Legal Perspectives of Archives and Records Management

Archivists and records managers engage with their organization’s legal departments for many critical reasons.

Preserving Grant Management Records

Effective archives and records management are of paramount importance in the realm of grant management records.

Establishing an Institutional Archives

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.

Archiving University Functions

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.

Stewardship for University Archives

University archives are indispensable in preserving academic institutional history, achievements, and cultural legacy.

These archives encompass a variety of materials, from administrative documents and correspondence to publications, photographs, and digital records.

The Socially Intelligent Archivist

At the heart of socially astute archivists lies emotional intelligence, encompassing the understanding and regulation of emotions while also empathizing with the feelings of others. Developing emotional intelligence empowers archivists to forge meaningful connections with team members, stakeholders, and researchers. By discerning their needs, concerns, and motivations, they establish a positive and collaborative workspace that amplifies productivity and teamwork.

Empowering Archivists through Project Management

Archivists play a crucial role in safeguarding history by preserving and providing access to invaluable records, but successful archival projects go beyond preservation.

The Records Continuum Model: Bridging the Gap

The management and preservation of records play a crucial role in the effective functioning of organizations and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Archival and Records Management Perspectives

Records managers and archivists play critical roles in information management by preserving and providing access to records.

Embracing Archival and Records Management Differences

Archivists and records managers play distinct but equally vital roles in information management.

The differences between these professions arise from various factors, such as cultural, societal, and historical influences. Exploring the dissimilarities between archivists and records managers and understanding these distinctions can lead to more effective collaboration between fields.

Connection and Convergence: Archivists and Records Managers

In the realm of information management, archivists and records managers are key players in ensuring the preservation and accessibility of records.

Mastering People Skills in Archives

Archival work is more than just managing timelines, budgets, and resources. At its core, it involves effectively leading and collaborating with people to achieve success.

Delivering Archival Results

Archivists prioritize projects and operational duties to ensure the effective management, preservation, and accessibility of historical records and artifacts.

Enhancing Archival Practices with Evaluations

Preservation and conservation are critical components of archival management.

These practices ensure the long-term survival and accessibility of archival materials, preserving their rich legacy.

Processing for Archives

Archives play a vital role in preserving collective memory and cultural heritage.

Archives rely on collection management policies together with well-defined processing and access procedures to effectively manage their collections and provide access to researchers and the public.

Developing Acquisition Strategies for Archives

Acquiring materials is a crucial aspect of archival collection development. To build a robust archives, it is essential to develop effective acquisition strategies.

These strategies outline the methods and approaches used to acquire valuable materials that align with the archives’ mission and objectives.

Establishing Selection Criteria for Archives

Establishing clear and well-defined selection criteria is crucial when developing a collection development policy for archives.

Selection criteria act as the yardstick by which archivists evaluate potential acquisitions, ensuring the addition of valuable and relevant materials to their collections.

Building a Purposeful Archives

Creating a collection development policy involves setting objectives that guide the growth and management of collections.

Essential Archival Supplies

I've curated a collection of the best, most affordable, and most useful archival products that every home archivist should invest in.

Understanding the Purpose of Archives

A fundamental aspect of creating an effective collection development policy for archives is understanding the purpose behind the institution’s archives.

This understanding forms the foundation for all subsequent decisions and actions. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of understanding the purpose of the archives and how it influences the development and management of the collections.

Archival Collection Development Policies

Collection development policies are crucial for archives as they provide a roadmap for acquiring, preserving, and managing historical materials.

These policies outline the principles, criteria, and guidelines that shape the growth and maintenance of collections. Archivists follow several steps to create an effective collection development policy.

Digital Project Considerations

Over the years, I've directed or have been part of a number of digitization projects. With each new experience, I've gathered a series of questions, an aide-mémoire, to be explored before commencing a digitization initiative.

Conducting Oral History Interviews

Oral history interviews are a powerful tool for capturing and preserving individual stories and experiences.

They provide a unique opportunity to document the perspectives and insights of individuals who have lived through significant historical events or experienced social and cultural changes. The art of conducting oral history interviews includes some essential skills and techniques required to ensure a successful outcome.

Why Oral Histories Matter

An oral history is a recorded audio or video interview in question-and-answer format.

An oral history project is a series of oral history interviews focused on documenting a topic, theme, era, place, organization, event, or group of people.

Elements of a Records Survey Worksheet

A records survey worksheet is vital for any organization that manages records. It helps to systematically identify, organize, and describe records to ensure proper management.

Surveying Organizational Records

Records are essential to every organization. Records can be in any form, including physical documents and electronic files.

Proper management and organization of records is crucial for any organization to function smoothly. Records provide evidence of the organization’s activities and help staff make informed decisions.

Preserving Digitization Results

Digitization projects based on careful review, analysis, and planning yield resources that are functional and faithful to the archival sources and support new kinds of scholarship.

Investing in Archival Digital Projects

Many archival repositories have invested in digitization projects to enhance access to their collections.

Archives have been particularly interested in infrastructure projects for several years. Repositories have also participated in collective efforts to test and disseminate tools, procedures, and methodologies.

Digitization Planning and Cost Projection

Digitization initiatives require strategic planning because they are interrelated tasks in which each decision influences the next.

Strategizing for Digitization Projects

Digitization has changed how collections are used and accessed.

Research can make digital surrogates more amendable to interpretation, such as via full-text searching and indexing, as well as comparison of materials for multiple sources. Nonetheless, there may be times when no digital surrogate is adequate for scholarship. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate whether digitization is worthwhile before undertaking an initiative. Many factors come into play when assessing the value of digital files. These factors may help access when digitizing collections can be cost-effective. Valuable digital resources, which bring prestige to the institutions that create and maintain them, are those that support scholarship without losing the benefits of working with the originals.