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Guide to Archival Research

A guide on conducting archival research. Includes instructions on finding archival material at the Dalhousie University Archives.

Key terms

If you are doing any kind of archival research, there are a few terms you should familiarize yourself with:

What are archives and how do they differ from libraries?

Types of collections

Archives Libraries
Unpublished material (e.g., letters, manuscripts, etc.)

Published material (e.g., books, journals, etc.)

Material is usually unique and not available anywhere else Material is often available elsewhere

Acquisitions

Archives Libraries
Archives usually acquire primary source material directly from author or creator Libraries usually acquire secondary source / published items from publishers or library vendors
Archives usually acquire archival material as donations Libraries usually purchase items but some libraries also receive donations from private individuals
Archivists with broad knowledge of documentary heritage and their organization's mandate and collecting policy select archival material Librarians with specialized knowledge of their subject areas and knowledge of their organization's mandate and collecting policy select library material
Material is usually selected in accordance with archives acquisition policies and institutional mandates Material is usually selected in accordance with library collections policies and institutional mandates

Organizing collections

Archives Libraries
Materials are organized according to principles of provenance and original order

Materials are organized according to subject classification

Archivists try to retain the organization imposed by the creator(s) of the collection Librarians organize collections without concern for how the creator(s) of the material organize their records
The intellectual order of a collection is presented in the finding aid. The physical order of a collection depends on the size and format of materials and may not match the intellectual order of the collection.  

Description of collections

Archives Libraries
A group of material is described on a number of different levels within the collection or fonds (e.g., fonds, series, sub-series, file, item).

Material is described on an individual level (e.g., catalogue record for a single book)

Descriptions of each part of a collection are linked together into a "multi-level" archival description, or finding aid Descriptions of individual items are not linked together unless they form a series of items
Finding aids often contain access points such as subject headings, geographic headings, and authority records (i.e., name(s) of the creator(s) of the archival material) Library catalogue records contain subject headings

Access

Archives Libraries
Materials do not circulate and must be accessed on site. Only select materials are available online.

Most library materials circulate or can be accessed online. Some items (e.g., special collections, course reserves) do not circulate.

Access to certain information may be restricted (e.g., university records, personnel files, research data, etc.) Most library materials are published and do not contain restricted information. Access to the vast majority of online content (e.g., ebooks, journals, etc.) is restricted to Dalhousie students, faculty, and staff.
Materials must be handled with caution. White gloves are usually required for handling photographic materials. Materials must be handled with caution.

Types of archival repositories

University and college archives

  • Collect and preserve institutional memory
  • Some have records management programs
  • Typically have materials in all formats (textual records, photographic material, moving images, etc.)
  • Some have research collections (often called “manuscripts” or “special collections”)
  • Typically focus research collections on specific subject areas

Government archives

  • Municipal, provincial/state, federal records
  • Public mandate
  • Many have research collections (often called “manuscripts” or “special collections”) relevant to their geographic location and scope

Religious archives

  • Traditions and institutions of major faiths, denominations, or individual places of worship
  • Varying degrees of public access
  • Location of records depends on approach to archives management (consolidated or federated)

Community archives

  • Preserves history of a region, historical period, theme or subject
  • Often managed by community volunteers or “lone arrangers”

Museum archives

  • Museums and archives share similar goals but collect different types of material and use different standards and best practices
  • Some museums include libraries and/or archives in addition to their collections of artifacts and/or artwork
  • Some archives have museum objects in their archival collections
  • Many museum archives in Nova Scotia

Corporate archives

  • Usually a department of a company that collects and preserves institutional memory
  • Serve the needs of the corporation
  • Varying degrees of public access

How is archival material organized?

Archives are typically organized into fonds. Archives describe and store each fonds separately from other fonds to prevent the records from becoming intermingled and disorganized. 

Fonds are then sub-divided in a hierarchical structure consisting of "series," "sub-series," "files," and "items." A typical fonds might look like:

Archival arrangement