History: Archives and Archival Research

Archives are managed by a variety of types of institutions and the materials they collect differ. Familiarity with different kinds of archives is helpful for finding resources that are most appropriate for your research.

• College and university archives: typically preserve materials related to the university or college.  Archives of Washington State University
• Corporate archives: manage and preserve records of that business.  See Hershey's Company Community Archives
• Government or national archives: may collect materials related to all levels of government.  U.S National Archives & The National Archives of the UK or Digital Archives of Washington State
• Historical societies: preserve materials related to a specific interest, such as a region, event, or industry. See the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
• Museum archives: maintain diverse collections that typically consist of artwork or artifacts relevant to the type of museum. Items are often displayed. Here's the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Religious archives: collect and preserve materials related to a faith, denomination, or individual place of worship. Here's the archives of the Archdiocese of Seattle
• Special collections: a collection of items, usually in a library, that are either irreplaceable or rare. These items are kept separate from regular library collections. Check out Special Collections at the University of Washington Libraries.