Archival Strategies and Techniques

by Michael Ray Hill

Historical and biographical work is becoming a more common type of qualitative research done by social scientists and usually requires the extensive use of formal archives housed in universities, governments, museums and other institutions. This practical and concise book provides an introduction for the novice on conducting archival research and covers such topics as contacting and preparing to work in archives, the protocol of using archives, and ways of organizing and referencing the useful data from the archive.

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 1993

Reviews

[Lori]

This is a guide to archival research for social scientists studying their peers of yore. It is nevertheless very worthwhile reading for archivists as well, in order to gain insight into how a particular scholarly cohort interprets our collections and what they tend to search for. For example, Hill states that:

The social sciences pay close attention to the institutional aspects of chronological data, and draw attention to the activities of social groups. We are greatly informed by learning what happens to people in similar circumstances. Sociohistorical research permits institutional forces and group processes to be seen more clearly through their articulation in the lives of individuals in social situations and networks. Sociological interpretation of chronologies is facilitated if researchers take special care to search the archival record for dates of events that document: (a) the target's entry into new roles and institutional arenas, (b) changes in the target's status and/or role(s) within a particular social institution or setting, and (c) the target's involvement in any roles that promote cooperation or conflict within or between distinct institutional spheres.

This passage may be somewhat clunky, but for the most part Hill has a very fluid, easygoing writing style.

First published in 1993, Archival Strategies and Techniques is also a fascinating look into the pre-Internet era. A lot of letter-writing was involved, and some archives even charged fees just to view their finding aids (now available for free online). At times I got the impression that archivists and their staff almost didn't want their collections to be used. Hill also discusses the possibility of researchers being turned away by inexplicably hostile guardians of the vaults or deliberately inconvenienced or even sabotaged by support staff embroiled in workplace hostilities with their supervisor. I would like to think we were more professional than that, but it would appear Hill did find these things worth mentioning.

At only 88 pages, this book is a fairly quick read yet packs a lot of information. I would recommend this MLS students as well.

[May Ling]

This book is a great reference for those who are doing research and want to know the ins and outs of archival strategy. I also found it fascinating as it gives some insight into research and it's difficulties pre-internet and computers. I born before computing became a common part of research; but I can hardly recall going through card catalogs. I surely do not remember what things were like pre-cataloging. This book can give insight into the fairly massive change that has happened in the state of research.

[Rodney]

Although this book is old (1993), it is very helpful for anyone considering archival research. I particularly appreciated Chapter 8 (Strategies for Organizing Archival Data) and Chapter 9 (Methodological Complexities). These chapters share some nuggets I think can be useful for any person doing sociological research in general.