Glossary
Woodcut illustration crafted in 1493.
Schedel, Hartmann, Michael Wolgemut, and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff.
Lib[er] cronicarum [Nuremberg Chronicle]. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1493.
GLOSSARY
This selection of definitions and phrases is compiled directly from these sources.
1. Pearce-Moses, Richard.A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology. Society of American Archivists, 2005.
2.Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy from the Society of American Archivists
Access
1. The ability to locate relevant information through the use of catalogs, indexes,
finding aids, or other tools. - 2. The permission to locate and retrieve information
for use (consultation or reference) within legally established restrictions of privacy,
confidentiality, and security clearance. - 3. Computing · The physical processes of
retrieving information from storage media.
Analysis
The process of identifying, reviewing, and abstracting the components of something.
Archival
Of or pertaining to archives. 2. Records · Having enduring value; permanent. 3. Records
media · Durable; lacking inherent vice; long-lived; see archival quality. 4. Storage
conditions · Not causing degradation. 5. Procedures · Following accepted standards
that ensure maximum longevity. 6. Computing ·Information of long-term value that,
because of its low use, is stored on offline media and must be reloaded, or that is
in a form that must be reconstructed before use.
Archives: See Special Collections / Archives
Archivist / Librarian
An information professional responsible for collecting/acquiring, organizing, describing,
managing, and providing access to research materials, including collections of primary
and/or secondary sources. This person usually works in the context of a library, archive,
or other cultural heritage institution.
Artifact
A human-made, physical object.
Atlas
A bound volume consisting primarily of maps, often with descriptive text and indexes.
Audiovisual
Having sound and pictorial attributes, especially when combined.
Authority
As relates to primary sources, authority may refer to the relative credibility and
expertise of the creator(s) of a source, or it may refer to the authority to preserve,
collect, access, and use/reuse.
Authenticity
Authenticity is closely associated with the creator (or creators) of a source. The
authenticity of records and documents is usually presumed, but if questioned it can
sometimes be verified by testing physical and stylistic characteristics of a record.
Authenticity alone does not automatically imply that the content of a record is reliable.
Bias
A prejudice in favor of one thing or person over another. Sources may include the
biases of their creator(s) and of the individuals and institutions that collect these
sources. Since bias may be implicit rather than obvious, a source may reflect unconscious
or unintentional bias.
Catalog Record
Descriptions of materials, whether books or manuscript collections, in a specific
common format. Such records generally contain information including author, title,
publication information, and topics covered in the resource. These records are often
searched using a database, usually a library catalog. See also: Finding Aid
Citation
A reference to a source. When citing a primary source, the citation helps point readers
to the document or item. Citations may also further describe a source, help establish
evidence for an argument, or give credit for an idea. Citation style refers to the
format of citation and rules for its construction (examples: MLA, APA, or Chicago).
Different disciplines may prefer one style over another. Archives and special collections
may indicate a preferred citation formula or credit line for their collections.
Collection
"A group of materials with some unifying characteristic," often related either to
the topic, the creator, or the assembler. Collections can be assembled by a person,
organization, or repository. Collections can be referred to as "papers" or "records"
in the context of a repository.
Content Analysis
A methodology to appraise records by considering the significance of the informational
value and the quality of information contained in the records.
Context Analysis
A methodology for assessing the value of records in light of other sources of the
same or similar information. Context analysis considers whether information in the
records is unique, is in a preferred form, is of superior quality, is scarce, or is
in some form that enhances the importance or usefulness of the records.
Copyright
A legal right granting exclusive rights for use, reproduction, publication, adaptation,
performance, and/or distribution of an original work (whether published or unpublished),
typically for a limited period of time. Copyright law is intended to balance the economic
and creative interests of the rights holder with the desire of a public to use, adapt,
or build upon previous work. Copyright law varies by country. See also Fair Use and
Permissions.
Correspondence
Written communication, especially those sent by courier or post; letters. 2. The process
of communicating in writing.
Creator
"The individual, family, group, or organization that is responsible for a source's
production, accumulation, or formation." Creators of primary sources include artists,
authors, and manufacturers. An individual who accumulates and compiles a collection
of primary sources may also be seen as the creator (of the collection), even when
they did not create the sources themselves.
Cultural Understanding
The ability to understand the viewpoint of those from other cultures, whether in the
present or past, and to understand shared or conflicted history. Understanding the
importance of studying and preserving the records of many and created from many points
of view.
Data Set
A collection of related information, especially information formatted for analysis
by a computer.
Database
A structured way to store and retrieve data. In the research and information environment,
it often refers to a digital collection of citations, articles, books, and/or finding
aids which can be searched for information on a variety of topics.
Discipline
A subject, field of study, or area of expertise. In the college/university environment,
this could align with an academic department or program of study.
Document
1. Any written or printed work; a writing. 2. Information or data fixed in some media.
3. Information or data fixed in some media, but which is not part of the official
record; a nonrecord. 4. A written or printed work of a legal or official nature that
may be used as evidence or proof; a record.
Ephemera
Materials, usually printed documents, created for a specific, limited purpose, and
generally designed to be discarded after use. Examples of ephemera include advertisements,
tickets, brochures, and receipts. A repository may collect ephemera as examples or
specimens.
Evidence
Primary sources serve as evidence used in answering a research question, proving or
disproving a fact, or developing an argument. The strength of supporting evidence
and the approach by which it is gathered and applied to a claim impact the credibility
of the claim, and relate to authority
Fair Use
Permissible use of copyrighted material. In the United States, use that is not considered
infringement generally includes criticism, news reporting, teaching, scholarship,
and parody.
Finding Aid
A description of papers, records, or a manuscript collection that provides information
about the materials, including arrangement and organization, historical or biographical
background, a summary of the contents of a collection, and location of materials.
These descriptions are used to locate relevant items within the collection. A finding
aid is written through the process of arrangement and description, in which an archivist
organizes materials and details their content. See also: Catalog Record
Format
The container or method of presentation of a source. Descriptions of source formats
might include those which identify the type of source (letter, diary, or photograph)
or those which identify its state (physical or digital; handwritten or reprinted).
Historical Empathy
The ability to appreciate the beliefs, values, and intentions of historical actors;
to understand the differences inherent between the lives of current readers and past
users; to show emotional engagement with a source; and to see and appreciate source(s)
within their particular historical context.
Iterative Process
All research is a repetitive cycle, requiring frequent returns to and revisions of
earlier questions and assumptions, thus leading to new readings of texts and sources
and new lines of inquiry.
Librarian / Archivist: see Archivist / Librarian
Library
1. A collection of published materials, including books, magazines, sound and video
recordings, and other formats. 2. A building used to house such a collection.
Literacy
Competency, knowledge, or skills in a specified area. Literacy is not a binary state,
but rather a spectrum of competence within the area. Primary source literacy, information
literacy, digital literacy, and visual literacy are all relevant to working with primary
sources.
Manuscript
1. A handwritten document. 2. An unpublished document. 3. An author's draft of a book,
article, or other work submitted for publication. Any text in handwriting or typescript
(including printed forms completed by hand or typewriter) which may or may not be
part of a collection of such texts. Examples of manuscripts are letters, diaries,
ledgers, minutes, speeches, marked or corrected galley or page proofs, manuscript
books, and legal papers.
Map
1. A graphic representation of features of the Earth or another celestial body. 2.
A representation of the relationships among things.
Materiality
The physical nature or format of a source. This is often distinguished from the content
or the text of the source, although the best readings interrogate and elucidate both
text and format. Often associated with material culture, the study of objects (rather
than paper- or text-based sources) to learn about the past.
Microform
A general term used for any medium, transparent or opaque, that holds highly reduced
reproductions.
Migration
The process of moving data from one information system or storage medium to another
to ensure continued access to the information as the system or medium becomes obsolete
or degrades over time.
Nontextual Records
Records in audiovisual, pictorial, and sound formats. "Nontextual records" is used
generically to include records formats that are not principally words on paper, such
as maps, photographs, motion pictures and video, sound recordings, and the like. In
some repositories, electronic records are treated as a third major category of records.
Object
An item that is tangible, especially one with significant depth relative to its height
and width; an artifact or specimen.
Patent
1. A privilege, property, or authority granted to an individual by a government or
sovereign. 2. Intellectual property. The exclusive right to make, use, or sell an
invention that is novel, useful, and not obvious. 3. The record of such a grant or
right. Notes: The Constitution grants the United States Congress the authority to
issues patents. Patents are codified in 35 USC 101-103.
Permissions
If a particular use of a copyrighted work is not covered by fair use, a researcher
may require authorization from the rights holders in order to use the work in certain
ways.
Photograph
1. A still picture formed on a light-sensitive surface using an optical system and fixed
by a photochemical process. 2. An image rendered using a camera.
Postcard
A card, commonly 4 × 6 inches, used for sending short messages through the mail.
Preservation
The professional discipline of protecting materials by minimizing chemical and physical
deterioration and damage to minimize the loss of information and to extend the life
of cultural property.
Primary Source
Material that contains firsthand accounts of events and that was created contemporaneous
to those events or later recalled by an eyewitness. Primary sources emphasize the
lack of intermediaries between the thing or events being studied and reports of those
things or events based on the belief that firsthand accounts are more accurate. Examples
of primary sources include letters and diaries; government, church, and business records;
oral histories; photographs, motion pictures, and videos; maps and land records; and
blueprints. Newspaper articles contemporaneous with the events described are traditionally
considered primary sources, although the reporter may have compiled the story from
witnesses, rather than being an eyewitness. Artifacts and specimens may also be primary
evidence if they are the object of study.
Privacy
1. The quality or state of being free from public scrutiny. 2. The quality or state
of having one's personal information or activities protected from unauthorized use
by another. Notes: Under tort law, invasion of privacy includes theft of one's identity,
intentionally disturbing one's solitude, disclosing nonpublic information about another,
and placing another in a false public light. In some states, publicity rights are
covered under privacy laws.
Provenance
1. The origin or source of something. 2. Information regarding the origins, custody,
and ownership of an item or collection.
Public Domain
Works that are in the public domain do not have copyright restrictions. This could
be because copyright or other intellectual property rights expired or were forfeited,
because the work was created before such laws existed, because the work is not covered
by copyright (as is the case with recipes or some government documents), or because
the creator released the work under a public domain-like license allowing certain
uses. Privacy and other ethical considerations should still be weighed when using
materials in the public domain.
Repository
A place where things can be stored and maintained; a storehouse. Notes: Used throughout
this work to refer to any type of organization that holds documents, including business,
institutional, and government archives, manuscript collections, libraries, museums,
and historical societies, and in any form, including manuscripts, photographs, moving
image and sound materials, and their electronic equivalents.
Research Question
An idea or inquiry which drives a research project. A good research question is answerable,
arguable, and is not too broad or too narrow. A research question is more specific
to a particular issue or concern than a research topic.
Restriction
Limitations on access to or use of materials.
Secondary Source
1. A work that is not based on direct observation of or evidence directly associated
with the subject, but instead relies on sources of information.
2. A work commenting on another work (primary sources), such as reviews, criticism,
and commentaries.
Silences
Gaps or missing pieces in the historical record, often caused by those who were unable
to write their own records, or whose records were not considered valuable or were
suppressed by the dominant culture.
Sound Recording
Any medium capable of capturing and reproducing an audible signal. "Sound recording" is a generic term used to encompass a wide range of formats, including
phonograph records, magnetic tape, compact discs, and computer files. The term does
not include multimedia recordings that include sound, such as the soundtrack on a
motion picture.
Source
A place where information is found, such as a document, book, or encyclopedia. Sources
can be primary, secondary, or tertiary.
Special Collections/Archives
These terms each have multiple meanings, and are often used interchangeably. "Archive"
is also a variation, used in a general way to describe things that are being intentionally
kept. 1. A general term for a department, unit, library, or other physical place which
stores and provides secure access to rare and unique materials, including archives,
manuscripts, rare books, or other original materials. A special collections department
is an example of a type of repository. 2. The materials or collections within a department,
unit, or library containing rare and unique materials.
Surrogate: See Copy
Textual Records
A general classification of records with content that is principally written words.
Textual records are distinguished from nontextual records, which include audiovisual,
cartographic, and machine-readable records.
Typescript
A document produced using a typewriter. Typewritten documents are generally classified
as manuscripts but are more accurately described as typescripts.
Visual Materials
A generic term used to collectively describe items of a pictorial nature, including
prints, paintings, photographs, motion pictures, and video.