Historical Research in Archives: A Practical Guide

by Samuel J. Redman

An aid to researchers working in 21st century archives in the United States, this pamphlet presents some contemporary approaches to archival research from tracking down possible archival sources to the nuts-and-bolts of recording information. It also offers tips for organizing archival material and \~utilizing new technologies in the archives.

66 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2013

About the author

Professor “Sam” Redman studies U.S. social, cultural, and intellectual history. He received his B.A. in anthropology and history from the University of Minnesota, Morris and an M.A. and Ph.D. in American history since 1607 at the University of California, Berkeley.

Redman is the author of three books. His first book,  Bone Rooms: From Scientific Racism to Human Prehistory in Museums was published by Harvard University Press in 2016. Bone Rooms was selected as a Choice Top-25 Outstanding Academic Title, Nature Top-20 book of 2016, and Smithsonian Top History Book of 2016. His second book, Prophets and Ghosts: The Story of Salvage Anthropology (Harvard University Press 2021) explores the history and legacy of salvage anthropology. A third book, The Museum: A Short History of Crisis and Resilience will be published by NYU Press in 2022. The Museum traces how cultural institutions responded to episodes of crisis over the past century in the United States.

He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super useful and practical information. I feel much more prepared for researching in archives than I did before reading this.