To identify the goals and needs of the archives effectively, archivists need to write mission statements for their repositories. A mission statement outlines the responsibilities of the archivist and the authority of the archives to pursue its goals.

Archival activities begin with developing a collecting policy, then move to acquiring collections and entering them into recordkeeping systems through accessioning, arrangement, description, preservation, and access. Where does the creation of finding aids, and access tools of all sorts, fit into this process?

Archivists are tasked with making informed selections of primary sources to provide the future with a representation of the human experience. They should build their collections by looking at the bigger picture of history and collecting records that will most accurately present the past to the future.

Throughout the history of the profession, archivists have provided access to the wealth of information they steward. Archivists are responsible for promoting the use of records; this is a fundamental purpose of the keeping of archives.

The decisions archivists make about what evidence is saved and what is discarded shape cultural memory. The nature of the historical record is formed not only by the actions of archivists but also by the public’s ability to access this information.

Archivist T. R. Schellenberg originated the appraisal concepts of evaluating the evidential and information value of records. Although he focused on administrative records, his appraisal concepts can be applied to all records as archivists determine their value and potential use.

Archivists need to understand and communicate what they mean by permanence. A historical overview of the concept of permanence starts with oral traditions and ends with current ideas about archives without permanence.

Archival management originated in the 1930s with the establishment of the National Archives and the Society for American Archivists, as well as the Historical Records Survey (HRS) of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

The subsequent evolvement of records management as a specialized enterprise occurred in the 1950s. The expanse of governmental activity and its subsequent records spurred a need to reduce the number of records while retaining the quality of records of enduring value.