Archival science
Archival science, or archival studies, is the study and theory of building and curating archives, which are collections of documents, recordings, photographs and various other materials in physical or digital formats.
To build and curate an archive, one must acquire and evaluate the materials, and be able to access them later. To this end, archival science seeks to improve methods for appraising, storing, preserving, and processing (arranging and describing) collections of materials.[1]
An archival record preserves data that is not intended to change. In order to be of value to society, archives must be trustworthy. Therefore, an archivist has a responsibility to authenticate archival materials, such as historical documents, and to ensure their reliability, integrity, and usability. Archival records must be what they claim to be; accurately represent the activity they were created for; present a coherent picture through an array of content; and be in usable condition in an accessible location.[2]
An archive curator is called an archivist; the curation of an archive is called archive administration.
Standards[edit]
There is no universal set of laws or standards that governs the form or mission of archival institutions.[7] The forms, functions, and mandates of archival programs and institutions tend to differ based on geographical location and language, the nature of the society in which they exist and the objectives of those in control of the archives.[7] Instead, the current standards that have been provided and are most widely followed, such as the ICA standard, ISO standard, and DIRKS standard, act as working guidelines for archives to follow and adapt in ways that would best suit their respective needs.
Following the introduction of computer technology in archival repositories, beginning in the 1970s, archivists increasingly recognized the need to develop common standards for descriptive practice, in order to facilitate the dissemination of archival descriptive information.[8] The standard developed by archivists in Canada, Rules for Archival Description, also known as RAD, was first published in 1990. As a standard, RAD aims to provide archivists with a consistent and common foundation for the description of archival material within a fonds, based on traditional archival principles.[9] A comparable standard used in the United States is Describing Archives: A Content Standard, also known as DACS.[10] These standards are in place to provide archivists with the tools for describing and making accessible archival material to the public.[11]
Metadata comprises contextual data pertaining to a record or aggregate of records. In order to compile metadata consistently, so as to enhance the discoverability of archival materials for users, as well as support the care and preservation of the materials by the archival institution, archivists look to standards appropriate to various kinds of metadata for different purposes, including administration, description, preservation, and digital storage and retrieval. For example, common standards used by archivists for structuring descriptive metadata, which conveys information such as the form, extent, and content of archival materials, include Machine-Readable Cataloguing (MARC format), Encoded Archival Description (EAD), and Dublin core.[12]
Critical archival studies[edit]
In 2002, the journal Archival Science published a series of articles that analyzed systems of power in archival practice, theory, and recordkeeping.[22] This approach was described in 2017 by Punzalan, Caswell, and Sangwand as "critical archival studies".[23] Critical archival studies applies critical theory to archival science, with the goal of developing and implementing archival practices that are more fully inclusive of matters pertaining to race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability.[23] For example, it includes documentation of racist acts and references past omissions of such.[23] There are synergies between critical archival studies and digital humanities, to work to resist oppression.[24]
Archival studies have focused renewed concern on recognition and representation of indigenous, community, and human rights archives.[25] Archival practice is increasingly alert to colonial and imperialist implications.[25] Since 2016, the concept of "symbolic annihilation" has been used to describe the disappearance of communities through systematic or implicit lack of representation or under-representation in archives. It was initially adapted into the archival literature by Caswell from feminist uses of symbolic annihilation.[26] This absence can also be found in archival policies as well as description and annotation practices.[26] Preservation and usage of accurate language and descriptions of community archives ensures that community values are not neglected, and contributes to critical archival discussions regarding omissions in historical documentation.[26]
Hughes-Watkins has demonstrated that mainstream archival institutions tend to preserve homogeneous, Eurocentric content within archival practice, with a significant lack of attention to other, diverse perspectives.[27]
Professional and advanced education[edit]
In 2002, the Society of American Archivists published guidelines for a graduate program in archival studies.[28] The guidelines were most recently revised and re-approved in 2016.[29]
Formal courses of study in archival science are available at the master's and doctoral level. A master's degree is typically a two-year professional program focusing on acquiring a knowledge base of archival skills (including digital records and access systems)[30] whereas a doctorate is more broad in scope and includes critical inquiry of its archival practices, with graduates typically preparing for careers in research and teaching.[31] Archival science students may have academic backgrounds in areas such as anthropology, economics, history, law, library science, museum studies or information science.[31]