"An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located."
Archiving involves preserving and organizing historical materials, such as manuscripts or personal papers, with the goal of making them accessible to researchers and the general public.
Information Management: The practice of organizing, storing, retrieving, and effectively using information in an organization.
Digital Preservation: The process of maintaining digital information over time and ensuring its continued accessibility and usability.
Recordkeeping: The practice of creating, classifying, storing, and retrieving records, which include documents, data, and other types of information.
Classification and Cataloging: The practice of creating a system of categorization and labeling materials to make them easier to find and access.
Metadata: Information about data or other content that describes its characteristics, origin, and use.
Legal and Ethical Issues: Understanding the laws and ethical considerations that affect the management and preservation of information, including privacy, intellectual property, and access.
Collection Development: The process of selecting materials to acquire and add to a library or archive.
Assessment and Evaluation: The practice of measuring the success of information management strategies and the effectiveness of archives and other information repositories.
Reference and Access Services: Providing assistance to users in locating and using information resources.
Technology Tools and Applications: Understanding the various hardware and software used in information management and preservation, such as content management systems and digital repositories.
Digital Archiving: The process of preserving digital data in a system or repository and making it available for future reference and use.
Paper Archiving: The process of preserving hard copies of documents, books, newspapers, and other physical objects, usually in the form of binders, boxes, or filing cabinets.
Audiovisual Archiving: The preservation and management of audio and video recordings, photographs, and other related materials.
Art Archiving: The preservation and management of art collections, including paintings, sculpture, and other forms of visual arts.
Manuscript Archiving: The preservation and management of original manuscripts, drafts, research notes, and related materials, often in a library or museum setting.
Digital photography Archiving: The preservation and management of digital images, including photographic prints, digital negatives, and other related materials.
Oral History Archiving: The preservation and management of spoken content, including interviews, personal stories, and other forms of oral history.
Textual Archiving: The preservation and management of written content, including books, newspapers, manuscripts, and other materials.
Data Archiving: The preservation and management of structured and unstructured data, including databases, spreadsheets, and other digital materials.
Natural History Archiving: The preservation and management of specimens, including plants, animals, and other biological materials, often in a museum setting.
"Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of that person or organization."
"They have been metaphorically defined as 'the secretions of an organism', and 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."
"This means that archives are quite distinct from libraries with regard to their functions and organization, although archival collections can often be found within library buildings."
"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), an archives (more usual in the United States), or a repository."
"Archival records are normally unpublished and almost always unique, unlike books or magazines of which many identical copies may exist."
"Professional archivists and historians generally understand archives to be records that have been naturally and necessarily generated as a product of regular legal, commercial, administrative, or social activities."
"They have been metaphorically defined as 'the secretions of an organism'"
"...and are kept to show the function of that person or organization."
"...grounds of their enduring cultural, historical, or evidentiary value."
"...the physical facility in which they are located."
"Archives contain primary source documents..."
"...distinguished from documents that have been consciously written or created to communicate a particular message to posterity."
"Archival records are normally unpublished and almost always unique, unlike books or magazines of which many identical copies may exist."
"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."
"This means that archives are quite distinct from libraries with regard to their functions and organization."