IDISCUSS

WEEK 2

INTRODUCTION TO ARCHIVES

What are archives?

Archives are collections of materials and artifacts kept and preserved by organizations like
universities or historical societies. Archival materials are often unpublished and are preserved for
their intrinsic or research value.

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/archival_research/
index.html

ARCHIVAL TERMINOLOGY

Archival terminology is a flexible group of common words that have acquired specialized meanings
for archivists. Since World War II, archivists worldwide have devoted considerable attention to the
definition of these words. In 1964, an international lexicon of archival terminology was published.

https://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/archives-resources/terminology.html#footnote1

Multilingual Archival Terminology

https://www.ica.org/en/online-resource-centre/multilingual-archival-terminology

Glossary of Archival Terminology

https://case.edu/its/archives/Records/glossary.htm

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION

The use of archives for research is a relatively recent development: it basically began with the French
archives law of 1794. A broad organization of archives, both public and private, has developed since
that period and now encompasses all the countries in the world.

https://www.slideshare.net/RoySantosNecesario/history-of-archives-administration-lis-170

Ancient Archives

The Ancient Art Archive preserves and shares humanity’s oldest stories with everyone, everywhere.

https://www.ancientartarchive.org/

The Dark Ages

In this article authors argue that medieval films are not to be analyzed according to their faithfulness
to known historical sources.

https://www.medievalists.net/tag/dark-ages/

The Middle Ages Archives

Display the social history in the Middle Ages in illuminated manuscripts and articles forms that reveal
the everyday lives of people across the social spectrum.

https://www.bl.uk/the-middle-ages
Renaissance

https://daily.jstor.org/tag/renaissance/

The French Revolution

The French Revolution began in 1789 and lasted until 1794.

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/french-revolution/

Modern Archives

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/modern-history-archives-academia-sinica
WEEK 4

ARCHIVES PROFESSIONAL BODIES

Academy of Certified Archivists (ACA)

ACA participates in the definition and advancement of professional archival education, concepts, and
issues. It identifies and promotes an understanding of archival goals, ethics, and standards.

https://www.certifiedarchivists.org/

Information Governance ANZ

A community of international professionals across the data and information sphere - InfoGov, Legal,
Data Privacy, Cyber & Info Security, Records Management, eDiscovery, Data & Infonomics, and AI &
Ethics - with a multi-disciplinary focus to collaborate and share best practices and promote global
information governance innovation.

https://www.infogovanz.com/

https://libguides.sjsu.edu/mara/professional-organizations

ARCHIVES PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

The Core Values of Archivists and the Code of Ethics for Archivists are intended to be used together
to guide individuals who perform archival labor or who work in archival environments. In summary
archivists should strive to:

 Expand access and usage opportunities for users, and potential users, of archival records.
 Actively contribute ideas and resources to the archive’s field’s body of theoretical and
practical scholarship.
 Cultivate collaborative opportunities not only with creators, users, and colleagues but with
any interested parties who wish to engage with archival records.
 Respect the diversity found in humanity and advocate for archival collections to reflect that
rich complexity.
 Recognize the importance of professional education and development by supporting lifelong
learning for themselves and others.
 Devise environmentally sustainable techniques for preserving collections and serving
communities.
 Create mentorship opportunities for library school students, new professionals, and any
individual in the archives field who seeks to enrich their work experience.
 Actively share their knowledge and expertise with creators, users, and colleagues.

https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-core-values-statement-and-code-of-ethics
WEEK 5

LEGISLATION GOVERNING ARCHIVES ADMINISTRATION IN MALAYSIA.

 National Archives Act 2003

An Act to provide for the creation, acquisition, custody, preservation, use, and management of
public archives and public records. and for other matters connected therewith.

https://www.studocu.com/my/document/universiti-teknologi-mara/computer-programming/1-
national-archives-act-2003/8072433
WEEK 7

ARCHIVAL VALUES AND USE

Evidential value refers to the evidence the records contain the organization that produced them and
their functions. Information value applies to the information they hold on the “things” that the
government body dealt with.

https://lucidea.com/blog/archival-values-and-use/

RECORDS MANAGEMENT: WHAT IS A RECORD

This module outlines key definitions and describes various record types. It is a great starting point or
introduction to records management.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U9zSiOJwzE

IMPORTANCE OF ARCHIVES

Archives are important because they provide evidence of activities and tell us more about individuals
and institutions. They tell stories. They also increase our sense of identity and understanding of
cultures. They can even ensure justice. Records weren’t usually created for the purpose of historical
research so they often provide a less biased account of events than secondary sources.

http://www.indiancommunities.org/2019/03/16/importance-of-archives/

IMPORTANCE OF MANUSCRIPTS

A manuscript is a document containing the text of a book, article, or other work that is ready for
publication. Manuscripts were the only form of written communication for centuries. They were
often copied by hand, and each copy was slightly different from the others. This process led to the
evolution of different versions of the same work over time. There are many reasons why
manuscripts are important.

 provide a direct link to the author of a given work

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-manuscript/
WEEK 8

6.1 MANAGING ARCHIVES

Historical materials that are important to us must be arranged (organized), described (cataloged),
and preserved with care to ensure that they are accessible, discoverable, and available to our chosen
audiences.

https://bmrc.lib.uchicago.edu/resources/legacy-management-resources-portal/guide-managing-
your-archives/

6.2 APPRAISAL AND DISPOSAL

The creation of records during the normal business of an agency involves a substantial financial
investment.

Records can be divided into two categories, including those of continuing or archival value which
have characteristics that need to be kept forever, and those that have no continuing value which is
considered to be temporary only and may be destroyed when they are no longer relevant.

APPRAISAL

An appraisal is a process of evaluating records to determine:

 which are to be kept for specified periods

DISPOSAL

A disposal schedule is a document that lists the records created by an agency, their disposal status
(whether a series has continuing value or temporary value), how long the records should be retained
in that agency before transfer to archives, and if temporary, when they can be destroyed.

Examples of disposal schedules include:

 general records disposal schedules

https://tfhc.nt.gov.au/heritage,-libraries-and-archives/library-and-archives-nt/government-
recordkeeping/records-appraisal-and-disposal

6.3 ACQUISITION

In archives, the process of accepting material into its collection is called acquisition. An acquisition
can be a transfer of items or a donation.

https://prov.vic.gov.au/community/managing-your-collection/acquiring-archives
WEEK 9

6.4 ACCESSIONING

Archivists bring new materials into their institution’s recordkeeping systems through accessioning.
Accessioning occurs when collections are physically and legally transferred to an archives.
Traditionally, archival accessioning has functioned as the bridge between unprocessed and
processed collections. It’s a way to acquire the information necessary to administer the collection
when it arrives at the repository. It also gets all the archives’ holdings under a uniform level of
control and establishes priorities for future work.

https://lucidea.com/blog/the-process-of-accessioning-in-archives/

6.4.1 RECEIVING ARCHIVAL MATERIALS

Handling Materials: Books and bound volumes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bacacik84c

Handling Materials: Oversized materials

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEuJxEyee9g

6.4.2 PROCESSING ACCESSION

Accession numbers

Accession numbers are serial numbers assigned to collection material at the time it is formally added
to the library's collection.

https://folgerpedia.folger.edu/Accession_numbers