June Kim
November 17, 2014
LIBR 256-10
OUTREACH ESSAY
Hello everyone, I’d like to thank you for being here and giving me the opportunity
to talk a little about what archivists really do. Some of you may have never heard of the
job “archivist”, or think of archives as being huge storage places for “old stuff”. I want to
make sure that today, I give you a realistic description of what archives are and why
they exist.
First, a quick history of archives. The very first archives were political in nature.
Ancient Egyptian and Greek governments created archival records for administrative
purposes. Also, archival practice developed around the same time as literacy, which
shows that people have a natural instinct to keep their writings. The French Revolution
was also crucial in shaping archival practice. The French government established a
nationwide public archives administration, and made archives available to the public
(Lawrimore, 2014).
“David Levy notes that the term ‘archives’ finds its roots in the Latin word arca,
originally referring to a place to store things, such as a box or a chest” (Lawrimore,
2014). But archives are much more than merely storage places. Ever since human
beings began to write, we have decided that some of these written materials should be
stored and kept, for various reasons. As the ancient writer Horace noted, verba volent,
littera scripta ("words are fleeting, written letters remain"). The advantage found in the
creation of a record is sustainability and permanence of the information contained
(Lawrimore, 2014). So we create records for events that are important to us; births,
deaths and marriages for example. Educational diplomas are also cherished. Besides
nostalgic reasons, we create records for business, financial and legal reasons. We
need to document how we run our businesses, how we spend our money, and what we
agree (and disagree) to do in a partnership or business deal. Documenting important
information allows us to remember what has happened in the past and helps us in
planning for the future, in personal, societal, and business related situations.
Yet other documents were not created with a specific purpose in mind, but
unintentionally become a part of an archives for their cultural and historical significance.
Many important events in history are depicted through documents and other forms of
records.
Archives house these original records so that they can be preserved for
current and future generations who are interested in history.
Archivists are responsible for keeping all of this valuable information, called in the
profession as a “collection”, because they are a collection of items. We also choose
what collections we’d like to store, and organize and describe the material for viewing.
We’re also here to help navigate the collections. The professional terms for these
duties are “appraisal, acquisition, arrangement, description” and “reference services”.
Appraisal is determining whether or not to add a collection, acquisition is actually
obtaining the collections, arrangement is organizing the collections, description is
summarizing and recording the collections’ contents, and reference services means
helping the public use the collections. Archives are similar to libraries in that they carry
valuable information for public viewing; however, unlike libraries, materials cannot be
removed from the premises. Also, while libraries usually carry individual items such as
books, magazines or DVDs, archives carry collections of items.
Archivists work in a lot of different settings. We work in non-profit organizations,
private organizations, businesses, government, museums, churches and in colleges
and universities. These different archives fall into two broad categories; institutional and
collecting.
Institutional archives are mostly located within businesses or the
government, with the goal of preserving the institution itself. Collecting archives are
more theme-based, and focus on subjects other than the institution itself, like important
historical figures or events (Lawrimore, 2014).
The types of collections that archivists decide to acquire depend on the type of
institution they are.
Institutional archives only house collections that relate to the
institution itself. Collecting archives house collections that have to do with people or
events apart from their parent institutions, but still maintain some locality. For example,
a university archives in Los Angeles, California, will most likely seek out or accept
collections that are related to the culture, history or geography of Los Angeles. If that
same university were to be offered a collection that had to do with a historical event that
took place in Seattle, Washington, it would probably try to find an institution in Seattle,
Washington that the collection would be a better fit for. This is part of the appraisal and
acquisition process. We often acquire collections through donations from individuals or
other institutions. Sometimes we purchase collections through e-bay or at auctions.
Arrangement is how archivists organize the collection for viewing by the public.
Depending on the situation, collections may be donated without any prior organization.
Archivists examine the collections in a comprehensive way in which we group items into
broad categories. This is called a “series-level” examination. Reading or looking at
each and every record would be called an “item-level” examination, often impossible
with large collections. We then place documents into folders, if the records are all paper
documents, and then into boxes, numbering and describing their contents. We might
organize the records chronologically, or by subject.
We often need to perform research into the subject matter when we describe
records, especially when the creator of the collection is no longer alive, or the donor is
unavailable for questioning.
Also, some records are not one-dimensional paper
documents; these obviously require a different storage method.
With advanced
technology, many archives use sophisticated computer software to create descriptions
for collections, and ultimately publish this information on the internet for the public to
view. The most popular program used by archives is called EAD, for Encoded Archival
Description. The most popular online archives in California is the OAC, Online Archives
of California. Internet users can look up collections using this website, and read the
descriptions, which we call “finding aids”. The finding aids provide valuable information
such as biographical information about the subject of the collection, what format the
records are in, the dates of the records, and a detailed list of actual records.
Archivists are not only responsible for preparing the collections for viewing, but to
guide users throughout the research process. Who are the users of archives, you might
be wondering. Well that also depends on the type of archives it is. Users of institutional
archives may be mostly employees of the institution, or someone in the profession
doing a field study. A natural history museum archives might have a lot of visits from
scientists. A university archives may have a lot of history students and professors
researching topics for papers they are writing. A historical community archives may
have researchers who would like to investigate their ancestry. Some researchers will
already know which collection(s) they’d like to view, others do not.
We talk with
researchers about what they are looking for and for what purpose, and try to figure out
how we can best help them find the information. We explain the rules of using archives
with them, and also help them decipher certain written information in records that may
be difficult to read.
Last but not least, archivists are responsible for the preservation and repair of
materials in collections. Many records are very old and must be protected from further
deterioration.
Most archives are temperature-controlled with cooler air to prevent
damage to records, and we have special materials like plastic covers and acid-free
boxes to help preserve records. Materials can be put in special protective casings, or
chemically treated. We also make sure users handle the materials with care.
As you can see, archives are much more than a storage place for “old stuff”.
Archivists are the middle men and women between information and researchers; we
make sure the information is accessible and understood by researchers. However, we
also are responsible to donors and creators of collections to maintain the integrity of the
documents; we must always be aware of privacy and copyright issues, making sure that
sensitive material is not publicized by researchers.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lawrimore, Erin. (2014). Lecture: A Brief History of Archives. Personal Collection of Erin
Lawrimore
Lawrimore, Erin. (2014). Lecture: Where Can You Find Archives. Personal Collection of
Erin Lawrimore
Lawrimore, Erin. (2014). Lecture: What is an Archival Record? Personal Collection of
Erin Lawrimore
Lawrimore, Erin. (2014). Lecture: What Are Archives? Personal Collection of Erin
Lawrimore