Archives and special collection development policies should state what the organization currently holds and the collecting areas, especially records of enduring value that represent the organizations' history. A policy will not only formalize the archives program, but it will allow you to focus on what you would like to acquire as well as to disregard materials that fall outside of the collection. Focusing on what you will not collect will also allow you to deaccession materials that should not be in the collection.

Archives and archivists must promote themselves, their institutions, and their missions to the larger world. Successful advocacy efforts go hand in hand with solid programs that are viewed as assets by others.

The archives world contains a diverse group of individuals and institutions who share a joint mission to procure, preserve, and present records of enduring value. The overall goal of advocacy is to raise the profile of archives. There are several ways that archivists can strengthen the infrastructure of their programs.

As the world continues to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, archival repositories have made more materials available online. Projects to digitize materials began years ago, but since online access is now the only access for many organizations, there has been a renewed interest in making holdings available virtually.