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Archives & Special Collections

Archive Terminology

Archivist: professional individual responsible for the management of items of enduring value 

Catalogue: A structured description of an archive

Collector: The person, group, or organization responsible for organizing the collection

Collection: A set of materials organized together due to their shared characteristics, brought together by the collector. Can either be materials from a single source or from many different sources. It can be used to describe the archive as a whole, or specific items within the collection

File: A group of documents related by use or topic, typically housed in a folder

Finding Aid: A document that describes the history, scope, location, and content of a collection

Provenance: Information regarding the origins, custody, and ownership of an item or collection

Scope and Content Note: A narrative statement summarizing the characteristics of the described materials, the functions and activities that produced them, and the types of information contained therein. Are a part of the finding aids.