Further Consideration of Archives Issues

Types of Archives

• Size and Scope• Formats – Traditional; Digital• Special Purpose• Resource Levels for Research

Searching for Archival Collections: Tools• NUCMC• Archive Grid

Collection Organization

• In the original records• Indexing systems• Filing structures

• During the archiving process• Goals of the archivists• Capacities of the archivists• Format changes – digitization, culling, restrictions on use

Who Leaves What Kind of Records?

• Elites, economic, political, social

• Ordinary people

The American Case

• The United States made a constitutional commitment to public records:• Article 1, Section 5: “Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and

from time to time publish the same…”• Article 1, Section 9: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in

Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time….”• Article 2, Section 3: “He [the president] shall from time to time give to the

Congress Information of the State of the Union…”

Repositories of the Records of the National State• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

• Library of Congress (LOC) – Manuscript Division

Examples of Specialized and Digital Archives• Specialized Archives• Presidential Libraries (part of NARA)• The Henry Ford and Archives• Rockefeller Archive Center

• Digital Archives• Densho• National Security Archive• Cold War International History Project

Some Examples

• Finding Materials at NARA• Materials organized by Record Group, or agency• Bureau of Labor Statistics

• Find an Inventory• Find a Master Location Register• Request the Records