Maynard J. Brichford (1926-2019) was an American archivist who served as the 35th president of the

Society of American Archivists The Society of American Archivists is the oldest and largest archivist Voluntary association, association in North America, serving the educational and informational needs of more than 5,000 individual archivist and institutional members. Establi ...

(SAA). He was a leading academic archivist who established the archives program at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

Life

Born in Madison, Ohio in 1926, Brichford attended

Hiram College Hiram College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Hiram, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute by Amos Sutton Hayden and other members of the Disciples of Christ Church. The college is nonse ...

for a year before joining the Navy in 1945. After the war he returned to his studies, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1948. He then continued his studies at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

and received a master's degree in American history in 1951. Following his graduation he worked for a few years at the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of ...

, and as a records manager at the Illinois State Archives and the

Wisconsin Department of Administration The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) is an agency of the Wisconsin state government which provides a range of services and programs, from operations, technology, and logistical support for the state, to assistance programs for low-inc ...

. During his time in Illinois, Brichford was trained by state archivist Margaret Cross Norton. In 1963 he became the first archivist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, working with the university to make its records accessible to researchers. He also established a manuscripts collecting program, acquiring the collections of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

and the papers of

Avery Brundage Avery Brundage (; September 28, 1887 – May 8, 1975) was the fifth president of the International Olympic Committee, serving from 1952 to 1972, the only American and first non-European to attain that position. Brundage is remembered as a z ...

. Brichfold also served as a professor of library science at the university and taught courses on archival administration. In the 1970s he took sabbaticals in European archives, bringing European concepts and practices back to the United States. Brichford retired from the university in 1995. Throughout his career, Brichford was also involved in professional associations such as the Midwest Archives Conference and the Society of American Archivists. He was elected an SAA fellow in 1970, and served as president of the organization from 1979 to 1980.

Death

Brichford died on December 28, 2019, in

Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. It is a principal city of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, which had 236,000 residents i ...

, and is buried in

Connersville, Indiana Connersville is a city in Fayette County, Indiana, United States, east by southeast of Indianapolis. The population was 13,324 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is the county seat of and the only incorporated town in th ...

Works

Books

* ''Archives & Manuscripts: Appraisal & Accessioning'' (Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 1977) * ''Bob Zuppke: The Life and Football Legacy of the Illinois Coach'' (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2008)

Articles

* "University Archives: Relationships with Faculty," ''American Archivist'' 34, no. 2 (1971): 173-181 * "Academic Archives: Überlieferungsbildung," ''American Archivist'' 43, no. 4 (1980): 449-460 * "Who Are the Archivists and What Do They Do?" ''American Archivist'' 51, no. 1-2 (1988): 106-110

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brichford, Maynard J. 1926 births 2019 deaths People from Madison, Ohio Military personnel from Ohio American archivists University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Hiram College alumni Presidents of the Society of American Archivists Historians of libraries