Collecting archives: changes and consequences

Abstract

The dynamism of elements of the archive profession has been particularly apparent over the past two decades as change and innovations have shaken up a profession previously perceived, perhaps not always unfairly, as pedestrian and static. The impetus for change has come both from outside and within the archive community. The lack in the UK of a national legislative framework covering the collecting of all types of archives, and an increased awareness of both the research and commercial value of historical records, have encouraged an expansion both in the types of organisations collecting archives and in the types of archives being collected. The shifting focus of attention of professional historians away from a preoccupation with ‘official’ records and the encouragement of more source-based teaching, both in schools and at undergraduate level, have facilitated such changes. The archive profession, however, is very aware that collecting by itself is not enough, and while lack of resources means that most archivists are still embarrassed by backlogs of material that have not been catalogued as fully as they would wish, greater attention is being focused on issues such as the need to widen access to archive collections, to increase security within repositories and to promote a greater understanding of conservation techniques.