ARCHIVES & PRIMARY SOURCES

HIST 7405: Research Methods

Margot NoteSarah Lawrence College

December 11, 2017

Agenda

Definition

History

Principles

Usage

Finding Aid Exercise

Definition

Archives Defined

Materials created or received by a person, family, or organization, public or private, in the conduct of their affairs and preserved because of the enduring value contained in the information they contain or as evidence of the functions and responsibilities of their creator(Pearce-Moses, R. (2005). A glossary of archival and records terminology. Chicago: Society of American Archivists.)

Archives Defined (cont’d)Division within an organization responsible for

maintaining organization’s records of enduring value

Organization which collects archives of individuals, families or other organizations; a collection repository

Professional discipline of administering collections

Building (or portion thereof) housing archival collections

Published collection of scholarly papers(Pearce-Moses, R. (2005). A glossary of archival and records terminology. Chicago: Society of American Archivists.)

Archives and Manuscripts

Archives: permanently valuable records of organizations, businesses, and government (records)

Manuscripts: historical or literary records of people and families (papers)

(Roe, K. (2005). Arranging & describing archives & manuscripts. Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2.)

Types of Archives

Institutional: acquire and maintain records of parent organization or inter-related organizations

Collecting: collect materials pertaining to a defined area

Combination: collect both institutional records and outside materials that document local area or a subject specialty

Main Archival Functions

Acquisition

Appraisal

Arrangement and description

Preservation and storage

Reference and access

Outreach activities

Primary Sources

Created during event being studied or created later by participant in event, reflecting participant’s viewpoint

Enable researchers to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period

Secondary Sources

Work not based on direct observation of or evidence directly associated with subject, but instead relies on sources of information

Work commenting on another work (primary sources), such as reviews, criticism, and commentaries

History

Historical Benchmarks

Europe•French Revolution (1789)•Public Record Office (1838)

United States•National Archives (1934)• Society of American Archivists (1936)•Historical Records Survey, Works Progress

Administration (1930s)

Recordkeeping Technologies

Early, labor intensive technologiesInvention of paperMovement from handwritten to handset type to

mechanical formsAbility to make copiesComputer development•Mainframe (1942)• Personal computer (1980)•Network and WWW (1993)

Record TypesPermanent

Temporary

Sensitive

Confidential/privileged

Record Formats

Unpublished manuscripts and records

Printed and published materials

Maps, plans, and architectural drawings

Visual materials, including photographs

Audiovisual materials

Computer-generated materials

Artifacts, ephemera, and memorabilia

Changes in the 1970s

Tremendous growth in the number of repositoriesGraduate programs develop Impact of technology felt, moving archivists towards

the standards developments of the1980sProblems of bulkResearch changed towards greater interest in race,

gender, political issues, labor, and history from the bottom up

Characteristics of Modern RecordsAbundance

Collective

Decentralized

Interrelated

Social nature

Shifting usefulness

(O’Toole, J. M., & Cox, R. J. (2006). Chapter 1. Understanding archives & manuscripts. Chicago: Society of American Archivists).

Principles

Core Concepts

Archival records exist to be used and not merely saved for their own sake.

Some records ought to be preserved long term, even after their immediate usefulness has passed.

Archival records ought to be preserved as completely and coherently as possible, with critical information about context and connections preserved.

Core Concepts (cont’d)Archival records ought to be organized properly and in

a timely way so they can be used.

Sensitive information and information given in situations presumed to be private should be protected from use as long as that sensitivity remains.

Archivists should administer their collections equitably and impartially.

Provenance

Information regarding origins and custody of item or collection

Maintains relationship between records and individuals, families, or organizations that created, accumulated, or maintained them in conduct of activity

Records should be maintained according to their origin and not intermingled with those of another provenance.

Original Order

Organization and sequence of records established by record’s creator

Preserves existing relationships and evidential significance that can be inferred from records’ context

Exploits creator’s mechanisms to access records, saving need to create new access tools

Records should be maintained in order established by creator

Description

Process of creating tools that facilitate access and improve security by creating records of collection and minimizing handling of originals

Collections are described from general to specific, starting with the whole, then proceeding to components (series, subseries, folders, and items).

Usage

Services

Information about holdings and record creators Instructions in using archives and research processPhysical access to holdings Information about copyright and other lawsServices for special accessibility needsContract researcher availabilityDuplication Referrals to other repositories and resourcesLoans from holdings (rare)

Ask Yourself

Who would have needed information or evidence?

Why would someone have needed it?

When would it have been produced or gathered?

How might it have been recorded?

Where would it be now?

What product will result from the research project?

How much time is available for research?

Research Preparation

What types of primary sources might have been produced that would be relevant to the topic?

Reference works and secondary sources for background information

Names of people or organizationsDatesPlacesEventsFormats

Research Tips

Consult secondary sources to become familiar with topic, moving from the general to the specific.

Write or call ahead to ensure materials are available for research.

Leave enough time to work with staff, finding aids, and collections: typically 2 hours for first visit.

Remember that everything on one topic is not arranged together.

Research Tips (cont’d)

Keep notes on records consulted to differentiate between record groups and retrace steps.

Theories or questions brought to the archives may not be answered by materials; rather, they may lead to different questions or conclusions.

Never be afraid to ask archivists for help.

Send a thank you card.

Online Research

Reliance on websites for research access makes archives available to a “generation of users, with fundamentally different perspectives on the past, who will approach archives through computer interfaces, rather than visiting physical archives and interacting with tangible documents.”

Creates challenges for providing context and guidance

User expectations of speed and level of information

Registration

Present at least one form of identification, preferably with a photograph.

Fill out researcher registration form.Name, address, contact information, institutional

affiliation, research topic, intended use of research Verbal and written regulations on access to and use

of materialsNeeded for security purposes, as well as statistics

Behavior

Leave personal belongings (coats, bags, books, etc). in lockers or coat room.

Work in designated area (reading room).

No eating or drinking.

Cell phone use is prohibited.

Requesting Materials

Fill out call slips for each box or item requested.

Retrieving material from stacks may take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days, depending on storage arrangements.

Amount of material used at one time is limited for security purposes.

Restrictions to Access

Laws

Donor restrictions

Materials that are damaged or in poor condition

Unprocessed materials

Handling

May have to wear glovesSupport documents and hold them by edges. Remove one folder at a time. Take notes in pencil without eraser. Do not mark or lean on materials, or take notes on top

of materials. Laptops, cameras, and recording devices are usually

permitted, if use doesn’t disturb or damage. Put materials back in original order and orientation.

Duplication

Ask reference staff for assistance with duplication.

Ask ahead before bringing your own scanner or digital camera.

Same day photocopy orders are limited; larger orders, photographs, or audio-visual materials may take longer to copy.

Fees may be required.

Copyright

Copyright protects the owner’s interests in the intellectual property (content), rather than the physical property that serves as a container for the content.

As property, copyright can be transferred or inherited, hence the owner of a work’s copyright may not be the work’s creator.

Fair Use

Purpose and characteristic of the use

Nature of the material used

Amount of material used in relation to whole

Effect of the use on the market for the work

Publication

Permission to publish is the responsibility of the user.

Permission to publish from unpublished manuscripts or published works under copyright must be obtained from copyright holder.

Fees may be involved.

Caption and credit line policies

May be asked to provide copy of publication.

Finding Aid Exercise

Finding AidsGuide which leads archivists and researchers to

information they are seeking

Authenticate and document collection

Collection management tool for repository

Information discovery and retrieval tool

May be print or electronic

Examples: databases, indexes, calendars, guides, inventories, shelf and container lists, and registers

Finding Aid ContentsOverview of collection

Biographical note or historical note

Content description

Arrangement

Administrative information

Subjects

Detailed description of collection

Exercise

Group review and discovery: 15 minutes

Class presentations: 15 minutes

Address the following pointsWhat is the content and context?

What are the elements? Are some missing?

What is the collection’s origin? How is it organized?

What are the bulk/inclusive dates? What’s its size?

Are there potential barriers to access?

Who might use this collection?

What are the subject terms? Are they sufficient?

At what level is the collection described?

How does it meet or fall short of your expectations?