University Archives

Archives are records that are permanently valuable for many different reasons. The Society of American Archivists writes, "These records are kept because they have continuing value to the creating agency and to other potential users. They are the documentary evidence of past events. They are the facts we use to interpret and understand history."

Archival items come in all forms, published and unpublished, including: documents (letters and correspondence, diaries, government/organizational records, manuscripts and drafts, marketing materials), audio/visual (photographs, artwork, maps, designs, sound recordings, films, movies), and objects (books, artifacts). In addition, collections may also include a digital items and digitized or digital version of these materials (see "What is born-digital?").

Because of actions taken by archivists of the past, researchers of today have access to many primary resources. This means archivists of today need to be collecting, prioritizing, and digitizing items for researchers of tomorrow. Before ~1995, this solely meant collecting physical items that require space on shelves, inside boxes, and within rooms. 

Within the past 30 years, archivists have focused their attention on born-digital archives. These records have only ever existed digitally, and need to be stored and organized digitally in order to preserve their original form and original purpose. Examples of born-digital items include documents (Word/Excel, Google Drive), and content created or generated by users (Zoom transcripts, GAI content, YouTube videos, podcast episodes, presentations). Born-digital archival items have specific preservation needs and potential issues just like physical archives do. 

There is a lot of overlap between these types of collections and the diversity of existing libraries, special collections, and archives is astounding. Asking for assistance from workers within these collections is always the best way to learn more about them or how to access the information stored inside. 

Library

Perhaps the institutions the public is most familiar with, libraries provide access to books and information for all. Public libraries are found in cities, towns, and villages and require users to live inside their designated service zone in order to receive access. Academic libraries are found on university and college campuses. Most libraries today are a part of much larger systems, increasing how much information a single user can obtain. Catalogs, public service, and digital resources are a huge part of libraries today.

Archives

Archival collections focus on collecting primary resources and are managed by the organization the items reflect. Instead of a catalog, archives use finding aids of description to assist users in recognizing which archives they need to view. Primary resources can be delicate and require a specialized skill-set, meaning archives are not as transparent (about processes or content) as regular library collections. While the genre or author of materials matters on a library shelf, original order is one of the most crucial parts of archival collections. The goal is to fully preserve records in the way they were obtained. 

Special Collections

Special collection libraries also exist, but are niche and focus on individual fields of study or one, single content area. Unlike an archive, the order of these collection items could be more similar to a regular library shelf, though is likely not available for users to browse. Special collections can be stand-alone institutions (such as the Folger Shakespeare Library) or managed within larger systems, meaning one institution could have multiple special collections. Special collections are typically born when large donations are accepted or purchases are made.

All types of libraries and collections can contain digital items, including archives.