From the course: Information Literacy

Unlock the full course today

Join today to access over 22,400 courses taught by industry experts or purchase this course individually.

Archives

Archives

From the course: Information Literacy

Start my 1-month free trial

Archives

- Let's talk about how to access and use archival materials for your research. First, let's talk about what archives are. Archives are similar to libraries in that they provide access to a diverse range of materials. However, they are different from libraries in the types of materials that they hold and the way that we access those materials. The Society of American Archivists describe the types of materials available in archives as both published and unpublished materials that can be in any format. Archival materials are considered primary sources. A primary source is a document or physical object written or created during the time period being studied and offer an inside view of history. Examples of primary sources include manuscripts, letters, artwork, photographs, moving image and sound materials, books, diaries, artifacts, and the digital equivalents of all of these things. Many of the materials held in archives are unique. There may be only a few of them in existence or they are…

Contents