Archives and archivists must promote themselves, their institutions, and their missions to the larger world. Successful advocacy efforts go hand in hand with solid programs that are viewed as assets by others.

The archives world contains a diverse group of individuals and institutions who share a joint mission to procure, preserve, and present records of enduring value. The overall goal of advocacy is to raise the profile of archives. There are several ways that archivists can strengthen the infrastructure of their programs.

As the world continues to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, archival repositories have made more materials available online. Projects to digitize materials began years ago, but since online access is now the only access for many organizations, there has been a renewed interest in making holdings available virtually.

Archival description captures and provides access to information about collections of historical records. The primary descriptive tools of archivists have been finding aids, which supply inventories of collections to help with discovering and using archival materials.

One of the most persistent issues, as long as electronic records have existed, is whether traditional archival principles apply.

Some have argued that they do, and archivists should treat electronic records as just another format, like maps, photographs, or audiovisual materials. Others state that the nature of how electronic records are created and managed means that archivists need a new set of rules, practices, and procedures to describe them.

Records managers identify and classify an organization’s records, monitor their use and storage, and facilitate access to them. Records policies outline the records management program’s authority, particularly legal mandates governing record creation and maintenance for administrative, legal, and fiscal purposes.

Your organization’s history allows you to draw critical insights from experience and lay the foundation for distinctive solutions that can set you apart from competitors. Use these seven strategies to harness your history.

Most executives focus on the present and the future. When an organization’s history comes up, it is usually in connection with an anniversary. A changing world leaves little time for nostalgia. However, leaders with a sense of history know that understanding the past is a powerful tool for shaping the future.

A well-organized archival program allows you to identify, save, and retrieve the information you need while safely removing the material you do not. Maintaining institutional knowledge through an archives gives organizations a competitive edge