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The other portions of this web site are written in the way archival policies and finding aids have traditionally been prepared. In such writings there is the assumption that a narrow audience of potential readers is familiar with a distinctive jargon and appreciate the reasons for the rigidly prescribed conditions under which archival materials may be used. These assumptions may well be inappropriate in distributing information to a much wider audience via the World Wide Web. The following may be useful for those perplexed or put off by what they have read in other parts of this site.
What are archives?
- In speaking of the Powell "Archives", reference is made to the part of the law library building where archival materials are housed. The term "archives" is also used to refer generally to the retired or
non-current (hence the newer use of the term in computing -- to "archive" data which is older) records of businesses or institutions, or to the accumulated papers of an individual. Finally, when distinguishing between records of institutions and accretions of personal papers, "archives" is used to refer to the former, while "manuscripts" is used to denote personal papers. (Though many institutions collect literary manuscripts -- drafts of a writer's novels, for instance, in this use of the term "manuscripts" here refers to all forms of personal papers. This includes, but is not limited to, correspondence, memoranda, drafts of speeches, photographs, maps, electronic files, motion pictures, video tapes, audio recordings and memorabilia.)
Archives and manuscripts serve vital historical and cultural functions in documenting past events and lives. The circumstances of their creation, however, imbue them with other values. Unlike published materials that are consciously produced, in printed multiple copies, to entertain, inform or persuade a public audience, archives and manuscripts are the by-product of day-to-day activities of an organization or an individual. They are, for the most part, created with no thought toward facilitating the writing of history. It is the "impartial and authentic evidence" (to use Canadian archivist Kent Haworth's words) found in archives that give them their unique value both for the creator of the records and for those who will use them as a source for independent research.
Why all of the special rules?
- Archivists continually struggle to balance their dual charge to preserve and make available for research the materials under their care. Because most archival materials are unique, special regulations are established to protect the documents from theft or destruction while still making them as freely available as possible. The regulations are not meant as a deterrent to use. We encourage all interested researchers to use our holdings. This includes undergraduates, law students, faculty and visiting scholars.
How do I find what I want in an archives?
- Large modern archival collections do not lend themselves to the cataloging of their thousands -- or even millions -- of individual pieces. Cataloging records in an institution's on-line catalog typically describe an entire collection or one of its large components. Archivist create "guides" or "finding aids" which are more like maps than indexes. By telling a researcher about the creating agency or person; the circumstances of the creation of the records; the arrangement and forms of materials to be found; something about the content of the papers; and by listing, most typically at the folder title level, the contents of the containers, all researchers are given as level a playing field as possible on which to pursue their research. This process of "arrangement and description" seeks to make materials easy to use in research, while maintaining the vital context in which records were created.
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