ARCHIVES

Archive is a place where people can go to, gather first hand facts, data, and evidence from
letters, reports, notes, memos, photographs, and other primary sources. Archives are
important institutions that play a key role in preserving and interpreting the heritage of a
society. They provide a window into the past present as well as contemporary.

Types of archives:
College and university archives: typically preserve materials related to the university or
college.
Corporate archives: manage and preserve records of any business.
Government or national archives: collect materials related to all levels of government.
Historical: preserve materials related to a specific interest, such as a region, event, or
industry
Museum archives: maintain diverse collections that typically consist of artwork or artifacts
relevant to the type of museum.
Religious archives: collect and preserve materials related to a faith, or individual place of
worship.
Special collections: a collection of items, usually in a library, that are either irreplaceable or
rare. These items are kept separate from regular library collections.
Significance and managing of archive:
Archives are places where we can go to learn about the people and events that have shaped
our world. They are also places of great beauty and interest, where we can enjoy the arts and
learn about other cultures. Archives collect and preserve documents that tell the story of our
past. This ensures that future generations will be able to learn about and understand the
history of their society.
They are community hubs that provide opportunities for people to come together to learn,
share, and celebrate their heritage. They also offer a unique setting for dialogue and debate on
pressing issues facing our society. They are places of learning, of beauty, and of community.
Archives are involved in the development of policies, guidelines, and records retention
policies. Archives are well-maintained and supported in order to store and manage all types
of records in all formats. Organizations that protect and preserve cultural heritage, such as
libraries, archives, and museums, have similar goals in mind to acquire, preserve, and make
accessible artefacts and evidences.
Many archives provide a wide range of other resources such as research guides, memos, and
sources for specific subject areas. Some people write complex introductory notes to specific
document collections. Historical resources can be easily found using these guides.
Archives contain evidence of activities, as well as information about individuals and
institutions. Their stories are told in an audible way. These activities, in addition to increasing
our sense of identity and understanding of cultures, also aid in the growth of our social
networks.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over a lifetime for an
individual or organization. A government archive contains a record of its obligations to its
citizens as well as evidence of their rights and entitlements. Archives contain records
pertaining to previous governments. It is common for personalities to record their
accomplishments and escapades in both private and public life. Judicial department
documents, as well as law reports and law journals, are used for judicial decisions.
Historical records pertaining to the previous administration of social, political, and economic
policy are provided by records pertaining to the public, revenue, judicial, military, marine,
political, and secret departments. In the budget memorandums and finance department
records of the Madras Archives, it is evident that the British administration in Madras did not
take the native people’s welfare seriously
So archives are critical tools for historians, researchers, and the general public. These
documents contain important information about our history that can be used to learn more
about the people who lived here and the places we visit.
To manage information in archives to cater to the needs of their respective clients, the
archivist in the archives usually stores and retrieve information in records deposited for
permanent preservation. Record selection is a very important function in the management of
archives. It is essential for any archive to prepare the selection criteria, which will help them
to identify the documents, which are to be archived. Selection of Record includes:
Accession
The accession register is a means of primary recording system. The accession register is a
means of primary recording system.
Accession is the act and procedures involved in the transfer of legal title, and the taking of
records or papers into the physical custody of an archival agency, or manuscript repository.
Classification
Classification is the idea of deciding the relative placing of things, and the records
representing them on the basis of grouping.
Cataloguing
The catalogue might be compared with the index of a book. The index provides the reader a
way to find information in the book, without having to read every page. The index tells the
reader the page on which the information about a specific subject can be found.
Subject Heading
A subject heading is a search term used to describe the subject content of an information
resource. Subject headings bring together all resources. In other words, it is a term, name or
phrase used as an access point in a catalogue, or index which is arranged by topic.
Labelling / Marking
Labelling or marking is an important job in archive in order to identify the file or document
easily. This method should be clear, precise and easily visible, to save the time of personnel
of the Archives in retrieving the required document.
Display or Exhibit
Presentation of exhibits or displays has become an objective of the State Archive. This is
needed to spread the awareness of the historical data and show the importance of Archive in
the society. Retrieval of Information
Archives and other cultural organizations increasingly make use of electronic resources in the
form of online public catalogue, online databases, and CD-ROMs. This move to electronic
management of archives is reflected by the emergence of Digital Libraries
.