Women's History Research in Archives : Libraries vs. Archives

How to research women's history in archival sources

Library Catalog

Google Scholar

What's the Difference?

Libraries collect and provide access to published materials in order to keep people informed, promote scholarship and provide entertainment.

Archives collect and provide access to unpublished materials in order to ensure government accountability and to preserve institutional and cultural memory.

LIBRARIES	ARCHIVES
Published materials	Unpublished materials
e.g. books, periodicals	e.g. records, letters, diaries, posters
Browse & retrieve materials yourself	Request materials from staff
Individual items	Collections of materials
Items with covers	Boxes and folders
Organized by subject and genre	Organized by creator
(facilitates browsing)	(keeps materials in context)
Every item has a brief catalog record	Descriptions can be none, brief, or in-depth
Multiple copies exist	Uniqeu materials
Lost or damaged items can be replaced	Materials irreplaceable
Can borrow materials	Must view items onsite
Lower security	Higher security