Preserving the Legacy of James M. Buchanan

FAIN: PW-269423-20

George Mason University (Fairfax, VA 22030-4444)
Lynn E. Eaton (Project Director: July 2019 to present)

Arrangement and description of 282 linear feet of archival material, including correspondence, memos, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and ephemera related to the career of James M. Buchanan, who won the Nobel Prize in economics in 1986 for his development of Public Choice Theory.

The James M. Buchanan Papers chronicle the legacy of James M. Buchanan (1919-2013) – economist, Nobel Prize recipient, and National Humanities Medal awardee – whose theories had far-reaching influence on America’s national life. In addition to Buchanan’s extensive scholarship, the collection contains correspondence, memos, publications, photographs, and other ephemera related to his life and academic career. Spanning 282 linear feet, the collection is the largest and most significant holding in existence of unique, primary source material related to Dr. Buchanan. To effectively respond to numerous research inquiries from around the world and to make the archival materials accessible, it is essential that the manuscript collection be fully processed by professional archivists to provide arrangement and description based on archival best practices. A completely processed collection will ensure consistent access for all scholars interested in examining Buchanan’s influence.

Associated Products

Blog Post Series on the NEH Buchanan project (Blog Post)
Title: Blog Post Series on the NEH Buchanan project
Author: Rachel Barton
Author: Rebecca Thayer
Author: Liz Beckman
Abstract: The Project Archivist, Co-Project Director, and Processing Coordinator have written a number of blog posts about processing the James M. Buchanan papers under the primary title Processing from the Outside In followed by the specific subject of that post. For the 02/16/22 article, the title is Processing from the Outside In: A Student's Perspective, Rachel Barton wrote a piece on her work as the GRA on the project.
Date: 02/16/22
Primary URL: https://vault217.gmu.edu/
Primary URL Description: The primary URL for the blog is above, and documents the work, holdings, and activities of the SCRC. https://vault217.gmu.edu/?cat=882
Secondary URL: https://vault217.gmu.edu/?cat=882
Secondary URL Description: This is the URL for the blog posts about the Buchanan project.
Blog Title: Processing from the Outside In: A Student's Perspective
Website: Vault217

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