View source for Archive

{{Short description|Accumulation of historical records}}
{{redirect2|Archived|Archiving|other uses|Archive (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Dark archive|the book about books bound in human skin|Dark Archives}}
{{redirect-distinguish-for|Digital archive|Digital library||Digital archiving}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
[[File:Fondos archivo.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Shelved record boxes of an archive]]
{{LibraryandInformation-TopicSidebar}}

An '''archive''' is an accumulation of [[Historical document|historical records]] or [[Historical source|materials]], in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usd.edu/library/instruction/glossary.shtml#a |title=Glossary of Library and Internet Terms |access-date=30 April 2007 |publisher=University of South Dakota Library |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090310132820/http://www.usd.edu/library/instruction/glossary.shtml#a |archive-date=2009-03-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of ARCHIVE |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archive |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601220902/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archive |archive-date=1 June 2022 |access-date=1 June 2022 |publisher=Merriam-Webster |language=en}}</ref>

Archives contain [[primary source]] documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the history and function of that person or organization.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The OPS Historical Archives - Ophthalmic Photographers' Society |url=https://www.opsweb.org/blogpost/772200/154046/The-OPS-Historical-Archives |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=www.opsweb.org}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=SAA Dictionary: archives |url=https://dictionary.archivists.org/entry/archives.html |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=dictionary.archivists.org}}</ref> Professional [[archivist]]s and historians generally understand archives to be records that have been naturally and necessarily generated as a product of regular legal, commercial, administrative, or social activities.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Manoff |first=Marlene |date=January 2004 |title=Theories of the Archive from Across the Disciplines |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/51302 |journal=Portal: Libraries and the Academy |language=en |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=9–25 |doi=10.1353/pla.2004.0015 |issn=1530-7131|hdl=1721.1/35687 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> They have been metaphorically defined as "the secretions of an organism",<ref>{{cite book |first=V. H. |last=Galbraith |author-link=Vivian Hunter Galbraith |title=Studies in the Public Records |place=London |year=1948 |page=3 }}</ref> and are distinguished from documents that have been consciously written or created to communicate a particular message to posterity.

In general, archives consist of records that have been selected for permanent or long-term preservation on the grounds of their enduring cultural, historical, or evidentiary value.<ref name=":3" /> Archival records are normally unpublished and almost always unique, unlike books or magazines, of which many identical copies may exist. This means that archives are quite distinct from [[Library|libraries]] with regard to their functions and organization, although archival collections can often be found within library buildings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.archivists.org/glossary/terms/a/archives|title=A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology|access-date=7 December 2012|publisher=Society of American Archivists|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615035638/http://www2.archivists.org/glossary/terms/a/archives|archive-date=15 June 2013}}</ref> While archives are traditionally collections of documents, some scholars argue that buildings can be a type of archive.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bsheer |first=Rosie |title=Archive wars: the politics of history in Saudi Arabia |date=2020 |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-1-5036-0518-3 |series=Stanford studies in Middle Eastern and Islamic societies and cultures |location=Stanford (Calif.)}}</ref> The choice of what to include in an archive can be a political act.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bsheer |first=Rosie |title=Archive wars: the politics of history in Saudi Arabia |date=2020 |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-1-5036-0518-3 |series=Stanford studies in Middle Eastern and Islamic societies and cultures |location=Stanford (Calif.)}}</ref>

A person who works in archives is called an [[archivist]]. The study and practice of organizing, preserving, and providing access to information and materials in archives is called [[archival science]]. The physical place of storage can be referred to as an archive (more usual in the [[United Kingdom]]), an archives (more usual in the [[United States]]), or a repository.<ref>{{cite web|title=Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology|url=http://www2.archivists.org/glossary/terms/a/archives|publisher=Society of American Archivists|access-date=2013-10-21|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022034302/http://www2.archivists.org/glossary/terms/a/archives|archive-date=22 October 2013}}</ref><ref name="oed">{{OED|archive, n.}}</ref>

The computing use of the term "archive" should not be confused with the record-keeping meaning of the term.

==Etymology==
The English word ''archive'' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑr|k|aɪ|v}} is derived from the French ''archives'' (plural), and in turn from [[Latin]] ''archīum'' or ''archīvum'',<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Darchium archīum] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924185602/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Darchium |date=24 September 2015 }}, Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, ''A Latin Dictionary'', on Perseus</ref> the [[romanization|romanized]] form of the [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|grc|ἀρχεῖον}} (''arkheion''). The Greek term originally referred to the home or dwelling of the [[Archon]], a ruler or chief [[magistrate]], in which important official state documents were filed and interpreted; from there its meaning broadened to encompass such concepts as "[[town hall]]" and "[[public records]]".<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Da%29rxei%3Don ἀρχεῖον] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009174332/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=a)rxei=on |date=9 October 2012 }}, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> The root of the Greek word is {{lang|grc|ἀρχή}} (''arkhē''), meaning among other things "magistracy, office, government",<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Da%29rxh%2F ἀρχή] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606125340/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=a)rxh%2F |date=6 June 2011 }}, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> and derived from the verb {{lang|grc|ἄρχω}} (''arkhō''), meaning "to begin, rule, govern" (also the root of English words such as "anarchy" and "monarchy").<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Da%29%2Frxw ἄρχω] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618065951/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Da%29%2Frxw |date=18 June 2013 }}, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref>

The word ''archive'' was first attested in English in the early 17th century, and the word ''archivist'' in the mid-18th century, although in these periods both terms were usually used only in reference to foreign institutions and personnel. Not until the late 19th century did they begin to be used widely in domestic contexts.<ref name="oed"/><ref>{{cite journal |first=Margaret |last=Procter |title=What's an 'archivist'? Some nineteenth-century perspectives |journal=Journal of the Society of Archivists |volume=31 |issue=1 |year=2010 |pages=15–27 |doi=10.1080/00379811003658476 |s2cid=144006118 }}</ref>

The adjective formed from ''archive'' is ''archival''.

==History==
The practice of keeping official documents is very old.<ref>Yeo Geoffrey. 2021. ''Record-Making and Record-Keeping in Early Societies.'' Abingdon Oxon: Routledge.</ref> Archaeologists have discovered archives of hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of clay tablets dating back to the third and second millennia BC in sites like [[Ebla]], [[Mari, Syria|Mari]], [[Amarna]], [[Hattusas]], [[Ugarit]], and [[Pylos]]. These discoveries have been fundamental to learning about ancient alphabets, languages, literature, and politics.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

Oral literature, such as [[Palestinian hikaye]], can also have archival functions for communities.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=From martial arts to the majlis: Seven Middle Eastern customs listed by Unesco |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/middle-east-customs-seven-unesco-protected |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}</ref>

Archives were well developed by the ancient Chinese, the ancient Greeks, and the ancient Romans (who called them ''[[Tabularium|Tabularia]]''). The idea that a society would designate a place to preserve records is integral to the Justinian Code (which set Roman law).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Duranti |first=Luciana |date=1996-11-01 |title=Archives as place |url=https://publications.archivists.org.au/index.php/asa/article/view/8579 |journal=Archives & Manuscripts |language=en |pages=242–255 |issn=2164-6058}}</ref>

England, after 1066, developed archives and archival access methods.<ref>Michael T. Clanchy, ''From Memory to Written Record: England 1066–1307'' (Blackwell, 1979).</ref> The Swiss developed archival systems after 1450.<ref>Randolph Head, "Knowing Like a State: The Transformation of Political Knowledge in Swiss Archives, 1450–1770", ''Journal of Modern History'', 75 (2003), pp. 745–82. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/383353 online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031222/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/383353 |date=16 December 2018 }}</ref>
[[File: Archivistica2.pdf|thumb|right|The earliest archival manuals: Jacob von Rammingen, ''Von der Registratur'' (1571), Baldassarre Bonifacio, ''De Archivis'' (1632).]]
The first predecessors of archival science in the West are Jacob von Rammingen's manuals of 1571.<ref>The earliest predecessors of archival science - Jacob von Rammingen's two manuals of the registry and archival management, printed in 1571, translated by JBLD Strömberg. Lund: Wallin & Dalholm, Lundaboken, 2010</ref> and [[Baldassarre Bonifacio]]'s ''De Archivis libris singularis'' of 1632.<ref>L. Sandri, 'Il "De Archivis" di Baldassare Bonifacio', ''Notizie delle Archive di Stato'', Roma, 1950, p. 95-111.</ref>

Modern archival thinking has some roots dating back to the [[French Revolution]]. The [[French National Archives]], which possess perhaps the largest archival collection in the world (with records going as far back as 625 A.D.), was created in 1790 during the Revolution from various government, religious, and private archives seized by the revolutionaries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.answers.com/topic/archive |title=archive: Definition, Synonyms from |publisher=Answers.com |access-date=1 June 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523111412/http://www.answers.com/topic/archive |archive-date=23 May 2010}}</ref>

In 1883, French archivist Gabriel Richou published the first Western text on archival theory, entitled ''Traité théorique et pratique des archives publiques'' (''Treaty of Theory and Practice of the Public Archives''), in which he systematized the archival theory of the ''[[respect des fonds]]'', first published by [[Natalis de Wailly]] in 1841.<ref>F. Hildesheimer, "Les Premières publications des Archives", ''Histoires de France, historiens de la France'', Paris, 1994, p. 280-299.</ref>

==Users and institutions==
[[File:Staatsarchiv Erdberg Sep 2006 002.jpg|thumb|right|Reading room of the [[National Archives of Austria|Österreichisches Staatsarchiv]] (Austrian State Archive), in the Erdberg district of Vienna (2006)]]
Historians, [[genealogist]]s, lawyers, [[demographer]]s, filmmakers, and others conduct research at archives.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/about/what-are-archives |title=What Are Archives? |date=November 2013 |access-date=2 September 2014 |publisher=[[National Museum of American History]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905072959/http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/about/what-are-archives |archive-date=5 September 2014}}</ref> The research process at each archive is unique and depends upon the institution that houses the archive.  While there are many kinds of archives, the most recent census of archivists in the United States identifies five major types: '''academic''', '''business (for profit)''', '''government''', '''non-profit''', and '''others'''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Walch |first=Victoria Irons |year=2006 |title=Archival Census and Education Needs Survey in the United States: Part 1: Introduction |journal=The American Archivist |volume=69 |issue=2 |pages=294–309 |url=http://www.archivists.org/a-census/reports/Walch-ACENSUS.pdf|access-date=30 April 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314203430/http://www.archivists.org/a-census/reports/Walch-ACENSUS.pdf |archive-date=14 March 2007}}</ref> There are also four main areas of inquiry involved with archives: material technologies, organizing principles, geographic locations, and tangled embodiments of humans and non-humans.  These areas help to further categorize what kind of archive is being created.

===Academic===
{{see also|Institutional repository}}
[[File:Charles Sturt University Regional Archives 1.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Charles Sturt University]] Regional Archives]]
Archives in colleges, universities, and other educational facilities are typically housed within a library, and duties may be carried out by an [[archivist]].<ref>{{Cite book |first=William J. |last=Maher |year=1992 |title=The Management of College and University Archives |oclc=25630256 |location=Metuchen, New Jersey |publisher=[[Society of American Archivists]] and [[The Scarecrow Press]] }}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2014}}  Academic archives exist to preserve institutional history and serve the academic community.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.kennesaw.edu/archives/| title= Welcome to University Archives and Records Management| access-date= 8 May 2007| publisher= Kennesaw State University Archives| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070414165623/http://www.kennesaw.edu/archives/| archive-date= 14 April 2007| url-status= dead}}</ref> An academic archive may contain materials such as the institution's administrative records, personal and professional papers of former professors and presidents, memorabilia related to school organizations and activities, and items the academic library wishes to remain in a closed-stack setting, such as rare books or [[thesis]] copies. Access to the collections in these archives is usually by prior appointment only; some have posted hours for making inquiries.  Users of academic archives can be undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and staff, scholarly researchers, and the general public.  Many academic archives work closely with [[alumni]] relations departments or other campus institutions to help raise funds for their library or school.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.archivists.org/groups/college-and-university-archives-section/guidelines-for-college-and-university-archives |title=Guidelines for College and University Archives |access-date=2 September 2014 |publisher=[[Society of American Archivists]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905030415/http://www2.archivists.org/groups/college-and-university-archives-section/guidelines-for-college-and-university-archives |archive-date=5 September 2014}}</ref> Qualifications for employment may vary.  Entry-level positions usually require an undergraduate diploma, but typically archivists hold graduate degrees in history or library science (preferably certified by a body such as the [[American Library Association]]).<ref name=Riggs>{{cite journal |first=Michelle |last=Riggs |title=The Correlation of Archival Education and Job Requirements Since the Advent of Encoded Archival Description |journal=Journal of Archival Organization |volume=3 |issue=1 |year=2005 |pages=61–79 |doi=10.1300/J201v03n01_06 |s2cid=145257839 }}</ref> Subject-area specialization becomes more common in higher-ranking positions.<ref>{{cite web |title=So You Want to Be an Archivist: An Overview of the Archives Profession |url=http://www2.archivists.org/profession |website=Society of American Archivists |access-date=23 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140711152538/http://www2.archivists.org/profession |archive-date=11 July 2014}}</ref>

===Business (for profit)===
Archives located in for-profit institutions are usually those owned by a private business.  Examples of prominent business archives in the United States include [[Coca-Cola]] (which also owns the separate museum [[World of Coca-Cola]]), [[Procter and Gamble]], [[Motorola]] Heritage Services and Archives, and [[Levi Strauss & Co.]] These corporate archives maintain historic documents and items related to the history and administration of their companies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessarchivescouncil.org.uk/|title=Business Archives Council |access-date=8 May 2007 |publisher=businessarchivescouncil.org.uk| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070606151253/http://www.businessarchivescouncil.org.uk/| archive-date= 6 June 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> Business archives serve the purpose of helping corporations maintain control over their brand by retaining memories of the company's past.  Especially in business archives, [[records management]] is separate from the historical aspect of archives.  Workers in these types of archives may have any combination of training and degrees, from either a history or library background.  These archives are typically not open to the public and are only used by workers of the owner company, though some allow approved visitors by appointment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hunterinformation.com/corporat.htm|title=Directory of Corporate Archives |access-date=8 May 2007 |publisher=hunterinformation.com| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070405071910/http://www.hunterinformation.com/corporat.htm| archive-date= 5 April 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> Business archives are concerned with maintaining the [[integrity]] of their company and are therefore selective about how their materials may be used.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/bas/Intro_bus_arch.asp |title= Business Archives in North America – Invest in your future: Understand your past |access-date=8 May 2007 |publisher=Society of American Archivists|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061001211352/http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/bas/Intro_bus_arch.asp |archive-date = 1 October 2006}}</ref>

===Government===
{{main|National archives}}
[[File:WikiXDC National Archives Tour Hall - Stierch.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Storage facility at the [[National Archives and Records Administration]], Washington, D.C.]]
Government archives include those maintained by local and state governments as well as those maintained by the national (or federal) government. Anyone may use a government archive, and frequent users include [[reporters]], [[genealogists]], writers, [[historians]], students, and people seeking information on the history of their home or region. Many government archives are open to the public, and no appointment is required to visit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.ca/about-us/016/index-e.html |title=Directions for Change |url-status=dead |access-date=27 October 2016 |publisher=collectionscanada.ca |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070227022316/http://www.collectionscanada.ca/about-us/016/index-e.html |archive-date=27 February 2007 }}</ref>

In the United States, the [[National Archives and Records Administration]] (NARA) maintains central archival facilities in the [[District of Columbia]] and [[College Park, Maryland]], with regional facilities distributed throughout the United States. Some city or local governments may have repositories, but their organization and accessibility vary widely.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyndislist.com/us/state-level-records-repositories |title=Cyndi's List - United States - U.S. State Level Records Repositories |access-date=2 September 2014 |publisher=[[Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet]] }}</ref> Similar to the library profession, certification requirements and education also varies widely, from state to state.<ref>Watkins, Christine. "Chapter Report: The Many Faces of Certification." American Libraries 29, no. 9 (October 1998): 11. (accessed 23 July 2014).</ref> Professional associations themselves encourage the need to professionalize.<ref>Bastian, Jeannette, and Elizabeth Yakel. "'Are We There Yet?' Professionalism and the Development of an Archival Core Curriculum in the United States." Journal of Education for Library & Information Science 46, no. 2 (Spring2005 2005): 95–114. (accessed 23 July 2014)</ref> NARA offers the Certificate of Federal Records Management Training Program for professional development.<ref>{{cite web|title=FAQs About NARA's Certificate of Federal Records Management Training Program|url=https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/training/certification-faq.html|access-date=23 July 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715123147/http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/training/certification-faq.html|archive-date=15 July 2014}}</ref> The majority of state and local archives staff hold a [[bachelor's degree]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Set 1: Employment, A*CENSUS Data Tabulated by State|url=http://www2.archivists.org/initiatives/acensus-archival-census-education-needs-survey-in-the-united-states|website=Society of American Archivists|access-date=23 July 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713074602/http://www2.archivists.org/initiatives/acensus-archival-census-education-needs-survey-in-the-united-states|archive-date=13 July 2014}}</ref>—increasingly repositories list advanced degrees (e.g. MA, MLS/MLIS, Ph.D.) and certifications as a position requirement or preference.<ref name=Riggs />

In the UK, the [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|National Archives]] (formerly known as the Public Record Office) is the government archive for England and [[Wales]]. The physical records stored by the National Archives amount to {{convert|185|km|mi|abbr=in}} of shelving, a number that increases every year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/start-here/what-we-have/ |title=What we have |website=www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |access-date=2022-05-14 |archive-date=14 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514110454/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/start-here/what-we-have/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[English Heritage Archive]] is the public archive of [[English Heritage]]. The [[National Records of Scotland]], located in [[Edinburgh]], serves that country;<ref>{{cite web |title=What We Do |website=National Records of Scotland |date=31 May 2013 |url=https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/about-us/what-we-do |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002135913/https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/about-us/what-we-do |url-status=live }}</ref> while the [[Public Record Office of Northern Ireland]] in [[Belfast]] is the government archive for Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite web |title=Public Record Office of Northern Ireland |website=www.nidirect.gov.uk |date=4 March 2016 |url=https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/public-record-office-northern-ireland-proni |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002135916/https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/public-record-office-northern-ireland-proni |url-status=live }}</ref>

A network of [[county record office]]s and other local authority-run archives exists throughout England, Wales, and Scotland and holds many important collections, including local government, landed estates, church, and business records. Many archives have contributed catalogs to the national "[[Access to Archives]]" program and online searching across collections is possible.

In France, the French Archives Administration (''Service interministériel des Archives de France'') in the [[Minister of Culture (France)|Ministry of Culture]] supervises the [[Archives nationales (France)|National Archives]] (''Archives nationales''), which possess {{convert|373|km|mi|abbr=in}} of physical records {{as of|2020|lc=y}} (the total length of occupied shelves put next to each other), with original records going as far back as A.D. 625, and 74.75 terabytes (74,750 [[Gigabyte|GB]]) of electronic archives, as well as the [[Archives nationales d'outre-mer|National Overseas Archives]] (ANOM, {{convert|36.5|km|mi}} of physical records), the {{ill|National Archives of the World of Labour|fr|Archives nationales du monde du travail}} (ANMT, {{convert|49.8|km|mi}} of physical records), and all local public archives (departmental archives, or ''archives départementales'', located in the ''[[Prefectures in France|préfectures]]'' of each of the 100 ''[[departments of France|départements]]'' of France plus the City of Paris, more than 400 municipal archives in the larger towns and cities of France, and 12 newer regional archives) which possess {{convert|3591|km|mi|abbr=in}} of physical records and 225.25 terabytes of electronic archives ({{as of|2020|lc=y}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://francearchives.fr/file/26fd8af1762e37a6b252a54f04e89dec9273cd37/ConservationRestauration_2020.ods|title=Activité des services d'archives en France : données 2020 - Conservation et restauration|website=francearchives.fr|format=ODS|access-date=2022-04-30|archive-date=16 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616050909/https://francearchives.fr/file/26fd8af1762e37a6b252a54f04e89dec9273cd37/ConservationRestauration_2020.ods|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://francearchives.fr/file/4f24916bf00f2493237bc84960e718425aa296aa/SCN_DonneesActivite_2020.ods|title=Activité des services d'archives en France: données 2020 - Services à compétence nationale|website=francearchives.fr|format=ODS|access-date=2022-04-30|archive-date=1 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501001540/https://francearchives.fr/file/4f24916bf00f2493237bc84960e718425aa296aa/SCN_DonneesActivite_2020.ods|url-status=live}}</ref>   Put together, the total volume of archives under the supervision of the French Archives Administration is the largest in the world.

The archives of the French [[Ministry of Armed Forces (France)|Ministry of Armed Forces]] ([[Defence Historical Service]], ca. {{convert|450|km|mi}} of physical records) and the archives of the French [[Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (France)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] ({{ill|Diplomatic Archives |fr|archives diplomatiques}}, ca. {{convert|120|km|mi}} of physical records) are managed separately by their respective ministries and do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Archives of France Administration.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ccomptes.fr/sites/default/files/EzPublish/20170202-rapport-archives-nationales.pdf|title=Les Archives nationales - Les voies et moyens d'une nouvelle ambition|author=[[Court of Audit (France)]]|page=14|date=November 2016|access-date=2022-05-12|archive-date=20 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120052939/https://www.ccomptes.fr/sites/default/files/EzPublish/20170202-rapport-archives-nationales.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[India]], the [[National Archives of India|National Archives]] (NAI) are located in New Delhi.

In [[Taiwan]], the National Archives Administration are located in [[Taipei]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.archives.gov.tw/English |title=National Archives Administration |website=National Development Council of Taiwan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917052616/http://www.archives.gov.tw/english/ |archive-date=17 September 2008 }}</ref>

Most intergovernmental organizations keep their own historical archives. However, a number of European organizations, including the European Commission, choose to deposit their archives with the European University Institute in Florence.<ref>{{cite web|title=About the Archives|url=http://www.eui.eu/Research/HistoricalArchivesOfEU/AbouttheHistoricalArchives/Index.aspx|website=European University Institute|access-date=23 July 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706220937/http://www.eui.eu/Research/HistoricalArchivesOfEU/AbouttheHistoricalArchives/Index.aspx|archive-date=6 July 2014}}</ref>

===Church===
A prominent church archive is the [[Vatican Apostolic Archive]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Vatican Apostolic Archive|url=https://www.archivioapostolicovaticano.va/|access-date=23 April 2022|archive-date=6 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106185526/http://archivioapostolicovaticano.va/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Archdiocese]]s, [[diocese]]s, and parishes also have archives in the Roman Catholic and [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] Churches. Very important are [[monastery]] archives because of their antiquity, like the ones of [[Monte Cassino]], [[Abbey of Saint Gall|Saint Gall]], and [[Fulda monastery|Fulda]]. The records in these archives include manuscripts, papal records, local church records, photographs, oral histories, audiovisual materials, and architectural drawings.

Most Protestant denominations have archives as well, including the [[Presbyterian Historical Society]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Presbyterian Historical Society|url=http://history.pcusa.org/|access-date=31 March 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110426023226/http://history.pcusa.org/| archive-date= 26 April 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> the Moravian Church Archives,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moravianchurcharchives.org/|title=Moravian Archives|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329122545/http://www.moravianchurcharchives.org/|archive-date=29 March 2015}}</ref> the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives,<ref>{{cite web|title=Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives|url=http://www.sbhla.org/|access-date=31 March 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110330061539/http://www.sbhla.org/| archive-date= 30 March 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> the United Methodist Archives and History Center of the United Methodist Church,<ref>{{cite web|title=United Methodist Archives Center|url=http://www.gcah.org|access-date=31 March 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080828054648/http://gcah.org/| archive-date=28 August 2008| url-status= live}}</ref> and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).<ref>{{cite web|title=Disciples of Christ Historical Society|url=http://discipleshistory.org/|access-date=2 August 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110725235550/http://www.discipleshistory.org/| archive-date= 25 July 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>

===Motion pictures, film, and audio and video tape===
{{main category|Film archives}}
{{see also|List of film archives|Cinematheque}}
Film archives collect, restore, investigate and conserve audiovisual content like films, documentaries, tv programs and newsreel footage. Often, a country has its own film archive to preserve its national audiovisual heritage. The [[International Federation of Film Archives]] comprises more than 150 institutions in over 77 countries and the [[Association of European Film Archives and Cinematheques]] is an affiliation of 49 European national and regional film archives founded in 1991. For a comprehensive look at the history of film preservation and the institutions and organizations that developed various practices, see [[Penelope Houston (film critic)|Penelope Houston]]'s ''Keepers of the Frame.''

===Non-profit===
Non-profit archives include those in [[List of Historical Societies|historical societies]], not-for-profit businesses such as hospitals, and repositories within [[Foundation (charity)|foundations]].  Such repositories are typically set up with private funds from donors to preserve the papers and histories of specific people or places. These institutions may rely on [[Grant (money)|grant]] funding from the government as well as private funds.<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Dorothy Weyer |last1=Creigh |first2=Laurence R. |last2=Pizer | year=1991 | title=A Primer for Local Historical Societies |edition=2nd |page=122 |publisher=[[American Association for State and Local History]] |isbn=9780942063127 }}</ref> Depending on the availability of funds, non-profit archives may be as small as the historical society in a rural town to as big as a state historical society that rivals a government archive. Users of this type of archive may vary as much as the institutions that hold it. Employees of non-profit archives may be professional archivists, [[paraprofessional]]s, or volunteers, as the education required for a position at a non-profit archive varies with the demands of the collection's user base.<ref>{{Cite book| first=Walter Muir |last=Whitehill |year=1962 | title=Independent Historical Societies: An Enquiry into Their Research and Publication Functions and Their Financial Future  |chapter=Introduction |page=311 |location=Boston, Massachusetts |publisher=Boston Athenaeum }}</ref>

===Web archiving===
{{main|Web archive}}
Web archiving is the process of collecting portions of the [[World Wide Web]] and ensuring the collection is [[digital preservation|preserved]] in an archive, such as an [[archive site]], for future researchers, historians, and the public.  Due to the massive size of the Web, web archivists typically employ [[web crawler]]s for automated collection.

Similarly, software code and documentation can be archived on the web, as with the example of [[CPAN]].

===Dark archives===

Archives that are collected and kept in cold storage ie. not openly accessible, are sometimes called ''dark archives''.<ref name="DAT">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Dark archives |work=Dictionary of Archives Terminology |publisher=[[Society of American Archivists]] |access-date=2025-06-05 |url=https://dictionary.archivists.org/entry/dark-archives.html }}</ref> For example in 2025, the academic paper repository [[arXiv]] was concerned about trends in the United States and elsewhere that might restrict academic freedoms. They created a dark archive of the website, so it could be reconstituted in another country, if required.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tobschall |first=Esther |title=Dark Archive: Data stored, but not openly accessible |work=TIB-Blog |date=May 14, 2025 |access-date=2025-06-05 |url=https://blog.tib.eu/2025/05/14/protecting-science-tib-builds-dark-archive-for-arxiv/ }}</ref> ''Dark archive'' is also used in library science for collections of online publications that are held in reserve in case the publisher no longer makes them available.<ref name="DAT" />

===Other===
[[File:Tretter Collection, QSCC Files.JPG|thumb|upright|right|Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies in May 2013]]
Some archives defy categorization.  There are tribal archives within the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] nations in North America, and there are archives that exist within the papers of private individuals.  Many museums keep archives in order to prove the [[provenance]] of their pieces.  Any institution or persons wishing to keep their significant papers in an organized fashion that employs the most basic principles of [[archival science]] may have an archive.  In the 2004 census of archivists taken in the United States, 2.7% of archivists were employed in institutions that defied categorization.  This was a separate figure from the 1.3% that identified themselves as self-employed.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Walch |first=Victoria Irons |year=2006 |title=A*Census: A Closer Look|journal=The American Archivist |volume=69 |issue= 2|pages=327–348|url=http://www.archivists.org/a-census| access-date=8 May 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070405071939/http://www.archivists.org/a-census| archive-date= 5 April 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

Another type of archive is the Public Secrets project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://publicsecret.net/|title=Public Secrets}}</ref> This is an interactive testimonial, in which women incarcerated in the California State Prison System describe what happened to them. The archive's mission is to gather stories from women who want to express themselves and want their stories heard. This collection includes transcripts and an audio recording of the women telling their stories.

The archives of an individual may include letters, papers, photographs, computer files, scrapbooks, financial records, or diaries created or collected by the individual, regardless of medium or format. The archives of an organization (such as a corporation or government) tend to contain other types of records, such as administrative files, business records, memos, official correspondence, and meeting minutes. Some archives are made up of a compilation of both types of collections. An example of this type of combined compilation is the [[Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria]], which contain a multitude of collections of donations from both individuals and organizations from all over the world. Many of these donations have yet to be cataloged but are currently in the process of being [[Digital preservation|digitally preserved]] and made available to the public online.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Transgender Archives - University of Victoria|url=https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/|access-date=2021-02-06|website=www.uvic.ca|archive-date=10 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210230004/https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Arctic World Archive]] is a commercially-run facility for data preservation located in the [[Svalbard]] archipelago, Norway, that contains data of historical and cultural interest from several countries as well as all of American multinational company [[GitHub]]'s [[open source code]]. The data is kept on reels of specially developed film in a steel vault buried deep beneath the [[permafrost]], with the data storage medium expected to last for 500 to 1000 years.<ref name=buried>{{cite news| title=Buried deep in the ice is the GitHub code vault| first=Nate| last=Byrne| website=ABC News| publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation| date=12 August 2020| url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-13/github-code-vault-in-artic-svalbard-safeguards-against-calamity/12517948| access-date=13 August 2020| archive-date=15 November 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115015832/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-13/github-code-vault-in-artic-svalbard-safeguards-against-calamity/12517948| url-status=live}}</ref>

==Standardization==
The [[International Council on Archives]] (ICA) has developed a number of standards on archival description, including the General International Standard Archival Description ISAD(G).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ica.org/10206/standards/standards-list.html|title=ICA Standards Page|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824102817/http://www.ica.org/10206/standards/standards-list.html|archive-date=24 August 2014}}</ref> ISAD (G) is meant to be used in conjunction with national standards or as a basis for nations to build their own standards.<ref>[http://www.ica.org/en/node/30000] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818015843/http://www.ica.org/en/node/30000|date=18 August 2010}}</ref> In the United States, ISAD (G) is implemented through [[Describing Archives: A Content Standard]], popularly known as "DACS".<ref>{{cite web|title=Describing Archives: A Content Standard|url=http://www.archivists.org/governance/standards/dacs.asp|publisher=Society of American Archivists|access-date=20 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714055311/http://www.archivists.org/governance/standards/dacs.asp|archive-date=14 July 2010}}</ref> In Canada, ISAD (G) is implemented through the Council of Archives<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.securus.co.in/blog-detail/7-key-benefits-of-offsite-document-storage-Canadian |title=Securus &#124; Blog &#124; |website=www.securus.co.in |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327093950/http://www.securus.co.in/blog-detail/7-key-benefits-of-offsite-document-storage-Canadian |archive-date=27 March 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> as the [[Rules for Archival Description]], also known as "RAD".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Rules for Archival Description|year=1990|publisher=Bureau of Canadian Archivists|isbn=978-0-9690797-3-6|url=http://www.cdncouncilarchives.ca/archdesrules.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516200843/http://www.cdncouncilarchives.ca/archdesrules.html|archive-date=16 May 2017}}</ref>

[[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] is currently developing standards.<ref name=hisa>{{cite web
 |last        = International Organization for Standardization
 |author-link        = International Organization for Standardization
 |title       = ISO/NP TS 21547-1 Health informatics – Secure archiving of electronic health records – Part 1: Principles and requirements
 |url         = http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=44479
 |access-date  = 19 July 2008
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110606051240/http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=44479
 |archive-date = 6 June 2011}}</ref><ref name=dma>{{cite web
 |last        = International Organization for Standardization
 |author-link        = International Organization for Standardization
 |title       = ISO/DIS 11506 Document management applications – Archiving of electronic data – Computer output microform (COM) / Computer output laser disc (COLD)
 |url         = http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=50565
 |access-date  = 19 July 2008
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110606051247/http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=50565
 |archive-date = 6 June 2011}}</ref>

==Protection==
The cultural property stored in archives is threatened by natural disasters, wars, or other emergencies in many countries. International partners for archives are [[UNESCO]] and [[Blue Shield International]], in accordance with the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property from 1954 and its 2nd Protocol from 1999. From a national and international perspective, there are many collaborations between archives and local Blue Shield organizations to ensure the sustainable existence of cultural property storage facilities. In addition to working with [[United Nations peacekeeping]] in the event of war, the protection of the archives requires the creation of "no-strike lists", the linking of civil and military structures, and the training of local personnel.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=O’Keefe |first1=Roger |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000246633 |title=Protection of Cultural Property: Military Manual |last2=Péron |first2=Camille |last3=Musayev |first3=Tofig |last4=Ferrari |first4=Gianluca |date=2016 |publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) |isbn=978-92-3-100184-0 |location=Paris |language=en |oclc=1273558194 |access-date=February 28, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241228092656/https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000246633 |archive-date=December 28, 2024}}</ref><ref>Corine Wegener, Marjan Otter "Cultural Property at War: Protecting Heritage during Armed Conflict" in The Getty Conservation Institute, Newsletter 23.1, Spring 2008.</ref><ref>Marilyn E. Phelan "Museum Law: A Guide for Officers, Directors, and Counsel" (2014), p 419.</ref><ref>Aisling Irwin "A no-strike list may shield Yemen`s ancient treasures from war" in Daily News, 23 January 2017.</ref>

== Limitations and alternatives ==
[[File:Humanités Numériques.JPG|thumb|Illustration of the epistemologic changes of the [[digital humanities]]: archives organized with network visualization and analysis. [[League of Nations archives]] ([[United Nations Office at Geneva|UN Geneva]]).]]
Archives that primarily contain physical artifacts and printed documents are increasingly shifting to [[Digitization|digitizing]] items that did not [[Born-digital|originate digitally]], which are then usually stored away. This allows for greater accessibility when using search tools and databases, as well as an increase in the availability of digitized materials from outside the physical parameters of an archive, but there may be an element of loss or disconnect when there are gaps in what items are made available digitally.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=|first=|date=September 2010|title=Raiders of the lost articles|journal=Nature Reviews Microbiology|volume=8|issue=9|pages=610|doi=10.1038/nrmicro2435|issn=1740-1526|doi-access=free}}</ref> Both physical and digital archives also generally have specific limitations regarding the types of content that are deemed able to be preserved, categorized, and archived. Conventional institutionalized archive spaces have a tendency to prioritize tangible items over ephemeral experiences, actions, effects, and even bodies.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Springgay|first1=Stephanie|last2=Truman|first2=Anise|last3=MacLean|first3=Sara|date=2019-11-13|title=Socially Engaged Art, Experimental Pedagogies, and Anarchiving as Research-Creation|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1077800419884964|journal=Qualitative Inquiry|volume=26|issue=7|pages=897–907|language=en|doi=10.1177/1077800419884964|s2cid=210545023|access-date=6 February 2021|archive-date=19 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419165431/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1077800419884964|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Battaglia|first1=Giulia|last2=Clarke|first2=Jennifer|last3=Siegenthaler|first3=Fiona|date=2020|title=Bodies of Archives / Archival Bodies: An Introduction|journal=Visual Anthropology Review|language=en|volume=36|issue=1|pages=8–16|doi=10.1111/var.12203|issn=1548-7458|doi-access=free}}</ref> This type of potentially biased prioritization may be seen as a form of privileging particular types of knowledge or interpreting certain experiences as more valid than others, limiting the content available to archive users, leading to barriers in accessing information, and potentially alienating under-represented and/or marginalized populations and their [[Epistemology|epistemologies]] and [[Ontology|ontologies]].<ref>Loeper, Lindsey. "LibGuides: Visiting Special Collections: Silences and bias in archives". ''lib.guides.umbc.edu''. Retrieved 2021-02-06.</ref> As Omnia El Shakry shows, dealing with destruction is a challenge central to decolonial historiography.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mikdashi |first=Maya |title=Practicing Sectarianism |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=2022 |page=59 |chapter=The Archive is Burning: Law, Unknowability, and the Curation of History |doi=10.1515/9781503633872-006}}</ref> When faced with a lack of archival documents, historians resort to different sources and methods. For example, due to the lack of a Palestinian state archive, many historians of [[Nakba]] had to rely on sources in the Israeli state's archives.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Donnelly |first1=Mark |last2=Norton |first2=Claire |title=Doing History |url=https://www.routledge.com/Doing-History/Donnelly-Norton/p/book/9781138301559 |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=Routledge |page=135 |language=en}}</ref>

As a result of this perceived under-representation, some activists are making efforts to [[Decolonization|decolonize]] contemporary archival institutions that may employ hegemonic and [[white supremacist]] practices by implementing subversive alternatives such as anarchiving or counter-archiving with the intention of making [[Intersectionality|intersectional]] accessibility a priority for those who cannot or do not want to access contemporary archival institutions.<ref>Caswell, Michelle. “Teaching to Dismantle White Supremacy in Archives.” ''The Library Quarterly (Chicago)'', vol. 87, no. 3, 2017, pp. 222-235.</ref><ref name=":1">Page, Morgan M. "One from the Vaults: Gossip, Access, and Trans History-Telling." ''Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and the Politics of Visibility''. By Reina Gossett, Eric A. Stanley, and Johanna Burton. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2017. 135-46. Print.</ref><ref name=":0" /> An example of this is Morgan M. Page's description of disseminating [[transgender]] history directly to trans people through various social media and networking platforms like [[tumblr]], [[Twitter]], and [[Instagram]], as well as via [[podcast]].<ref name=":1" /> While the majority of archived materials are typically well conserved within their collections, anarchiving's attention to ephemerality also brings to light the inherent impermanence and gradual change of physical objects over time as a result of being handled.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hennessy|first1=Kate|last2=Smith|first2=Trudi Lynn|date=2018-06-01|title=Fugitives: Anarchival Materiality in Archives|url=https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/public/2018/00000029/00000057/art00014;jsessionid=7p15krcuibs9b.x-ic-live-01|journal=Public|volume=29|issue=57|pages=128–144|doi=10.1386/public.29.57.128_1|s2cid=191506831 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The concept of counter-archiving brings into question what tends to be considered archivable and what is therefore selected to be preserved within conventional contemporary archives.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Derrida|first1=Jacques|last2=Prenowitz|first2=Eric|date=1995|title=Archive Fever: A Freudian Impression|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/465144|journal=Diacritics|volume=25|issue=2|pages=9–63|doi=10.2307/465144|jstor=465144|issn=0300-7162|access-date=6 February 2021|archive-date=13 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213153434/https://www.jstor.org/stable/465144|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> With the options available through counter-archiving, there is the potential to "challenge traditional conceptions of history" as they are perceived within contemporary archives, which creates space for narratives that are often not present in many archival materials.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cvetkovich|first=Ann|title=An archive of feelings : trauma, sexuality, and lesbian public cultures|date=2003|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=0-8223-3076-8|location=Durham, NC|oclc=50478406}}</ref> The unconventional nature of counter-archiving practices makes room for the maintenance of ephemeral qualities contained within certain historically significant experiences, performances, and personally or culturally relevant stories that do not typically have a space in conventional archives.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mohamed |first=Maandeeq |date=15 March 2018 |title=Somehow I Found You: On Black Archival Practices |url=https://cmagazine.com/articles/somehow-i-found-you-on-black-archival-practices |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416183822/https://cmagazine.com/articles/somehow-i-found-you-on-black-archival-practices |archive-date=16 Apr 2023 |access-date=2023-06-19 |work=C Magazine |issue=137 |page=8 |language=en}}</ref>

The practices of anarchiving and counter-archiving are both rooted in [[social justice]] work.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ng|first1=Wendy|last2=Ware|first2=Syrus Marcus|last3=Greenberg|first3=Alyssa|date=2017-04-03|title=Activating Diversity and Inclusion: A Blueprint for Museum Educators as Allies and Change Makers|journal=Journal of Museum Education|volume=42|issue=2|pages=142–154|doi=10.1080/10598650.2017.1306664|issn=1059-8650|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Archival informatics]]
* [[Archival research]]
* [[Archival science]]
* ''[[Archive Fever]]'' (book by [[Jacques Derrida]])
* [[Archive file]]
* [[Archivist]]
* [[Archives management]]
* [[Backup]]
* [[BS 5454]]
* [[Collection (museum)]]
* [[Computer data storage]]
* [[Data proliferation]]
* [[Database]]
* [[Data library]]
* [[Digital preservation]]
* [[Greenstone (software)]]
* [[Historical document]]
* [[Information management]]
* [[Information repository]]
* [[International Council on Archives]]
* [[Internet Archive]]
* [[Knowledge ark]]
* [[Manuscript processing]]
* [[Preservation (library and archival science)]]
* [[Solander box]]
* [[Time capsule]]
* [[Web archiving]]
* [[List of archives]] and [[List of national archives]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Bastian, J. A., & Webber, D. (2008). ''Archival internships: a guide for faculty, supervisors, and students''. Society of American Archivists.
* Chen, A. (2020). ''Placing papers: the American literary archives market''. University of Massachusetts Press.
* {{cite book |last1=Friedrich |first1=Markus |last2=Dillon |first2=John Noel |title=The Birth of the Archive: A History of Knowledge |date=2018 |publisher=University of Michigan press |location=Ann Arbor, MI |isbn=9780472130689}}
* Kandiuk, M. (Ed.). (2020). ''Archives and special collections as sites of contestation''. Library Juice Press.
* Mitchell, E., Seiden, P., & Taraba, S. (Eds). (2012). ''Past or portal? : enhancing undergraduate learning through special collections and archives''. Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.
* Theimer, K. (Ed.). (2014). ''Management: Innovative Practices for Archives and Special Collections''. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|archive}}
{{Commons category|Archives}}
* [https://archive.org/ Public Archive library]
* [http://www.ica.org/ International Council on Archives]
* [http://archiveshub.ac.uk/ Archives Hub] – search across descriptions of archives held in over 280 institutions across the UK
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130103050624/http://www.interpares.org/ InterPARES Project] – international research project on the long-term preservation of authentic digital records
* [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a Access to Archives (A2A)] – the English strand of the UK archives network
* [http://archivesmadeeasy.pbworks.com/ Online-Guide to Archives around the globe]
* [http://www.aim25.ac.uk/ AIM25] – archives within the UK [[M25 motorway|M25]] area.
* [http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/ British Cartoon Archive] and the [https://www.kent.ac.uk/library/specialcollections/philanthropy/ UK Philanthropy Archive] associated with the University of Kent
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090401204405/http://daln.osu.edu/ The Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130130204002/http://www.lacasadisangiorgio.it/ Banco di San Giorgio] – Genova Italy: Archive (1407–1805): nearly 40,000 books catalogued with full description.  www.giuseppefelloni.it
* [http://uiuc.libguides.com/aecontent.php?pid=27055 Slavic Archives]{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/ Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)]
* [http://archives.un.org/ United Nations Archives]

{{Historiography}}
{{Libraries and library science}}
{{Cultural Conservation-Restoration}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Archives|*]]
[[Category:Documents]]
[[Category:Works about history]]
[[Category:Storage facilities]]