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Philip F. Mooney
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Phil Mooney served as archivist/historian for The Coca-Cola Company from 1977-2013. A native of Lowell, Massachusetts, he worked as an archivist at the Balch Institute in Philadelphia and at Syracuse University before coming to Atlanta. He holds an undergraduate degree from Boston College and a Masters from Syracuse University.
In his role as archivist for The Coca-Cola Company, Phil did numerous media interviews regarding the history of the brand and the Company. Among his appearances were three segments on the Today show as well as appearances on the Food Network, History Channel, PBS, CNBC, BBC and CNN.
Phil is a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists and a Certified Archivist. He has written extensively on business archives in the United States and has taught a course on establishing business archives for over 20 years.
Phil and his wife, Kathy, reside in Roswell, Georgia.
Describe how SGA has influenced your development as a professional.
I moved to Atlanta from Philadelphia to take a position with The Coca-Cola Company as its archivist. I had no contacts in the archival community in this region as all of my professional and academic life had been based in the Northeast. Joining SGA allowed me to become engaged quickly with a wide variety of archivists from different types of institutions. Membership fueled my professional growth and helped me forge relationships that lasted my entire career.
What advice would you give a student or individual considering a career in archives?
In thinking about archival work as a career choice, take an expanded view. There are a wide variety of institutions that offer opportunities to work with records and historical resources: governmental agencies, religious organizations, museums, academic institutions, historical societies, and businesses. Be open to consider the possibilities in any of them. I spent my early career working for a university and a foundation. In moving to the corporate archives arena, I had to totally rethink the way I worked in order to make archives relevant to the institution I served. It was the best decision that I ever made, but it required me to be flexible and to adapt my work to meet the needs of the business.
Describe one of your fondest professional memories or a highlight of your career in archives.
One of the things that many archivists do is to work on exhibitions that highlight elements from their collections. At The Coca-Cola Company, I have had the incredible opportunity to develop historical displays for two versions of The World of Coca-Cola, a visitor attraction that hosts more than 1 million visitors each year. It is very exciting to be able to share segments of the history you manage with the broader public.
On a broader professional level, I have taught a workshop for the Society of American Archivists on Building Business Archives for over 20 years. This workshop is intended to help companies considering the establishment of an archival program to understand the essentials of archival work. Many of the attendees of this workshop are now working in corporate archives throughout the United States.