Describing Archives in "Plain" Words

When the word “archives” is used, many ideas of what they are may be invoked. Maybe a room full of old books, or dusty rolled up historical manuscripts come to mind. Perhaps ordering a back issue of a magazine from the “archives” is a familiar practice. While these are common ideas of what archives may be, the archival profession is much more broad and complex than storing old books and documents. So then: what are archives, and what do archivists do? Why are they important?

Before talking about what archivists do and why it’s important, we must define “archives.” Simply put, archives are a collection of records of importance. In this definition a record refers to data or information that has been fixed onto some medium. This includes letters, reports, accounts, photographs, journals, official documents, manuscripts and more. These records are created for different reasons whether it be personal, organizational, economic, legal, or practical (Lawrimore, Unit 1-A). 

However, not all records are considered “archives.” This is where the role of an archivist comes into play. Archivists want to collect records that have enduring value, in terms of use, for their collection. There are just so many records that it would be impossible to go through every single one, nor would it be possible to store every record ever created! Only around 5% or less off all records are selected for preservation. One of the first steps an archivist takes with a record is assessment and appraisal of records. There are several factors that are kept in mind during the selection process, including the current goals of the archives, prioritizing the richest material, and appropriateness of the documentation (Unit 2-A). This process may occur more than once for a record in its lifetime even after it is selected for the collection. Sometimes a collection is reassessed to see if it is still important to the institution and meeting the needs of the people who use it. 

The next step an archivist takes after appraising the materials and determining they want them, is to physically and legally transfer them to the institution. This process is called accessioning. The materials may have to be assessed for physical care or storage issues, depending on the fragility of the medium or age of the material. Special packing or storage may have to be considered based on these considerations. Legal steps are also taken for transferring the materials from the donor(the person or entity giving the materials) to the institution, to make sure they are in agreement that the institution has the right to maintain custody of the materials. Once the initial review has been done with the materials, the archivist is able to create a brief summary of the records which may include the general title, quantity and the date span (Unit 2-F). The records have now been weeded through to keep the desired ones, and accessioned into an archival collection.

Following accessioning, the archival collection is arranged both intellectually and physically, and described by the archivist. Part of arranging an archival collection is considering the intellectual patterns that exist within the collection. While there are no specific rules archivist must follow in arranging, best practices follow the principles of provenance and original order. Provenance ensures that a collection of records are kept together on the basis of the organization or person that accumulated, created or used the group of records (Unit 3-A). Original order is the principle which keeps the records in the order which they were kept by the person or or organization that accumulated, created, assembled or maintained them. By keeping the records grouped and in order as close to the way they were originally collected and organized, an archivist is better able to keep the original intent of the collection. 

The archival arranging gets even more thorough once the archivist gets into grouping, ordering, and physically housing the records (Unit 3-B). When grouping the materials, the archivist may group the materials by their function, the format they are in, or the subject content. Especially if no original order can be found, an archivist must create order by grouping the materials. Ordering creates a hierarchy to the organizing of the collection and is done at the discretion of the archivist as they see needed. Ordering can range as big as the institution itself, down to a series level, or even in rare cases an item level. Finally, physical housing of the collection involves storing them in a way that helps preserve the materials. This can include using acid free folders and boxes. The folders and boxes can then be labeled accordingly to the standards and practices of the archival institution they are being housed. 

Once an archival collection has been arranged, the archivist is able to create a finding aid for the collection. A finding aid is a tool created to provide information about the collection so it can be found by potential users . The core identifying information includes the creator of the collection, the title or group being described, the quantity of records, and dates included (Unit 3-C). Some finding aids may also include more detailed information included in the collection such as the physical characteristics of the records, what information it provides, or how the records need to be managed. Sometimes it may take awhile for a collection to make it to the finding aid step. While a group of records may be labeled and sitting on the shelf, without a finding aid it may be difficult to see contents actually contain. This step is crucial in helping users find the information they need when coming to use archival collections.

The final piece of the puzzle is an archivist working with the users of the collection. Users can range from professors doing scholarly research, to corporations needing to refer to a document, or someone doing personal research. Archivists gather information about their users needs through researching their purpose of use, how they intend to use the information, and degree of experience. From this information, they may better provide valuable services for users of their collections. There is so much that an archivist does; all of this is a very barebones overview. There is also digitization, which makes objects available through online databases, which is a whole other process. Other duties may include community outreach, administrative duties and more. 

Why is the work of an archivist important? Archives tell the story of humanity. They are the raw sources of events that have happened in the past to help us understand history, cultures, and people. This knowledge helps support truth, and ultimately the potential for learning from the past foo build a better future.  Archivists ensure that these materials will be safeguarded and accessible for generations to come.

References

Lawrimore, E. (n.d.). Unit 1-A: What is an Archival Record [Canvas]. Retrieved from https://sjsu.instructure.com/courses/1595723/pages/unit-1-a-what-is-an-archival-record?module_item_id=15709576 

Lawrimore, E. (n.d.). Unit 2-A: What is a Archival Appraisal [Canvas]. Retrieved from https://sjsu.instructure.com/courses/1595723/pages/unit-2-a-what-is-archival-appraisal?module_item_id=15709589 

Lawrimore, E. (n.d.). Unit 3-A: Accessioning Archival Collections [Canvas]. Retrieved from https://sjsu.instructure.com/courses/1595723/pages/unit-2-f-accessioning-archival-collections?module_item_id=15709594

Lawrimore, E. (n.d.). Unit 3-B: Steps in Archival Arrangement [Canvas]. Retrieved from https://sjsu.instructure.com/courses/1595723/pages/unit-3-b-three-steps-in-archival-arrangement?module_item_id=15709601 

Lawrimore, E. (n.d.). Unit 3-C: Archival Description/Finding Aids [Canvas]. Retrieved from https://sjsu.instructure.com/courses/1595723/pages/unit-3-c-archival-description-slash-finding-aids?module_item_id=15709602