Archival science
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| Archival science | |
|---|---|
| Name | Archival science |
| Field | Information science, Records management |
| Related | Library science, Information science, Records management, Museum studies |
Archival science is the study and practice concerned with the appraisal, acquisition, organization, preservation, description, and provision of access to primary source materials created by individuals, corporations, or institutions. It integrates methods from Library science, Information science, Records management, and Museum studies to manage documentary heritage across analog and digital formats. Practitioners work in repositories such as national archives, university archives, corporate archives, and special collections to ensure evidential, informational, and cultural value is maintained for research, accountability, and public memory.
Definition and Scope
Archival science defines standards, workflows, and theoretical frameworks used in institutions like the National Archives and Records Administration, The British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Vatican Apostolic Archive, and Library of Congress to manage records from creators including United Nations, World Bank, European Union, and private bodies like Ford Motor Company and Rothschild family. Its scope encompasses selection policies used by repositories such as the National Archives (United Kingdom), descriptive practices aligned with guidelines from the International Council on Archives, and legal considerations involving statutes like the Freedom of Information Act and the General Data Protection Regulation. Intersecting fields include preservation programs at institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, digital curation at Harvard University, and metadata standards promoted by organizations like the World Wide Web Consortium and International Organization for Standardization.
History and Development
The profession evolved alongside bureaucratic and cultural institutions exemplified by archives in Ancient Rome, collections of the Byzantine Empire, and repositories maintained by dynasties such as the Ming dynasty and the Ottoman Empire. Modern archival practice was shaped by figures and movements linked to institutions like the French Revolution, the Congress of Vienna, and the establishment of the Public Record Office (UK). Developments in the 19th and 20th centuries were influenced by archivists and scholars associated with Hilary Jenkinson, T. R. Schellenberg, and organizations like the Society of American Archivists, International Council on Archives, and national bodies including the Australian Society of Archivists and Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu. Twentieth-century events—World War I, World War II, Nuremberg Trials, and the Cold War—drove advances in records classification, provenance, and war-related documentation stewardship. The digital turn accelerated change with milestones at institutions such as Stanford University, MIT, Yale University, and initiatives like the Digital Preservation Coalition and LOCKSS.
Principles and Theories
Core theoretical constructs derive from provenance and original order as advocated by proponents linked to archival schools in the United Kingdom, United States, and France. Influential theorists and debates involve practitioners and scholars associated with R.G. Collingwood, Paul Otlet, Raymond Roussel, Samuel Pepys (as a historical collector), and modern academics at University College London, University of Oxford, University of Michigan, McGill University, and University of Toronto. Theoretical intersections appear with work from Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Pierre Nora (related to lieux de mémoire), and notions developed in projects at Yale Law School and Harvard Law School about evidentiary value, authenticity, and archival silence. Debates over conceptual models have been advanced in journals affiliated with American Historical Association, Association of Research Libraries, and conferences like those of the International Council on Archives.
Appraisal, Acquisition, and Accessioning
Appraisal practices are operationalized in policies utilized by institutions such as The National Archives (UK), Public Record Office Victoria, and corporate archives of entities like IBM and General Electric. Techniques draw on case studies from collections acquired from the estates of figures like Winston Churchill, Frida Kahlo, Leon Trotsky, and organizations including Amnesty International and Greenpeace. Legal and ethical frameworks reference statutes and rulings from courts including the European Court of Human Rights and national legislatures such as the United States Congress and Parliament of Canada. Accessioning workflows connect to funding and donor relations models used by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Gates Foundation, and archival programs at universities such as Columbia University and Princeton University.
Arrangement, Description, and Metadata
Arrangement and description standards are guided by models and schemes developed in collaboration with bodies like the International Council on Archives, Library of Congress, National Information Standards Organization, and Society of American Archivists. Metadata schemas referenced include those promoted by Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, Encoded Archival Description, MARC standards, and efforts within Linked Data communities at projects by Wikimedia Foundation, Europeana, and Digital Public Library of America. Descriptive practice draws on exemplar catalogs and finding aids from repositories like the British Library, Wellcome Collection, New York Public Library, and archival digitization projects at The National Archives (UK) and Australian National University.
Preservation and Conservation
Preservation strategies reflect programs at the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, National Library of Australia, and conservation labs at Getty Research Institute and Courtauld Institute of Art. Methods address challenges documented during events such as the Hurricane Katrina response, the Lisbon earthquake (1755) historical recoveries, and recovery efforts for collections affected by fires at institutions like Brazilian National Library fire (2018). Digital preservation draws on initiatives including PREMIS, OAIS Reference Model, and collaborative infrastructures such as LOCKSS, Internet Archive, and national digital preservation services in Canada, Netherlands, and Sweden.
Access, Use, and Ethical Considerations
Access policies balance openness exemplified by archives like National Archives (United Kingdom), National Archives and Records Administration, and restricted access regimes seen in repositories holding records from Central Intelligence Agency or corporate archives of ExxonMobil. Ethical concerns engage professional codes from the Society of American Archivists, the International Council on Archives, and issues raised by cases involving indigenous collections such as those related to U.S. Native American tribes, repatriation efforts under frameworks like UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and cultural heritage disputes involving Iraq and Syria. Use of records intersects with scholarship at Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and legal research at institutions like the International Criminal Court.