#archival research

[transformativeworks]

OTW Signal, February 2026

In February’s OTW Signal we highlight a university fanfiction club and an essay on the preservation of fandom + tips for you on contacting staff! Read more at https://otw-news.org/59knsmvs

[thesecrethistori-an]

Archival research and its consequences (idk how much longer my storage space can handle this)

[u-mspcoll]

This Thursday! Rare BOO👻ks and other Spooky Selections from Special Collections

Straitjacket worn by actor Anthony Hopkins in the film "Silence of the Lambs."

Join us on the 6th floor of Hatcher this Thursday, 16 October between 4-6p for our second Third Thursdays at the Library event of the semester! This event will feature spooky scary selections from across our Special Collections. 

Prepare to be spooked by the straight jacket worn by actor Anthony Hopkins in the film "Silence of the Lambs" (Johnathan Demme Papers), get in the Halloween spirit with children’s books and creepy recipes, enjoy skeletons and maladies from a selection of medical books, and experience the life-like latex baby from Robert Altman’s "Dr. T & and the Women." 

While you’re here, pick up a Third Thursday Passport and collect a stamp! Make it around to all four Third Thursday Open Houses — the Clark Library, International Studies, Asia Library, and the Special Collections Research Center — and win a prize!

Happy sp0o0oky Halloween! 👻

[thislittlekumquat]

A trans botanist’s secret expedition to Antarctica

Explore how Elke Mackenzie, a pioneering transgender botanist, helped reshaped our understanding of polar exploration and LGBT+ history.

I love to see the UK's National Archives highlighting trans folks. I love trans people getting to do cool public service things.

[sentientsky]

obsessed with this clipping from january 1929

[therepublicofletters]

Screaming crying yelling throwing up in the archive

[inspofromancientworld]

The Science of Discovering the Past: Archival Research

Since the beginning of writing about 6000 years ago, humans have written down many things, from accounting information to the daily thoughts of those observing historical events, leaving a wealth of information behind for us to read through, even with those records that have been lost to the grist of time. Archival research involves studying these records for both primary and secondary resources.

A library differs from an archive in that a library contains published documents that generally aren't unique and are maintained for use while an archive contains unique items, many of which are not published in any way, and can be in any format. Archives often have a particular focus of materials that they collect and limit access to their collections.

The oldest collections that could be called archives go back to at least 1180 with the collections of scrolls from the clerk's offices in Barcelona, Spain, where it was mentioned as a king's archive. In 1194, King Alfonso II of Aragon ordered the compilation of documents that were legally valid and useful, some of which dated back to the 9th century. In 1318, under James II of Aragon, the General Archive of the Crown of Aragon was established as the central archive of the Crown. Many countries have national archives that were established after that and have documents that go back as far as 625 CE (as in the French Archives Nationales) with the United States National Archives and Records Administration having documents that include an original copy of the Magna Carta.

Universities are also repositories of record collections, both of their own business as well as those that have been bequeathed to them. They also might have collections that are focused on a single subject, ranging from religion to local history. Religious institutes, such as the Vatican, which reportedly has more than 52 miles (83.69 km) of archival shelving, and museums are also repositories of document collections. There are also an increasing collection of digital collections, which bring about their own challenges, such as technology creep, which is the gradual loss of older technologies (think of the loss of VCR machines making VCR tapes harder to view or the removal of optical drives from computers). Archives, whether traditional or digital, also face the degradation of time and the risk of catastrophic destruction.

Archival research begins with locating an archive that holds the needed documents that apply to the desired topic, which has become easier with online searches. Prior to this, union catalogs, which were library catalogs that describe the collections of archives were distributed among universities. The next challenge is locating the texts within the archive. Many archives operate until the principle of respect des fonds, or the original order in which they were received in order to maintain provenance. Finding aids, such as registers, card catalogs, or inventories, are a common tool to aid researchers in locating materials.

Prior to digitization, archives had to be accessed on-site as they were parts of non-circulating collections. As such, most archives have reading rooms, where materials can be viewed. If the reading room is not directly connected to the collection, it may take days or weeks for materials to be delivered. Many of the materials held by archives are fragile and therefore have restrictions placed on their use or duplication. Restrictions may also be placed on what can be taken or worn within a reading room to protect documents from damage or theft.

[valentinsylve]

Lost manuscript of Merlin and King Arthur legend read for the first time after centuries hidden inside another book

For centuries, an intriguing sequel to the tale of Merlin has sat unseen within the bindings of an Elizabethan register. Cutting-edge techni