ALL ABOUT: Archive Terms
Provenance
Example: “The provenance information states that the material was purchased through a bookseller in the late 1900s.”
Information regarding the origins, custody, and ownership of an item or collection. Provenance is also a foundational principal to the organization of archival collections; rather than organized by subject, archives are organized based on their provenance.
Similar terms: "custodial history" and "immediate source of acquisition"
Custodial history outlines what might have happened between when a collection was created by its creator and arrived at the holding repository: if it went to a dealer, if it was owned by another institution, etc. Immediate source of acquisition outlines where the collection came from when it first arrived at a holding repository: the creator, a dealer, a family member, etc.
Accession
Example: “The first accession for this collection was in 1950, with more materials delivered as accruals in the 1970s.”
Materials physically and legally transferred to a repository as a unit at a single time. Usually each set of materials is tracked and given a number ("accession number"). One archival collection may come to a repository over many years and comprise a number of different accessions.
Similar terms: "accretion" and "accrual"
Accretions or accruals are additional accessions to a collection, which arrive at a later date. They must have the same provenance as the first accession to be added to the collection. Accretions or accruals are often expected for institutional records, but may also be included in personal papers collections if additional material arrives with the same provenance as a previous accession.
Extent
Example: “The extent of the collection is: two linear feet; two boxes.”
A description of the physical quantity of the material described.
Similar terms: "size" and "description"
The extent can measure both the physical measurement of the collection as well as the number of containers one can find it in. Typically, most repositories use parallel extents to disclose both pieces of information.
Note: This is often formatted as: “X linear feet (X number boxes)” rather than in sentence form.
Scope and contents
Example: “The scope and contents of this collection: contains correspondence and clippings, the diaries are part of a different collection.”
A summary of:
- the characteristics of the described materials
- the functions and activities that produced them
- the types of information contained therein
Similar terms: "scope" and "summary"
Scope and contents notes are often found in narrative list format, starting with the words “contains” or “includes” and then listing the types of materials, the functions and activities, the topics that may be covered, as well as often a list of correspondents or collaborators who are prominent in the collection.
Finding aid
Example: “Handwritten inventory available at the repository”; “The finding aid is linked from the library catalog record.”
A surrogate description of records that provides both physical and intellectual organization for the materials. This helps users gain access to and understand the materials. A finding aid often contains a textual description of the material and a list of where the material is housed, and provides contextual information regarding the creation and organization of the materials.
Similar terms: "inventory" and “guide”
Inventory
Example: “The inventory describes the correspondence at the series level, but the photographs are described at the item level, with the names of each person in each photograph.”
A list of items within an archival collection. May be basic or detailed, may include many levels of description. Usually includes container data. Not all finding aids include inventories or lists of this kind.
Similar terms: "container list" and “box and folder list." Sometimes used to describe an entire finding aid.
Series
Example: “According to the finding aid, the correspondence is in Series I, and Series II is other papers that are not correspondence.”
Series are used for archivists to intellectually control large groups of related records and to provide arrangement for the collection. Sometimes series are clear in the creator’s original order, but often series (as well as the rest of the hierarchical arrangement one sees in finding aids) have been created by the processing archivist to provide order and easier access for users.