At a basic level, archivists collect, manage and provide access to primary sources. Archivists also encourage use of this material – they facilitate and enable research and help their users build archival literacy, which means that they’re building the skills that they need to be able to search, find, access and critically analyse archival material for themselves.
There are lots of different interconnected stages in the archival process — the following is a very brief outline of the types of work an archivist does when dealing with archival collections.
Appraisal
Archival collections come to the archive in a variety of ways. Usually, collections are donated to the archive by a donor, either the creator of the records, or their next of kin.
‘Appraisal’ is the term used to describe the process of how an archivist assesses an item, or a collection of items, to determine its ‘archival value’ — in other words, how rare or significant the items are, and if they will be of interest to current or future researchers. It isn’t possible, or desirable, to keep everything from the past, so an archivist’s professional experience helps them assess and recommend items for archival preservation, return to the donor, or in certain circumstances, destruction.
An archivist starts by researching the context of the collection to better understand who created these records and why, and what the records add to the narrative we already know about a certain period, event or person — if we’re very lucky, they may even tell us something entirely new about the past.
Arrangement and description
Archivists arrange and catalogue archival records to make them easily findable.
‘Provenance’ is the term used to describe the process of how an archivist, based on their research about the collection, its donor and its history, begins to reestablish, insomuch as is possible, the ‘original order’ of the items, so that they reflect the way they were originally created. Provenance allows archivists to arrange records into categories or ‘series’, so that the context of the records is not lost — arranging records as close to their original order as can be established allows the records to speak for themselves, so that they can be later analysed by researchers. For example, arranging a series of correspondence by author or recipient is much more reflective of the organic context of each letter’s creation, than if all letters in a collection were arranged according to topic.
Once the archivist is happy with the arrangement of the collection, they begin to catalogue or ‘describe’ the records.
Archival catalogues have a number of significant differences to the main library catalogue, which uses the Dewey Decimal classification system. This system assigns each volume a decimal number from 000—900 based on its subject matter, author, title and year of publication.
In contrast, archival description is ‘hierarchical’. The codes assigned are usually alphanumerical and reflect the system of arrangement of the collection. This hierarchical approach to cataloguing allows the archivist to capture the complexity of the collection while minimising repetition in their descriptions. More importantly, hierarchical description allows users to search and browse archival collections by context as well as via keywords. The overall collection is described first — who created the records, when they were created, why they are important, how they came to the archive etc. This means that this information does not need to be replicated for each record within the collection. The archivist then moves on the describe the next ‘level’ of the collection, i.e. the series, files and individual items. Archival cataloguing is a very subjective process, and while the general principles are the same, the arrangement and description of each collection will vary according to its extent and its contents.
Archivists all over the world use the same standard for archival description, which is laid out by the International Council on Archives (ICA). Read more about the General International Standard for Archival Description (2000), commonly known as ISAD(G), here, or a brief summary of its most important elements which will help you with understanding and citing archival material.
For more information on reading and understanding archival catalogues and numbering systems, see Section 4: Getting Started with Archival Research below.
Preservation
In addition to establishing intellectual control over collections, the archivist must also oversee the physical preservation of the material in their care.
On first receiving a collection, the archivist removes all metal paperclips, staples and pins, as well as rubber bands and sellotape (where it can be easily removed). These are replaced with special plastic paperclips to keep items together. ‘Smokesponges‘ and brushes are used to remove surface dirt from material.
The archivist writes a reference number on each document in 2B pencil, as this is much easier to erase and does not imprint the document as much as a regular HB pencil. Documents are unfolded or unrolled where possible. Material is then packed into acid-free folders, and placed in acid-free boxes. Photographs and particularly fragile textual documents are protected further using sheets or pockets made from a clear polyester called Mylar.
The boxes are then stored in light, temperature and humidity controlled ‘strongrooms’. These rooms are equipped with water alarms to alert staff to the presence of water, whether through a leak or a flood, as well as fire suppression systems. Staff keep a close watch on the environmental controls and alarms in these storerooms to ensure the conditions remain within the acceptable range laid out by international standards, especially during extreme weather events, such as a heatwave.
To ensure the continued preservation of this unique material, we ask our users to take similar care when consulting archives in the reading room – handling procedures must be adhered to, no liquids or pens are allowed near the documents, only pencils, and you must be careful not to lean or press on the documents.
For more information on handling fragile documents and the reading room rules at UL, see Section 3: How to access Special Collections and Archives at UL and Section 4: Getting Started with Archival Research below.
Conservation
As well as the ongoing long-term care of archival material, archives also undertake more concentrated active care of damaged or fragile material, and this is what’s known as ‘conservation’. This aims to prolong the life and accessibility of the collection. If material comes to us badly damaged by water or fire or mould or insects or tearing, a professional conservator will intervene. Some of these interventions can be quite small, for instance repairing tears in the paper and flattening really tightly folded material, while other repairs are larger, such as rebinding material. This is a delicate process, and takes place in a dedicated conservation lab.
Digitisation
In order to both increase access and aid preservation, archivists digitise material. Digitisation is the transfer of analogue or physical material into a digital form. This includes scanning or photographing material to enable online sharing, publication or even a closer analysis of a document’s handwriting.
However, digitisation is not the same thing as digital preservation. Once you scan the original, you now have to preserve two items – the original which is kept in the strongroom as usual, but now also a digital copy, which can sometimes be more vulnerable than the original itself. For instance, a jpeg image will degrade over time the more you access, edit, copy and send it through email etc. So digitisation is not the same thing as digital preservation, digitisation necessitates digital preservation. This one of the reasons why we can’t digitise everything, and why archives usually only digitise a small selection of material from a collection.
For more information on the different steps and considerations in digitising material, please see the ‘Digital Foundations’ LibGuide here.
Access
Access to material is provided in a number of ways. In the first instance, researchers can make an appointment to view the material in our reading room.
Read more about our reading room opening hours and reading room rules. Email specoll@ul.ie to make an appointment. Please note that due to current Government guidelines, our reading room is closed to the public until further notice.
Archivists are guided by legal, professional and ethical standards. This means that we cannot always provide access to material if it is closed under Data Protection legislation like GDPR, or if it contains any ethically sensitive information. However, the reason(s) for a record’s closure will always be declared in the archival catalogue.
Where possible, we also provide digital access to our collections to enable remote access. Low resolution digital copies of items will be provided to students on request for private research and study – we just need a signature from you to declare that you won’t publish or share the images without permission. We can also arrange high resolution scans for selected items if required for publication. Please note digital copies of material may not always be possible due to the condition and binding of some material, as well as copyright and GDPR considerations. Email us at specoll@ul.ie to enquire further. Information on the charges for this service can be found here.
Outreach
Ultimately, as the professionals who know the material best, it is the archivists’ job to tell the wider world what amazing resources we have, so that everyone can access and appreciate them, whether that’s looking at a small selection of material through a physical or online exhibition, or a more in-depth study as part of coursework or in preparation for publication.
‘Outreach’ is the term used to describe the process of how an archivist actively seeks to engage the users of archival collections. Archivists undertake outreach in a variety of ways — curating exhibitions, hosting seminars and workshops, publishing, creating pamphlets or brochures, writing blogs, or keeping active on social media.
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