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.
Archival acquisition is a crucial process in managing records; it encompasses the methods and principles by which archival institutions acquire and take responsibility for records. It is a fundamental aspect of archival work, affecting records’ immediate management and long-term preservation and accessibility. Understanding archival acquisition involves grasping its purpose, methods, challenges, and best practices.
Appraisal involves choosing which records to preserve based on their long-term value and relevance to the archives’ mission. This process requires archivists to balance users’ immediate needs with the potential future significance of records.
In large organizations, archivists and records managers—individuals with specific expertise— handle access management, privacy protection, and systems security related to documents and files.
Sometimes these areas are combined, but from a theoretical perspective, information management and security professionals are the ones who implement the requirements for access and privacy controls.
Retention costs for electronic records are higher than for physical records in every respect, the only exception being the actual space it takes to store digital materials. But that downside is balanced because electronic records allow for the presentation and retrieval of information in ways that have not been possible in an analog world.
Earlier this week, my friend Tom Nielsen and I presented a session, You and Your Career, at the Special Libraries Association annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona. In the workshop, we discussed the myriad of ways in which LIS students and early career professionals can take their careers to the next level. The goal of the class is to prepare current and future information professionals by:
