Photograph of the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room on the 5th floor of the Valley Library.
What Are Archives? An Introduction (3-minute video)
Video Transcript:
When most people think of archives, they picture a dusty old warehouse like at the end of Indiana Jones. But archives are not hidden storage vaults full of forgotten mysteries. In real life, they are very much in use -- vibrant places where the raw ingredients of human history are actively collected, preserved, managed, and made accessible.
So what are archives anyway? The word is used in three ways: to mean collections of historical records; to refer to the physical place where those records are used; and to talk about the organization responsible for them. Let’s start with organizations. Archives can exist in libraries, museums, corporations, non-profits, government, or community organizations. Some are private and require special approval to use, but most archives are open to the public for research and exploration. While many people contribute to archives in important ways, professional archivists are the ones who set standards for how archives should work. When we talk about archives as a place, we mean the actual space where collections are stored and staff work. There's also the reading room, where researchers get their hands on the materials. Sometimes, though, there's not enough space to fit everyone and everything and collections are moved to off-site storage.
Finally, we also use "archives" to mean the collections of historical records themselves. These items were originally created or compiled by individuals, families, and organizations in the course of everyday life and business. These collections make up the first-hand materials of human history. Individually and collectively, the items in archives are valuable because they help tell stories about the world of their time. A record of struggles and triumphs, loves and losses, the mundane and the extraordinary. Each item is a piece of our larger human puzzle that you can see, touch, and experience yourself.
It's equally important to remember that archives are incomplete. In addition to documents that archivists decide don't have enduring or research value; there are significant gaps in the historical record -- items and voices lost, destroyed, overlooked, and even ignored. These archival silences can often tell stories in themselves. Through archives, our history lives on -- collected, preserved, managed, and made accessible today and for generations to come.
[This open educational resource is made available through a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.]
