The Robert M. Warner Papers date from 1945 to 2007. These materials primarily highlight Warner's lengthy professional career, documenting his various teaching and administrative positions at the University of Michigan, his appointment as Archivist of the United States and the subsequent administration at the National Archives. Also documented is the appointment of his successor at the National Archives, his return to the University of Michigan as Dean of the School of Information and Library Science, and his activities on various boards and foundations after his retirement. Much of the records documenting his tenure as the director of the Michigan Historical Collections (now the Bentley Historical Library) can be found under the official Bentley Historical Library record group.
The Robert M. Warner collection has been divided into ten series: Biography; Correspondence; Indian Court Claims; National Archives; School of Information and Library Science and Dean of the Michigan Library Systems; Teaching Materials and Scholarly Research; Professional Activities, Speeches; Scrapbooks and Scrapbook Materials, and Audio-Visual Material.
Archivist, historian and professor, Robert Mark Warner was born on June 28, 1927, in Montrose, Colorado, son of Mark Thomas and Bertha Margaret (Rich) Warner. Warner completed his undergraduate work in history at Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio in 1949. It was here he met Eleanor Jane Bullock, whom he married in 1954. After a year as a high school teacher of history and speech in Montrose, he was drafted into the U.S. Army where he served in Germany, from 1950 to 1952, during the Korean War. Upon his return, Warner continued his education at the University of Michigan where he earned an M.A. (1953) and a Ph.D. (1958) in history. Warner's studies concentrated on "recent" history (then defined as 1876 to the 1950s). After completing his doctoral degree, Warner joined the faculty of the history department of the University of Michigan where he taught Michigan history. In 1974, he was invited by Dean Russell Bidlack to join the faculty of the University of Michigan School of Library Science and inaugurate the archival studies program.
Warner's association with archives began during his early years as a graduate student, when he used the University of Michigan's Michigan Historical Collections (MHC) to do research. When a position as a research assistant in the Collections became available, Warner took his first step down a completely different road than he had imagined his career would take. During his years at the MHC, he was active in several professional archival organizations, including the International Council on Archives (ICA) and the Society of American Archivists (SAA). Warner was particularly active in SAA, where he served on the Council, as secretary, director, vice president and president, as well as many committees. By 1966, Warner had become director of the MHC (now known as the Bentley Historical Library), a position that he held until his appointment as Archivist of the United States in 1980.
When Warner arrived at the National Archives and Records Services (NARS) in July of 1980, the organization had been without leadership for nearly a year, since the resignation of his predecessor James B. (Bert) Rhoads in 1979. Warner described the atmosphere that greeted him as one of demoralization and high tension. Friction had developed between NARS and its parent organization, the General Services Administration (GSA), over perceived interference and inappropriate intervention of GSA in archival matters. GSA Administrator Admiral Roland G. Freeman's plan to relocate federal records to regional Federal Records Centers around the country caused uproar in NARS and among scholars and archival and historical organizations around the country. NARS also faced an investigation by Congress and the Executive Branch over preservation activities and suffered from management problems.
Warner's major accomplishment as Archivist of the U.S. was to secure the independence of the National Archives from GSA. While President Franklin D. Roosevelt had originally created the National Archives as an independent agency in 1934, by the 1950s it had become a subdivision of the GSA. As early as 1968, a movement to free NARS from the GSA had been launched, but quickly foundered. Bills were introduced in the Senate in 1980 and 1981, but failed to come to a vote. In 1982, the Smithsonian Study came out, recommending autonomy, but was rejected by GSA Administrator Gerald Carmen. By 1983 it had become clear to Warner that NARS could no longer remain a captive of GSA if it was to be an effective organization. With the support of Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon and several other key figures in Washington, the National Archives and Administration Act of 1983 was introduced in the Senate on March 23, 1983 (S. 905). In September, the bill was introduced in the House as H.R. 3987. As the bill made its way through congress, Warner worked behind the scenes, generating support and attention from such organizations as SAA, the American Historical Association and such figures as Barbara Tuchman, Alex Haley and Ed Meese. In June of 1984, the Senate passed the bill, followed by the House in August. After going to conference, the Senate and the House passed the revised bill on October 3 and 4, 1984, respectively. President Ronald Reagan signed the Act on October 19, 1984, creating the independent National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), effective April 1, 1985.
Other highlights of Warner's years at NARS included the completion of a twenty-year preservation plan in 1984, the creation of a technology assessment division, the completion of the appraisal and retention plan for FBI records in 1981, controversy over the Richard Nixon Presidential papers, as well as the founding of the Carter Library and planning of the Ronald Reagan Library.
By the end of 1984, Warner had decided to resign his position as Archivist of the U.S. in order to return to the University of Michigan, where he would become Dean of the School of Information and Library Studies (SILS). Warner stayed on at NARS until April 1985, after which he took up his new position at the University of Michigan. Under Warner's leadership, SILS revised its master and PhD programs and emphasized faculty research and minority hiring, moved to a new location at West Hall, fully re-organized its staff structure. From 1988 to 1991, Warner also served as acting director of the University of Michigan Library and was given the lifetime title of University Historian. He retired from the deanship in 1992, and was succeeded by Daniel Atkins.
Warner spent one year teaching at the School of Library and Information Science at UCLA. He was also involved with the National Library of Education Task Force and actively served on the University of Michigan History and Traditions Committee. Warner also served on two General Accounting Office (GAO) committees, the Research and Education Panel (REAP) and the History Advisory Program, as well as the Foundation of the National Archives. From 1986 to 2007 Warner served on various boards and committees including the Executive Committee of the University of Michigan Library, Clarke Historical Library, Presbyterian Historical Society and others. He was also secretary for the Gerald R. Ford Foundation
In 1995, Warner published a memoir on his experience at the National Archives called "Diary of a Dream." In 2005, Dr. Warner was honored for his lasting contribution to the National Archives with the naming of the Robert M. Warner Research Center at the newly renovated downtown building, in Washington, D.C.
Warner died at age 79, on April 24, 2007 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
