A finding aid is a guide to the special collections and archival collections an institution stewards. Think of it as a table of contents to a book. Archivists make data about collections available so researchers can search, find, and access material.
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There are some terms archivists use that may be useful for you to know:
- Collection: A group of materials with some unifying characteristic(s). These materials are collected by an organization or person and donated to the archives for them to maintain. The title/name of a collection usually describes the overarching content of the material. For example: the Mason Johnson Theatre Collection and the Guardians of the Golden Shears Records and Memorabilia.
- Series: This is a grouping of material with similar content within a collection. Think of it like a chapter in a book. Series are helpful when you have an idea of what you want to find. If you want to look at the autograph books from the previous members of the Guardians of the Golden Shears a good place to start would be Series II: Autograph Books. Series can be further organized into subseries with more specific content groups. Guardians of the Golden Shears Records and Memorabilia Series II: Autograph Books has five sub-series organized chronologically by decade.
- Access Restrictions: Limitations on an individual’s access to or use of materials. They may be designed to protect personal privacy or to preserve materials. This note is found under the Conditions Governing Access section for each collection and on each item record.
- Provenance: The origin or source of something. This includes information regarding the creation, custody, and ownership of an item or collection.
- Record Group: A group of materials where provenance is the unifying characteristic and is synonymous with the collection.
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For archival terms not listed here, please see the Society of American Archivists (SAA) publications:
A Glossary of Archival Records and Terminology
Dictionary of Archives Terminology
