Finding aids found out
A finding aid may be an unfamiliar term for those new to archives, but for researchers and archivists alike, finding aids have been an indispensable tool for navigating the intricacies of archival collections. The document functions as a kind of blueprint, outlining the contents housed in a given collection.
For researchers, consulting a finding aid before conducting archival research is not only recommended, but in most cases necessary. What many researchers new to archives fail to understand is that archival records, unlike library collections, are not exactly browsable: the stacks are restricted to archives staff; archival collections have their own idiosyncratic rules of organization and arrangement that aren’t always intuitive to uninitiated users; and the fonds themselves can be very, very big. In many ways, searching the archives without a finding aid is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. At the JPL-A, for instance, several of our collections are substantial – we’re talking well over 10 bankers' boxes’ worth of records – it would take a researcher a very long time to scan through that to find relevant material.
How would you even know where to start?
This applies to us archivists as well. When I’m responding to a topical reference question, a finding aid can help narrow the request to something more appropriate to our collections and makes it easier for me to determine what material, if any, may be worthwhile to the researcher. It also helps me know exactly where records are. A finding aid can be the difference between locating a document within minutes and frantically searching the stacks for hours.
The internet is trying to ease this process, and the advent of digital asset management systems has been an interesting development that shifts the way users and professionals approach archival research. By providing access to archival collections online, software such as AtoM (Access to Memory) is working to provide a new kind of browsability and ease of discovery. The JPL-A has been piloting AtoM with an eye on improving accessibility to our collection, and we are excited to announce that we have been busy migrating over to this digital, relational, interactive, and publicly accessible platform.
Digital asset management systems are working to make collection browsing possible outside of the physical space of the archive.
It is important to note, however, that these digital systems aren’t necessarily a feasible option for all institutions, and even with the inclusion of a digital space, the finding aid – the archivist’s old faithful – remains an essential tool for archives.
