An Introduction to Working with Primary Sources in Archive and Manuscript Repositories
Libraries vs Archives
When approaching research in primary sources it is important to understand that while archives and manuscript repositories, whether public or private, may contain materials similar to those found in libraries, they differ greatly in their composition, their primary focus and their intellectual organization.Library systems are based on the classification of individual items by subject matter and it has been these methods of classification that have been taught to library users; first through the Dewey Decimal system and later with the Library of Congress system. In order to find information users are trained to search for fixed fields, or markers, such as title, author and subject.
Materials in archives and manuscript repositories are not organized in this way. The system of arrangement and description is entirely different since it is based on collections rather than individual items. It is the result of organic growth, idiosyncratic arrangement and some formally agreed upon principles and methods. Therefore, the intellectual process involved in finding primary source documentation in no way resembles what you have learned up to this time. The reasons for this become clear when you consider the following:
- Libraries generally deal in commercially produced materials that readily lend themselves to classification and arrangement through standard markers.
- Archives & Manuscripts are non-commercially produced materials and though they may occaisonally include items such as books with marginalia, each collection is unique reflecting the character of the organization or person that created it.
Basics of Archival Arrangement and Description: How to think about primary sources.
There are two fundamental principles of archival organization Provenance and Original Order.- Provenance: records should remain together as a collection according to their origins, creator, or source not subject. Archivists reject the idea of rearranging documents to fit a preconceived classification scheme but follow the unique, organic, activity based, quality of records because they are useful not only for the information found in them but also for the evidence they provide about the processes that generated them.
- Original order: records or papers are kept (or restored to) the order in which they were created by activity or actions. Usable original order remains usable over time – classification schemes will not.
If, on the other hand, one is working with historical manuscripts and personal papers the same principles hold true but with some significant variations. Since there are no defined 'functions' or 'divisions' within an individuals life or career the arrangement and description of collections is generally based on the activities that generated the documents. For example, the Wagner Collection held in this library is arranged into three primary series reflecting Philip Wagners major activities in life: as a free lance writer, as editor of the Baltimore Sun, and as founder and owner of Bordy Vinyards.
In either case, it is important to consider what types of documents one can expect to find in a particular type of collection. For example, if one were searching for the lab notebooks of an biologist, one would need to consider under what circumstances such materials would be generated in order to reasonably determine where they might be held. Our library holds the archives of a number of biological science societies, among them is the American Society for Cell Biology of which Keith Porter, a developer of the electron microscope, is one. Documents by Keith Porter do reside in this collection but not his notebooks. This is because the records of the Society are created through the functions of the society itself. Therefore the records contain correspondence by Keith Porter relating to the work of the Society but do not contain his personal work. For personal lab notebooks, one would need to look either in a collection of his personal papers or possibly in the records of the institution for which he worked.
Access to Collections
There are three primary methods through which Archivists and Manuscript curators provide access to their collections- Finding Aids: Access to archives, manuscripts, and personal papers is generally done through finding aids, guides, or registers. These have taken different forms over time and have provided varying amounts of information on the content of collections. Modern finding aids, as seen in the above examples, now generally provide: information on the dates and extent of the collection, a brief history of the institution or person, a summary or ‘scope and content' note that describes the collection, an outline of the organization of the collection, and a listing of the contents to the folder level. In addition, they will often provide an index of persons or subjects of interest. While there is no way to cover all the possible materials and subjects contained in a collection, these guides go a long way to allowing the prospective researcher to determine whether a trip to the archives is worthwhile. Many finding aids and guides are still only in print form at the repository but institutions are working steadily to increase the number of finding aids mounted on the web.
- Collection-Level Records: These are a synopsis of the finding aid placed in a format that allows it to be searched in the general on-line public catalogs such as Victor and WorldCat. They provide a method for searching by specific headings such as Main Entry (creator), Title (often simply papers, records, diary, etc.) and indexed search terms. Search terms are limited but provide a starting point that allows users to locate collections. Some collection level records will have a link through to a web based finding aid though many will not.
- Union Catalogs and Indexes: Still one of the best ways to locate collections are print indexes and union catalogs. Many archives and manuscript repositories
have contributed information about their collections to such catalogs over the years. While the information about specific collections
is limited these sources are often the only consise listing of their kind and nothing remotely similar is available on the web.
Library & Union Catalogs Online
Use these to find archival collections within the USM and across the country. Note: Worldcat records now link to the ILL page.
WorldCat (OCLC)
Coverage: Index Only
Worldcat holds the records of all materials cataloged by OCLC member libraries. Search for specific titles or authors or do general searches by subject or keyword. Results display formats, holding institutions, and links to full text if available.
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC)
Coverage: complete
RLIN and OCLC records of archives and manuscripts holdings
Union Catalogs and Indexes to Archive & Manuscript Collections in Print
- Burton, Dennis, James B. Rhoads and Raymond Smock. A Guide to Manuscripts in the Presidential Libraries. 1985 CD3029.82 B87
- Chadwick – Healey, Inc. National Inventory of Documentary Sources in the United States (NIDS-US) This is available in microfiche.
- A Guide to Manuscripts Relating to America in Great Britain and Ireland: a revision of the Guide edited by B.R. Crick and Miriam Almon.edited by John Raimo under the supervision of Dennis Welland. 1979 E178.G853
- Hamer, Philip M. Guide to Archives and Manuscripts in the United States. 1961 CD 3022 A45
- National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States. 1978 CD3020. U54 (the 2nd edition was published in 1988 but is now out of print. A copy is available at UMCP and other UM system Libraries CD3020.D49 There are 4,225 repositories with full entries and additional 335 with abbreviated entries in this directory.
- U.S. Library of Congress. National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections. 1959- 1996 (last print version)
- UMBC Special Collections
Collections include: The Photograph Collection of over 1.8 million images beginning as early as 1843; the Sun Paper Collection containing an entire run of the Baltimore Sun from 1837 - 1968, Sun photos, and documents; the Biological Science Archives; the Rosenfeld Science Fiction Collection of personal papers, manuscrtipts, fanzines and books; the UMBC University Archives; rare books, Utopian and radical history and thought, and Maryland History.
- Area Museums & Societies
Provides a search of local museums and historical societies web pages. New links are added as time provides. See also Local History Resource Wiki
- The Library of Congress
The Manuscript Reading Room at the Library of Congress is now open for live chat reference service.
The Manuscript RR is open from 2pm to 3pm EST - every day, M-F. Their holdings, more than fifty million items in eleven thousand separate collections, include some of the greatest manuscript treasures of American history and culture and support scholarly research in many aspects of political, cultural, and scientific history. The chat service features text chat and URL sharing and is soon to add an enhanced communications package including Voice, Video and Application Sharing.
