Archives: Principles and Practices

by Laura Agnes Millar

This new and extensively revised second edition offers an international perspective on archives management, providing authoritative guidance relevant to collections-based repositories and to organizations responsible for managing their own institutional archives. Written in clear language with lively examples, Archives: Principles and practices introduces core archival concepts, explains best-practice approaches and discusses the central activities that archivists need to know to ensure the documentary materials in their charge are cared for as effectively as possible. Topics addressed include, core archival principles and concepts; archival history and the evolution of archival theories the nature and diversity of archival materials and institutions; the responsibilities and duties of the archivist; issues in the management of archival institutions; the challenges of balancing access and privacy in archival service best practice principles and strategic approaches to central archival tasks such as acquisition, preservation, reference and access; detailed comparison of custodial, fonds-oriented approaches and post-custodial, functional approaches to arrangement and description. Discussion of digital archives is woven throughout the book, including consideration of the changing role of the archivist in the digital age. In recasting her book to address the impact of digital technologies on records and archives, Millar offers us an archival manual for the twenty-first century. This book will be essential reading for archival practitioners, archival studies students and professors, librarians, museum curators, local authorities, small governments, public libraries, community museums, corporations, associations and other agencies with archival responsibility.

Genres: Nonfiction, Library Science, Grad School, Textbooks, School, Professional Development, Librarianship

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to Archives. While it can be a little on the dry side at times, it is full of mostly relevant information in the field and easy to read and wrap your head around. Every facet of archives is broken down, described, and examples given to best convey the information. I found it very useful in my Introduction to Archives class for my MLIS degree. I am keeping this for future reference.

[Gaby Chaput · Rating 4 out of 5]

for work lol

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

(class reading for Administration and Use of Archival Materials)

I always feel weird giving textbooks ratings. Of course they're dull. Can I actually say that I "really liked" reading a textbook? Not really. But as far as textbooks go, this one is pretty good. It presents concepts clearly and gives plenty of examples (quite extensive examples). Millar also provides a good selection of additional resources. I did notice numerous typos and other errors, which is annoying, but in terms of content this book is pretty solid.

[Katlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn’t exactly say I enjoyed reading Archives: Principles and Practices. My goal in reading it was to learn about Archival Studies for a practicum I am doing within an Archive. I found it quite helpful, having little background in Archival Studies, but being fairly familiar with Library and Information Science and somewhat familiar with Records Management. As such, I am not able to comment on the accuracy of the information presented. The extensive list of additional resources at the end was quite lengthy and likely unmatched, so it is likely the author knows what she is talking about. Regardless, it seems to have provided a solid introduction to how to properly run an Archive. However, I found my attention changing to more interesting topics quite often, as the subject matter covered was quite dry. I liked the examples provided in the Principles section of the book, which occasionally livened things up. The book needs another solid update though, as the section near the end of the book listing Social Media platforms was already outdated, so I am sure other things were as well. As this is a textbook, my rating is based on how helpful I found the information, rather than enjoyment. 4/5 October 27 2023

[Saima · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of archives. I read it to get a better understanding for a project.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good textbook for archival study.

[Heather]

It's a textbook. Glad to be done. Learned a lot about archives!

[Davis Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yup, I'm reviewing every single book I've read! A typical dry, soulless textbook; but it's a valuable reference in the field that taught me a lot.

[Claude]

read as a recommended text for INF317 Personal and Organisational Archives

really good introductory textbook to archival principles and practices!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed the writing style of this textbook. It was easy to follow and had humor as well.

[Margot Note]

Read for a Journal of Academic Librarianship review.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly good textbook for my intro to archives class. Very readable with good examples.

[Billie Cotterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book with lots of practical advice especially for a small archive.

[Aingeal Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for an excellent course. I will be keeping this one around for ready reference.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful and comprehensive in scope. A better starting point than the SAA "set," IMO