What are Archives? What is the difference between archives and manuscripts?
Archives are the non-current records of individuals, groups, institutions, and governments that contain information of enduring value. A modern archival repository includes photographs, films, video and sound recordings, computer tapes, and video and optical disks, as well as the more traditional unpublished letters, diaries, and other manuscripts. Archival records are the products of everyday activity. Manuscripts are a subset of archives. This is the term used to describe a natural accumulation of documents created or accumulated by an individual or family as opposed to an institution or government. Some examples of holdings in our department include: • The Records of the College Park Campus Senate: They were created by an organizational body at the University of Maryland, College Park, and may be found in our University Archives. • The Archives of the Association for Childhood Education International: Since they were not created by an organization within the University of Maryland,
