LIS 111 - Introduction to Records Mgt.
and Archives
Topic: Introduction to Archives and
Manuscript
Lesson 1- Basic definitions of an archives
Learning Objectives:
1. describe clearly the basic definitions of archives ;
2. Identify the different kinds of records and the characteristics of the
archives.
1
What's an Archives?
Archives- serves as evidence in a pure legal sense, but they also
communicate facts and information, helping to preserve individual and
collective memories and from that allow us to understand who we are,
where we came from and, perhaps, where we are going as societies.
The archives has a scholarly commitment to preserve knowledge. The
archives serve as the institutional memory of the college or university
and plays as integral role in the management of the institution’s
information resources in all media formats.
By: Society of American Archivist, 2005.
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An archives is a place where people can go to gather
firsthand facts, data, and evidence from letters, reports,
notes, memos, photographs, and other primary sources.
By: National Archives, 2016.
An archives is a place where people go to find information.
But rather than gathering information from books as you
would in a library, people who do research in archives often
gather firsthand facts, data, and evidence from letters,
reports, notes, memos, photographs, audio and video
recordings, and other primary sources.
By: American Archives, 2007.
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An archives works to acquire, preserve, and make
available material collected under the terms of a
particular mandate - whether that be to document a
community or business, to reflect government policies,
or many other reasons. Archival evidence is based
around the concept of a record - which can be a paper
document, a photograph, a map, a film, sound
recordings, an electronic diskette, documentary art, or
an architectural drawing.
• By: Association of Canadian Archivists, 2005
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Collecting records makes an archives different from a library,
which collects published items, like books; or a museum, which
collects artifacts, like statues, medals or other objects. There are
many Types of Archives serving a variety of groups, including:
• Business/Corporate archives;
• Ethnic/Cultural archives;
• National, Provincial, Territorial and Municipal archives;
• Medical archives;
• Regional/Community archives;
• Religious archives;
• University/College archives.
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These archives contain different kinds of records, such as:
• Minutes, by-laws, and administrative records of businesses,
governments, political groups,
• religious groups, ethnic groups and other community
organizations;
• Diaries, correspondence, photographs, and audio-visual
records of community members, such as politicians,
musicians, community and/or religious leaders,
photographers, artists, teachers and scientists;
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• Records documenting a particular cause or
function such as protection of the environment,
• Birth and marriage registrations, or the
development of a corporate logo;
• Posters and marketing material to help celebrate
a special event or anniversary.
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Archives ensure that the records of today are
preserved for future generations. People can then use
the records to study and understand the life, ideas
and thoughts of their original creators, linking the past,
present and future.
"Using Archives: A Practical Guide for Researchers," created by the
Library and Archives
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/04/0416_e.html.
By: Association of Canadian Archivists, 2005
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The Archives has three possible meanings:
• Materials: the noncurrent records of an organization
or institution preserved because of their enduring
value.
• Place: the building or part of a building where
archival materials are located ( also referred to as an
archival repository)
• Agency: the program office or agency responsible for
identifying, preserving, and making available records
enduring value.
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Characteristics of the Archives
• For archives to be of value to society they must be a
trusted resource. To achieve this they must have the
following qualities:
• Authenticity - the record is what it claims to be, created at
the time documented, and by the person that the
document claims to be created by.
• Reliability - they are accurately representing the event,
although it will be through the view of the person or
organisation creating that document.
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• Integrity - the content is sufficient to give a coherent
picture. Sadly not all archives are complete
• Usability - the archive must be in an accessible
location and usable condition. Earthquakes,
hurricanes and war, for example, can all render
archives useless.
International Council on Archives 2016
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• The holdings of an archival repository are called
“records.” An example would be the records of the
Ford Motor Company. By contrast, the holdings of the
manuscript repository are called “paper.” example is
the papers of Thomas Jefferson, of the Rockefeller
Family Papers. Refer to both records and papers as
• “collections.” The custodian of organizational the
records is called an Archivist, while the custodian of
personal papers is called a Manuscript Curator.
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References:
• Hunter, G. S. (2004). Developing and maintaining
practical archives. New York: Neal-Schuman
Publishing.
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