I have been asked recently about the name of the diary archive. Since it does not officially exist I can still change the name.
There is disagreement and confusion over whether ” journal” or “diary” is more accurate or inclusive. I like to call my books “journals” as they are not merely records of daily activities, but this archive would be for all forms of self-recording, from journals to diaries to travel logs to letters. We might include taped diaries – say those on cassette or reel to reel tapes. I have quite a bit of all these various forms from my own family…going back over 100 years.
One of my readers keeps transposing letters – diary to dairy. I admit I do the same. Still, I think a “diary” archive sounds best. I am loathe to name it for my unsupportive city. Besides, to think we might some day have more than one archive is too much to hope for.
An alternative name is the “Anam Cara Diary Archive.” (Pronounced Ah num car uh.) I stole this idea from a John O’ Donohue interview. He wrote a book by this title. In Gaelic your “anam cara” is your soul friend, someone to whom you confess. This sounds to me like the perfect name for a diary archive, yet who knows Gaelic?
A while back I thought I read that a non-profit could not be called “national.” That may not be true.
In any case, the archive really has no name yet, but I strongly support having “diary archive” in the title. I am open to all suggestions and will settle on a name when it becomes a non-profit.
National Diary Archive 