Archivists and records managers engage with their organization’s legal departments for many critical reasons.
Effective archives and records management are of paramount importance in the realm of grant management records.
Establishing an archives involves answering a pivotal question: “What do we save?” This query forms the basis for decisions regarding the repository’s organization, storage, conservation, and access.
University archives are indispensable in stewarding and preserving historical records.
These materials are related to the seven core functions outlined in Helen Willa Samuels’ seminal work, Varsity Letters: Documenting Modern Colleges and Universities.
I was given a Polaroid camera when I was a teenager that I loved. I liked the look of the photos and the ability to have photos developed instantly. In the course of creating my family archives, I found many of those old photographs and wondered what was the best way to preserve them.
When you are creating your family archives, you will most likely have to rehouse your family treasures in suitable storage containers, such as folders, enclosures, and boxes. These items are often described as “archival” or “archival quality” by their manufacturers, but these terms convey no specifics about their preservation use.
Many of us organize a lifelong collection of personal papers and photos either when we have free time, such as in retirement, or when we have to deal with the belongings of a someone who has passed away. Often the project seems daunting because we don’t know where to begin.
Once you jump over that mental hurdle, you will be amazed at what you discover.
Conducting archival research can be challenging. Unlike libraries, which have assets with consistent information, archives preserve and provide access to unique materials.
Trained as an archivist, I also work as a researcher, so I have a 360-degree perspective on archives. In a graduate-level course on research methods I teach, I offer the following suggestions to my students.
It may seem as though you wouldn’t have to worry about copyright issues when you are creating family history projects. If you have original diaries, photos, and letters in your possession, you might also think that you own the rights to them, especially if they are old. However, even though you may own the physical materials, the author of the documents retains their legal copyright, sometimes for much longer than you would assume.
