Archival Research: The Basics
Archives The records created by people and organizations as they lived and worked (NYPL). An archival collection is a unique body of information, created at a particular time by a particular organization or individual as the result of a particular activity (Getty, Intro to Archival Organization and Description).
Collections usually consist of: Unpublished materials that accumulate organically over the course of time Saved for the enduring value of the information they contain And/or for their value as artifacts And/or as evidence of the work or activities of the creator
Archival collections can contain just about anything that was created or saved by a person or organization
Primary Sources Materials that provide direct evidence, first-hand testimony, or an eyewitness account of a topic or event under investigation. They can be published or unpublished items in any format, including handwritten letters, images, sound, objects, or the built environment. (Source: The Craft of Research by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, c2008)
analyze and interpret primary sources Secondary Sources analyze and interpret primary sources
Archival Arrangement Materials are grouped into collections, according to provenance, and kept in their original order when possible.
Unique & Idiosyncratic No single repository or collection will contain everything there is on a specific individual, organization, or subject. Collections contain only what was saved and what has lasted.
Analog vs. Digital The vast majority of the unpublished archival material that exists in libraries, historical societies, and manuscript and institutional repositories is not available online.
Finding Archival Materials Where to look?
Finding Collections is a Two-Step Process Search union catalogs, databases, and secondary sources to discover collections and find out where they are held. Search at the repository level to learn about specific collections and the library as a whole.
Institutional Archives Types of Repositories Research Libraries Government Archives Community Archives Institutional Archives Private Collections
5 Steps for Repository-Level Searching 1) Review Repository Website 2) Browse the A-Z Collection List 3) Search Across Finding Aids 4) Search the Library Catalog 5) Contact the Library Staff
http://nyhistory.org/library
Washington Square, 1900
Cuomo’s $700 Million Plan to Replace Bronx’s Sheridan Expressway https://nyti.ms/2naTv0F[nyti.ms]
nypl.org
Keep in Mind… Some collections will not have finding aids Others may only be described in paper tools at the library Not all libraries have the resources to catalog and/or fully process collections, to write finding aids, or to post them online Access can be uneven within a library Archival research takes time (more time than you may think) Speaking with the library staff will help streamline your efforts
How Do Archival Collections End Up in Particular Libraries? Institutional affiliation Social or cultural connection Geography Collection strengths Institutional resources to make the collection available
Finding Collections Repository Level Searching Catalogs, Databases, Secondary Sources
Union Catalogs & Databases for Searching Research Libraries WorldCat ArchiveGrid NUCMC (“nuck-muck” – National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections) Archives Finder (database @ NYPL) Google
http://www.worldcat.org/advancedsearch
https://beta.worldcat.org/archivegrid/
Records for manuscript collections created since 1986 are in WorldCat. 1.5 million catalog records describing archival and manuscript collections and individual manuscripts in public, college and university, and special libraries. Records created from 1959 to 1985 are available in the print volumes of NUCMC (at N-YHS & NYPL) and in the database Archives Finder, which is available at select NYPL research libraries. Records for manuscript collections created since 1986 are in WorldCat. http://www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/
Images Samuel Finley Breese Morse papers, 1793-1944 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mmorse.052007 Tip O'Neil Congressional Papers, Burns Library, Boston College. 2.0 (CC- BY-NC-ND 2.0) license. Moses Sproule Diary, 1779. New-York Historical Society http://nyhs_ms_001.jpg N-YHS Card Catalog http://www.nyhistory.org/sites/default/files/Catalogs-Guides.jpg Fortified Northwestern Railway Bridge Over the Indus at Attock Library of Congress http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/wtc.4a02624 Langsdale Library Special Collections http://bit.ly/1INFt6X Birthday Greetings The New York Public Library http://on.nypl.org/1JpoTKW 45 http://bit.ly/1IKH10U Map http://bit.ly/1FmZ3mZ Passport http://bit.ly/1yWIQ5A No War on Iraq Flyer http://bit.ly/1Nb3JWG Cassette Tape http://bit.ly/1CW4F9a Manuscript Cookbook http://bit.ly/1DoMD11 Buttons http://bit.ly/1DlrIfa Samuel Clemens Letter http://bit.ly/1HRXkbX NYC Photo http://bit.ly/1H5EgsL Clippings http://bit.ly/1HRY6WD Diary http://bit.ly/1yd7XpE Manuscript Draft http://bit.ly/1GuBBcZ Ledger http://bit.ly/1yd7XpE Last Will http://bit.ly/1GQpC8j Burns Library – Before and After http://bit.ly/1MHGQJZ Washington Square Park, 1900 http://1.usa.gov/1HIkXG1 Mary Henry Diary, 1864-1868 http://bit.ly/1FKWGNz Duke University – Center for Death Penalty Litigation Records http://bit.ly/1Jldtry Pigeon on New York Public Library Lion http://on.nypl.org/2nB4sIx Images (L-R): ArchiveGrid.org. WorldCat.org. Walt Whitman letter, NYPL, http://on.nypl.org/2biUrpW. “SLClemens to Rollin M. Daggett, 1 May 1880,” http://bit.ly/1HRXkbX. “No War on Iraq” flyer, http://bit.ly/1Nb3JWG. N-YHS Mss Card Catalog, http://bit.ly/1ceqok7. Archival Boxes, Tip O'Neil Congressional Papers, Burns Library, Boston College. 2.0 (CC- BY-NC-ND 2.0) license. Photograph, Fortified Northwestern Railway Bridge Over the Indus at Attock. LC, http://bit.ly/2c7FJYW. Guide to the Shirley Hayes Papers, N-YHS, http://bit.ly/2biJD08.
Adjunct Reference Librarian Thank you! Donna Davey Adjunct Reference Librarian ddavey@gc.cuny.edu Archival Research LibGuide http://libguides.gc.cuny.edu/archivalresearch