As archives increasingly move into the digital realm, ensuring online accessibility has become a fundamental responsibility. For users who are blind, have low vision, or experience cognitive or motor disabilities, screen readers serve as a vital gateway to digital content. These tools translate onscreen text and interface elements into synthesized speech or Braille, allowing users to navigate websites, databases, and catalogs without relying on visual cues. However, for screen readers to function effectively, digital environments must be designed with intentionality and care. In archival settings, this may be overlooked.

Archives embody the principles of access, stewardship, and service. However, for some users, physical and digital archives remain challenging to navigate, use, or even enter. Barriers to archival access are often unintentional, stemming from outdated facilities, inaccessible technologies, or limited awareness of diverse user needs.   

Reference services play a pivotal role in the archival field, acting as a bridge between users and the wealth of information in archival collections.

Ensuring user access to archival materials is essential for fostering research, education, and community engagement. By adopting inclusive practices and innovative strategies, archivists can significantly enhance access to their collections. Improving user access in archives involves creating user-friendly finding aids, digitization, and addressing physical barriers. 

Disasters can strike unexpectedly, causing significant damage to archival collections and facilities. Whether it is a flood, fire, or another catastrophic event, the aftermath of a disaster requires a strategic response to assess the damage and initiate recovery efforts.  

The inherent fragility of archival materials makes them especially vulnerable to damage during disasters. To ensure the safety and preservation of these collections, archives must develop a comprehensive disaster response and recovery plan tailored to their unique needs. A well-crafted plan mitigates risks, safeguards materials, and guides staff in responding to emergencies. 

Building a secure archival environment requires a strategic, layered approach. This post outlines five essential elements every archival institution should implement: access control, secure storage, surveillance systems, staff training, and vulnerability assessments.  

Preserving archival collections requires more than short-term interventions or reactive measures. Establishing a long-term archival preservation strategy is essential to ensure that materials remain accessible, stable, and intact for future generations.  

As the initial step in managing incoming materials, accessioning is a critical function within archival work. The process ensures that newly acquired collections are formally accepted, documented, and incorporated into the repository’s holdings. 

Developing an acquisition policy is critical for archivists because it sets the foundation for how an institution acquires and manages its collections. A well-crafted acquisition policy ensures the archives remains focused, relevant, and aligned with the institution’s mission and strategic goals.