Why does your stuff matter to the archives?
Archival institutions have an important responsibility in preserving the materials that document any given time. But the degree to which that record reflects the voices of many people or just those few who were in power depends - at least to an extent - on who donates their materials to the archives. We hope that this website has demonstrated that everyone has valuable records in their possession, and that anyone is capable of approaching an archival institution with them.
Section Overview
In this section, we'll talk about who benefits from using archives, from genealogists to scientists to journalists and many more. We'll also talk about why it's important to have a diverse group of contributors to the historical record that's created through our materials rather than just one viewpoint that reflects the interests of the powerful. We'll conclude the journey by discussing why we - as a people - keep materials, what purpose archivists think it serves.
If you're using the donor workbook, we'll ask you to think about who might use your records and how you can encourage other people to participate in documenting our history.
[ not really more than a germ of an idea here ]
How do people use archives?
[ Montage video with narratives from different users of archives - yeah montage! ]