Primary Sources: What is an Archives?

Archives are similar to libraries in that they make their collections available to the public, but differ in the types of materials they hold and how they provide access to those materials. Generally archives collect records created by a person, family, or organization which should be preserved because of the information they contain or as evidence of the functions and responsibilities of their creator(s). 

 Archives collect a wide variety of materials in varying formats. Some of these materials include:

• Photographs (digital and print)
• Textual records (correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, etc.)
• Audiovisual records (digital or analog)
• Born digital files (computer files)
• Data sets (databases, spreadheets, etc.)
• Scrapbooks
• Rare books
• 3D Objects (furniture, dishware, artwork, etc.).

 

(Adapted from the Society of American Archivists' website)

There are many varieties of archives, libraries, and special collections. Here is a brief overview of repository types as defined by the Society of American Archivists:

• College and university archives are archives that preserve materials relating to a specific academic institution. Such archives may also contain a "special collections" division (see definition below). College and university archives exist first to serve their parent institutions and alumni, and then to serve the public.

 

• Corporate archives are archival departments within a company or corporation that manage and preserve the records of that business. These repositories exist to serve the needs of company staff members and to advance business goals. Corporate archives allow varying degrees of public access to their materials depending on the company's policies and archival staff availability.

   

• Government archives are repositories that collect materials relating to local, state, or national government entities.

   

• Historical societies are organizations that seek to preserve and promote interest in the history of a region, a historical period, non-government organizations, or a subject. The collections of historical societies typically focus on a state or a community, and may be in charge of maintaining some governmental records as well.

   

• Museums and archives share the goal of preserving items of historical significance, but museums tend to have a greater emphasis on exhibiting those items, and maintaining diverse collections of artifacts or artwork rather than books and papers. Any of the types of repositories mentioned in this list may incorporate a museum, or museums may be stand-alone institutions. Likewise, stand-alone museums may contain libraries and/or archives.

   

• Religious archives are archives relating to the traditions or institutions of a major faith, denominations within a faith, or individual places of worship. The materials stored in these repositories may be available to the public, or may exist solely to serve members of the faith or the institution by which they were created.

   

• Special collections are institutions containing materials from individuals, families, and organizations deemed to have significant historical value. Topics collected in special collections vary widely, and include medicine, law, literature, fine art, and technology. Often a special collections repository will be a department within a library, holding the library's rarest or most valuable original manuscripts, books, and/or collections of local history for neighboring communities.

 

 

(Taken from Laura Schmidt, Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research, available on the Society for American Archivists' website).

1) Review bibliographies in books and articles relating to your topic.

2) Consult reference sources, such as encyclopedias. 

3) Perform simple keyword searches using Google or Google Scholar. 

4) Contact an expert in the field, an archivist, or a reference librarian.

5) Search online guides and databases like the ones listed below:

•  American Historical Association's Archives Wiki

A wiki sponsored by the American Historical Association to aid researchers in their studies. 

• Archives Made Easy 

An online guide to archives around the globe constructed to aid researchers find primary source materials.​

• List of Archives 

A list of archives from around the world.

• World Wide Diplomatic Archives Index

Offers researchers a guide to the accessibility of diplomatic archives around the world.

• ArchivesGrid

This database contains nearly a million collection descriptions from thousands of libraries, archives, and museums.

• ARCHIVESCANADA.ca

Provides users access to over eight hundred repositories across Canada. 

• National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC)

NUCMC provides descriptions of manuscript and archival collections from a wide variety of American repositories.

• Smithsonian Institution Archives

Provides users access to the Smithsonian’s nineteen museums, nine research centers, and the National Zoo.

• Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is America’s national library, and the world’s largest.

 

(Adapted from Laura Schmidt, Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research, available on the Society for American Archivists' website).

Below is a list of research aids various archives have developed to help ease the stress associated with archival research. 

-The National Archives: Research Guides

The National Archives offers a number of research guides to aid users in executing a successful search of their holdings.

-The National Archives: Resources for Genealogists

The National Archives offers an invaluable guide to aid novice users learn how to perform genealogical research.

-The National Archives: Reference at Your Desk

Reference at your Desk is a ready reference tool created by the National Archives’ staff to aid archivists and librarians. Everyday users, however, can also benefit by using this service for their own research needs.

-The Library of Congress: Finding Primary Sources

The Library of Congress Developed these resources to aid researchers in searching their collections.

-Using Archives: A Guide for the Inexperienced

This resource was developed to aid researchers of all experience levels learn how to search through archival collections. 

If the materials you want to view are not available online, you should consider visiting the archives in person. It is important to plan your visit to ensure that your time is spent wisely. Be sure to email or call the archives to inform the staff what you are interested in examining and when you plan on arriving. By giving the archivist a few days notice you can ensure that they have time to locate the records--especially in cases when collections are stored off-site.

When you contact the archives it is important to also confirm visiting hours and pull times. Some archives only pull materials during certain hours of the day, so it is critical to be punctual. It is also wise to have some idea of how many boxes you want to examine. Certain archives only allow researchers to request a box or two at a time in order to safeguard against theft or damage.You can estimate how many boxes you might want by reviewing finding aids on the archives' website. If the archives does not post their finding aids online you should call or email for more information.

If you plan on bringing a laptop, tablet, camera, or portable scanner it is important to refer to the archives' technology policy. For example, it is possible that some archives may not provide Wifi Internet. In other cases, an archives may not permit cameras or smartphones in the reading room because they do not allow photography. 

Finally, do not forget to bring some form of identification as many archives require them to keep track of visitors.