Archival Description

Abstract

Archival and manuscript collections are the records created by organizations and individuals in the course of ongoing activities, and then saved in repositories because of their continuing value. To preserve information about their origin, context, and use, repositories keep the records from a common creator together intellectually if not physically, and where feasible maintain them in their original file order. Records having a common creator are described collectively in finding aids known as inventories, which like archival collections themselves are arranged by file series. Collection-level MARC records direct users not to individual documents, but to finding aids. Repositories may also develop other tools to describe their holdings such as automated in-house indexes, subject-specific lists, and published guides. In the near future, MARC records and finding aids should be linked electronically, with both available through searchable databases on the Internet.