What are archives?
Archives are read-only areas that contain topics that were previously posted to one of our forums. You may not add a reply to a topic that is in an archive. Topics in an archive may have been completely removed from the original forum where they were started, or they may still exist in their forums.
This question is often asked. In their purest sense archives are records (in any format – paper, computer disc, photograph etc) produced by an organisation in the course of transacting its business and which have been selected for permanent preservation. For instance, minutes of a meeting record the decisions of an organisation. These form the organisation’s records. If a decision is made to keep these records permanently, then they are termed archives. Archives can therefore be of any age – created yesterday or one hundred years ago.
Archives are the documentary by-product of human activity retained for their long-term value. They are contemporary records created by individuals and organisations as they go about their business and therefore provide a direct window on past events. They can come in a wide range of formats including written, photographic, moving image, sound, digital and analogue. Archives are held by public and private institutions and individuals around the world.
