"An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located."
Collections of historic documents, records, and other primary sources that are preserved and made accessible for research purposes.
Archival theory and principles: This topic covers the foundational and philosophical aspects of archival work, including the definition of archives, the importance of original order, respect for provenance, and the importance of preserving authentic records.
Appraisal: Appraisal is the process of evaluating and selecting archival material for permanent preservation. This involves making judgments about the value, authenticity, and historical significance of materials.
Description and finding aids: This topic covers the creation of finding aids, which provide information about the content and context of archival materials, to help users locate the information they need.
Arrangement and organization: This covers the process of arranging and organizing archival materials to preserve their original order and make them accessible to users. This is a critical step in providing accurate and efficient reference services.
Access and reference services: Access and reference services are the primary ways in which archives provide access to their materials. This topic covers the policies and procedures that archives use to make their collections available to researchers and other users.
Preservation: Preservation refers to the physical and intellectual care of archival materials to ensure their long-term survival. This includes activities such as storage, handling, conservation, and digitization.
Digitization and online access: Digitization is the process of converting analog materials into electronic formats, enabling users to access them online. This topic covers the strategies archives use to digitize their collections and make them available to users.
Legal and ethical issues: Archives are responsible for complying with a range of legal and ethical frameworks, including copyright, privacy, and advocacy for underrepresented communities. This topic covers the policies and procedures that archives use to manage these issues.
Records management: Records management is the discipline of managing an organization's records throughout their lifecycle, from creation to disposal. This topic covers the link between archives and records management, as well as the policies and procedures for managing archival materials.
Archival outreach and advocacy: Archival outreach and advocacy refers to the activities that archives use to promote their services, engage with their communities, and raise awareness of the value of archives. This topic covers the strategies archives use to increase their visibility and accessibility.
Personal and family archives: These archives hold materials created and accumulated by a person or family, documenting their lives and activities.
Corporate archives: These archives hold materials created and accumulated by businesses, organizations, and institutions, documenting their history and operations.
Government archives: These archives hold materials created and accumulated by government agencies, documenting their activities and policies.
Religious archives: These archives hold materials created and accumulated by religious organizations and institutions, documenting their history and beliefs.
Art archives: These archives hold materials relating to art and artists, such as original artwork, photographs, correspondence, and exhibition catalogs.
Audiovisual archives: These archives hold recorded or filmed materials, such as sound recordings, motion pictures, and video recordings.
Digital archives: These archives hold digital materials, such as websites, social media posts, and digital photographs.
Special collections: These archives hold rare or unique materials, such as manuscripts, rare books, and historical artifacts.
Oral history archives: These archives hold recorded interviews with individuals who have firsthand knowledge of historical events or periods.
Music archives: These archives hold materials relating to music and musicians, such as sheet music, recordings, and concert programs.
"Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime."
"They [archives] are distinguished from documents that have been consciously written or created to communicate a particular message to posterity."
"In general, archives consist of records that have been selected for permanent or long-term preservation on grounds of their enduring cultural, historical, or evidentiary value."
"Archival records are normally unpublished and almost always unique, unlike books or magazines of which many identical copies may exist."
"This means that archives are quite distinct from libraries with regard to their functions and organization."
"A person who works in archives is called an archivist."
"The study and practice of organizing, preserving, and providing access to information and materials in archives is called archival science."
"The physical place of storage can be referred to as an archive (more usual in the United Kingdom)."
"The physical place of storage can be referred to as an archives (more usual in the United States)."
"The physical place of storage can be referred to as a repository."
"They have been metaphorically defined as 'the secretions of an organism' and are distinguished from documents."
"They are kept to show the function of that person or organization."
"Archives are records that have been naturally and necessarily generated as a product of regular legal, commercial, administrative, or social activities."
"The computing use of the term 'archive' should not be confused with the record-keeping meaning of the term." (Note: The above paragraph does not contain 20 distinct study questions.