Describing Archives in "Plain" Words
People often hear the word archivist but do not necessarily understand what this means. An archivist is a person who preserves materials that are deemed to have long-term value. These materials can be in any format such as documents, sets of data, photographs, sound recordings, film & video, graphics, maps, artwork, artifacts, objects, and anything in between. The materials preserved are not only physical but can be digital as well. Much of what is created today is known as born-digital, meaning it was created digitally using a computer or similar technology. Physical materials can also be made digital which is known as digitization. One common misconception is that archivists only preserve things that are old. While it is true that historical documents are a large part of archives, an archivist also preserves things that are created today that will likely be important to access in the future.
The materials that an archivist chooses to preserve are known as records. A record can be anything that someone creates; however, not everything that is created will be preserved. Only 2-5% of all records created are typically selected for preservation, and these are known as archival records. They are the significant records about a person, family, organization, or business that document and reveal their life and work. It is only after a record has served its original purpose that it becomes an archival record. An example of this would be a blueprint for a house. Not until the house is completed would the blueprint be eligible to become an archival record.
Archival records are housed in what are known as archives. There are two main types of archives, Institutional and Collecting. Institutional archives house records related to an organization such as government agencies, religious institutions, museums, and colleges & universities. Collecting archives collect records related to certain people, places, or things, such as historical societies who collect based on their location. Archives have varying policies in place to acquire records with some actively seeking new collections if they have the staffing while others rely solely on donations. People who donate records to archives are known as donors.
Archivists decide what is important to preserve through a process known as appraisal. Most people think of monetary value when they hear appraisal, but to an archivist, appraisal relates to enduring value. Through their educational training, careers, and life experiences, archivists make the best choices on what to preserve based on the likelihood that something could be used for research. The entire purpose of archives is use and archivists strive to select records that best represent the life-defining moments of people, organizations, and places. Records preserve the stories of humanity for present and future generations. They represent our collective memories.
After appraisal, an archivist goes through a stage called archival processing. Whether the records originated from a person or organization, it is important that the records are kept exactly as they were. This is known as original order and keeping this ensures that original meanings will always be intact. If there is no order, then order must be created for better organization and accessibility. Archivists arrange records from a collection into groups known as series based on use, type, purpose, format, or subject matter. An example of this would be if there was a collection with many different materials, all photographs could be grouped together in a series while a stack of old letters could be stored together in another series. If there was no original order, records may be arranged in series based on date, by alphabet, or geographical location. After grouping and ordering the materials in a collection, it is time to move the records to storage. This could be a physical location or a secure server for born-digital records.
After a collection of records has been processed, it is time for the archivist to create a finding aid, which describes the contents of a collection. The main parts of a finding aid include:
Title
Abstract: short summary
Biographical Note: detailed summary of important facts within the records
Scope & Content Note: the informational contents and physical characteristics & formats
Container List: description of how the contents are arranged in series or folders
Other important information included in the finding aid are names, dates, geography, materials & formats, and anything else that will help describe the collection so it can be retrieved. One important thing to understand is that archivists do not look at individual items in a collection but look at the overall content of collections and their series. Some collections could contain several thousand documents and there would be no time, money, or labor to itemize and describe each item. They also do not interpret records but merely describe what a record is. Interpretation is left to the researcher.
Appraising, processing, grouping & ordering, and creating a finding aid are the main behind-the-scenes steps an archivist takes to bring archival records into the archives. The entire purpose of this is for users to be able to access and use the records. By creating a proper finding aid, the collections, and the records within, will be easier to find when somebody makes a search. Archives are similar to libraries, which are places that people can visit to study, research, and borrow materials such as books and media. Both types of institutions help those who are seeking information. The main difference is that libraries are free for everyone to use but not all archives are accessible and free. As discussed earlier, there are different types of archives. Many private corporations have archives for their own internal use which are not open to the public; however, many libraries, colleges & universities have archives which are open to the public for research. Many museums and historical societies have archives but often charge admission to be able to use these services. Archives have very specific policies in place because their collections are so varied and many of the materials are delicate. Collections can have complex copyright laws and certain materials may have restrictions or protections to safeguard their original creators.
When archivists are not appraising or processing collections, they provide reference services. People visit archives for two purposes: to find the answers to a specific question such as for business, government, and school, or to find answers to personal questions. Reference services allow archivists to assist customers in navigating their complex collections. Since archivists only process groups of records, they are often needed to help users learn what may reside in each collection. They help point them to pertinent information by asking questions of who, what, when, where, and why. Archivists strive to treat all users the same and limit restrictions when possible. The active relationship between an archivist and their users from the beginning to end is known as the interview process. By engaging and listening to the feedback of users, archivists can better assist while learning about their own collections at the same time.
Archives in the 21st Century are more accessible than in the past. Many now offer some of their collections online which allows access for a wider user base. The finding aids created can become searchable terms allowing users to connect with the information they seek. Metadata, or simply data about data, can be added to born-digital or digitized records to help describe the contents of a collection through keywords. Even with online access growing, physical archives will always be essential. Archives have so many records it would be nearly impossible to digitize and make all available online. They are known for having limited staff and resources.
In conclusion, an archivist is a person that preserves materials in a variety of formats that have long-term value. These chosen materials become archival records that are stored in a variety of institutions known as archives. Archivists appraise collections based on their research value, then process, arrange, group, order, and prepare the records for storage. By creating finding aids, archival collections can be retrieved whenever users want to access them. Many people use archives for a variety of purposes whether in-person or online. Archivists want to help all users solve their information needs by connecting them with the right records. The role of an archivist is so important because they preserve the information of the past and present to make it available for future generations. Without preservation, the most important stories, history, and art from people around the world could become lost forever. If something does not exist anymore and nobody can remember, did it ever really happen?