Archival Information: How to Find it, How to Use It

Citation

Richmond, L. (2006), "Archival Information: How to Find it, How to Use It", Library Review, Vol. 55 No. 4, pp. 278-279. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530610660834

This book is designed to help overcome the challenges faced by researchers when finding and using archival information in the United States of America. All enquiry and reference librarians wishing to acquire an understanding of the nature of archives and the challenges of using archival material should read this book to become better equipped to assist their customers.

Although library material is usually found in libraries, archival material in the USA can be found in governmental agencies, historical societies, public libraries, museums, and academic libraries. Archival material originating from one source, an individual or corporate body, due to its very nature – records, created or received in the course of an activity – will be found throughout the country or even worldwide. Archival material has “a fugitive nature”.

Steven Fisher, an associate professor, teaching archive courses, and a special collections curator, provides an Introduction which demystifies archives. He explains the nature of archives and archival jargon and etiquette, gives tips on how to contact archives, and advises on archival regulations, photocopying, copyright and fees. Thereafter, the book is divided into 11 chapters covering popular research subject areas – government, genealogy, science, religion, women's history, moving images and sound, fine arts, performing arts, sport, business and the military – written by an archival authority for that particular field of study. The best sources for that particular subject are covered, as are the major archives, libraries, museums, and historical societies collecting in that field.

The chapters on specific subject areas vary in content, approach and coverage. All give an introduction to their subject area but some provide lists of sources, while other list archival institutions with a summary of archival holdings. Some chapters provide information from institutions and sources out with the USA without a clear explanation as to why it was included. The only UK entry, for sources for Medicine, for instance, within the chapter on “Science Archives”, is Dundee University which holds the collections of the Tayside Health Board while there are over 15 hospital trusts in the UK running their own public archive service.

The chapter on “American Governmental Archives” by Faye Phillips will guide the novice European researcher through the four levels of US government to discover which state archives are held by historical societies. The chapter on Sports Archives gives an insight not just into the vast variety of resources for research in sport but also reflects the different nature of sports organisation in the USA which falls into three categories: professional, collegiate and recreational. The informational and archival resources held by a “Hall of Fame” would certainly not have formed part of my recommendations to an enquirer until I had read this book.

Despite the unevenness between the subject areas this book is an invaluable introduction to how to find and how to use archival information in the USA and as such fully lives up to it title.