had a fantastic experience, and it opened my mind to the possibility of a future career path in archives.  I enjoyed the work, and I felt good about the contribution I was making to the preservation of local history and public access to that history.”

Although he didn’t go directly into the archival field when he finished his degree, he gained an even greater admiration for the role of archives in society as a user of archives over the next several years as a contract historian and graduate student.  He started working at the National Archives during his doctoral studies at Catholic University, thanks to his experience at the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives and the recommendation of a friend who was working there at the time.  He recalls, “When I started my doctoral studies at Catholic U. my heart was set on an academic career, but it didn’t seem like a viable option for me as time went on.  As I drew closer to the end of my doctoral program, I started recognizing the professional opportunities available in the federal government in the field of archives, records management, and information access.  I also met others in these fields at the National Archives and learned about the rewarding and meaningful careers they had.  I started seeing myself in this type of a role, and I’m forever grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to pursue a very meaningful career serving the American people by ‘preserving, protecting, and sharing’ the records of the U.S. government.”

Bill expresses his gratitude for the mentorship of Dr. Leslie Tentler and Dr. Timothy Meagher during his doctoral studies.  “They were great mentors and excellent professors, and they provided incredible support, friendship, and encouragement to me as I worked through my program and launched into a federal career.  They and others in the history department fostered a very collegial environment that helped me thrive.  They also really epitomized the beauty of being at Catholic University, where you get access to world class professors in an intimate environment.  I also think it was crucial that they didn’t see the academic track as the only respectable option for a history Ph.D.  This helped me recognize the wonderful options I had available in the archival world.”

Information in digital form has been a constant throughout Bill’s entire post-Ph.D. working life.  “I started my career at the National Archives in the Center for Electronic Records, and I’m still engaged in issues involving digital information 26 years later.  The transition to digital recordkeeping has affected every aspect of federal records management and archives throughout my entire career.  I’m at the center of a digital transformation in the fields of records management, classification policy, and declassification processes.  Without getting into all the pros and cons, I’ll just focus on the enormous opportunities this presents for accessibility to records.  Digital archives offer an unprecedented opportunity for public access to records by breaking down the geographic barriers associated with physical archives.  Without minimizing the extensive costs and work involved in creating and maintaining digital records repositories, I see the promise of digital access as an incredible opportunity for archives, researchers, and society.”

Bill regards studying history as a natural background for the archival profession. He credits his experiences working in a local archives and as a researcher for opening doors into the field, and at the bachelor’s and master’s level thinks it’s imperative to gain whatever experience possible conducting primary research in archival records as an entrée to the profession.  He acknowledges that a master’s degree in library and information science for theoretical and technical knowledge about the field of archives and information management would be very helpful.  He thinks someone who is satisfied with a bachelor’s degree in history should consider this option if they think archives and information management might be a good career path.  He concludes, “Nevertheless, I wouldn’t change the academic path I took in history from B.A. to M.A. to Ph.D. because I had a deep interest in pursuing advanced historical studies and conducting original research.”

NOTE: The views expressed here are Dr. Fischer's own, and do not represent the views of NARA or the U.S. government.