'An archives is a place where people go to find information. But rather than gathering information from books as you would in a library, people who do research in archives often gather firsthand facts, data, and evidence from letters, reports, notes, memos, photographs, audio and video recordings, and other primary sources.'
- Society of American Archivists,

Archives are materials that have been created by individuals, groups, or organizations during the course of their life or work and deemed to be worth keeping permanently for the purposes of research. These materials may be personal and unplanned—a photograph, a letter to a friend, notes toward a manuscript—or they may be official and widely shared—financial and legal documents, recordings of public speeches, medical files, and electronic records.

These records, and the places in which they are stored, are called archives, and archivists are the professionals who assess, collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to these records.

What does an Archivist do?

Archives Intern Samantha Mat'Archivists hold professional positions requiring adherence to national and international standards of practice and conduct in accordance with a professional code of ethics. The majority of professional archivists hold a baccalaureate degree, and many have one or more advanced degrees related to the profession.  Archivists:

  • Assess- Not every record has enduring value, and archivists don’t keep every record that comes their way. Instead, archivists select records, a process that requires an understanding of the historical context in which the records were created, the uses for which they were intended, and their relationships to other sources.
  • Collect and Organize- Archivists arrange and describe the collection of records, in accordance with national and international standards of practice.
  • Preserve- Because materials in archival collections are unique, specialized, or rare, archivists strive to protect records from physical damage and theft so that they can be used today and in the future. Increasingly archivists play a key role in ensuring that digital records, which may quickly grow obsolete, will be available when needed in the future.
  • Provide Access- Archivists identify the essential evidence of our society and ensure its availability for use by students, teachers, researchers, organization leaders, historians, and a wide range of individuals with information needs. Many archivists also plan and direct exhibitions, publications, and other outreach programs to broaden the use of collections, helping people find and understand the information they need.'

-From “?” by the Society of American Archivists, accessed in 2017

What do Archives look like?

PHAJStacksThe Innovations in Jewish Life Collections contain a variety of media formats including papers, rare books, manuscripts, audio-tapes, floppy discs, and hard drives. All of these materials are housed in format-specific, acid-free containers and then stacked accordingly on shelves in a secured space. 

To see more of what we do in the archives, check out the IJL instagram feed .