Culture · 6 pages · 12 min
How archives differ from libraries
Libraries retrieve mostly replaceable items, while archives keep unique records with their creator.
When the purchase is complete, return to the original window. It will refresh.
From the opening
A library mainly collects published or reproduced items and arranges them so each one can be found and often borrowed. An archive mainly keeps the records of a person or an organization, usually unique, and describes them in groups that preserve how they were created. The opening covers published items versus unique records, provenance and original order, and finding aids versus catalogs.
The rest of the brief — the later sections and the reading notes — opens after Stripe confirms payment.
Inside
- Published items versus unique records
- Provenance and original order
- Finding aids versus catalogs
- Why a box is the unit
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Respect des fonds and original order
- Finding aids as archival description