Careers for Students of History

Profiles:

Philip F. Mooney

Archivist, Archives Department
Coca-Cola Company National Archives and Records Administration


“The rationale for the establishment of an archives can differ dramatically among corporations, but major reasons include the celebration of an anniversary or special event, the production of a corporate history, the needs of internal departments for immediate historical information, pending litigation, and/or the specific directive of a chief executive officer. At Coca-Cola, the need for documentation in a 1941 trademark case underscored the need for the formal maintenance of a historical collection."

Biography

After receiving a M.A. in history from Syracuse University, Philip Mooney was uncertain as to whether he wanted to continue for a Ph.D. When a position opened in the Rare Book and Manuscript Division of the university’s library, he decided to apply and was hired. He learned archival management on the job and discovered great satisfaction in applying his experience as a historical researcher to archival management. His historical training equipped him to gear the archives program toward supporting the ongoing research activities of the university. Subsequently he worked for the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies in Philadelphia before moving in 1977 to Atlanta to become the first full-time archivist for the Coca-Cola Company.

During the past twenty-two years, Mooney has built the Archives Department at Coca-Cola into one of the premier corporate archives in the country. With a staff of six and a collection in excess of 6,000 square feet, Mooney oversees a program that provides support to many parts of the corporate structure, particularly to the public relations and legal divisions. In addition, he has taught over ten of the Society of American Archivists’ workshops on business archives.

Last Updated: May 22, 2007