This guide provides a comprehensive, overview of best practices for launching a new archive without constraints. Covering mission development, collection policies, cataloging, preservation, legal ethics, staffing, and outreach, it offers strategies for managing both digital and physical materials across all formats. Designed for maximum accessibility and long-term sustainability, the guide integrates current archival standards and technologies, ensuring new archives are both resilient and responsive.
Starting a new archive—whether digital, physical, or hybrid—requires strategic foresight, technical knowledge, and a commitment to ethical stewardship. Regardless of collection type, format, or institution size, foundational practices can ensure that materials are preserved, accessible, and meaningful for future generations. This document outlines best practices for launching an archive with no constraints on budget, media types, or staffing.
Strategic Planning and Mission Development
Every archive must begin with a clear, documented mission. The mission should define the purpose, scope, and intended users of the archive (SAA, 2020). Without this clarity, archives risk mission drift, scattered collections, and misallocated resources. Strategic planning aligns the archive’s objectives with its parent institution (if applicable), and it shapes future decisions regarding collection development, staffing, and infrastructure (National Archives and Records Administration [NARA], 2022).
The mission statement should answer key questions: What do we collect? Who do we serve? What is our value to the community or institution? Once defined, these questions guide policy creation, resource allocation, and public engagement strategies (Jimerson, 2009).
A strategic plan, updated regularly, should outline goals in access, preservation, outreach, and infrastructure. Planning must be iterative and data-driven, grounded in community needs and institutional priorities (Caswell, 2016).
Collection Development and Acquisition
A collection development policy is essential for focusing resources on relevant, high-value materials. It outlines appraisal criteria, acquisition methods, and collection priorities (Note, 2019). This policy prevents unnecessary accumulation and ensures that only materials supporting the archive’s mission are preserved.
Archives should proactively identify donors, institutions, or communities likely to possess relevant materials. This outreach may include oral histories, corporate documents, organizational records, or community ephemera (Caswell, 2016). Deeds of gift, clearly documenting ownership transfer and restrictions, must be signed for all acquisitions (SAA, 2020).
Appraisal should be informed by research value, evidential value, and uniqueness. Duplicate items, redundant administrative records, and damaged materials with no significant value should be weeded to conserve storage space (NARA, 2022).
In some cases, strategic purchasing may be necessary, particularly for rare or endangered materials. Cooperative collecting agreements with other repositories can also prevent duplication and foster collaboration (Note, 2019).
Cataloging and Metadata
Cataloging enables discovery, research, and internal management. Adopting professional standards such as Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) and Encoded Archival Description (EAD) ensures consistency, interoperability, and long-term accessibility (SAA, 2013; Pitti, 2008).
Metadata must reflect the provenance and original order of materials whenever possible, adhering to archival principles that maintain intellectual context (International Council on Archives [ICA], 2000). Multilevel description—from the collection level to the item level—provides users with both overview and granular access.
Digital collections require layered metadata: descriptive, technical, administrative, and preservation. Standards like Dublin Core for descriptive metadata and PREMIS for preservation metadata should be applied (Harvey, 2007). Authority control (e.g., Library of Congress Name Authority File, Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names) enhances searchability and consistency.
Cataloging systems must support these standards and offer flexibility to update records as collections grow or as digital surrogates are added (Pitti, 2008). ArchivesSpace, AtoM, and other systems offer structured, standards-compliant interfaces.
Physical and Digital Preservation
Preservation practices must account for the variety of materials held, from acidic paper to magnetic tape to born-digital files. Physical preservation includes using acid-free folders, stable shelving, climate control, and minimal light exposure (Northeast Document Conservation Center [NEDCC], 2018). Temperature should remain between 60–70°F with relative humidity between 30–50%. Light, dust, and pests must be minimized, and items must be stored off the floor.
Digital preservation requires proactive lifecycle management. The OAIS (Open Archival Information System) model outlines ingest, archival storage, data management, administration, preservation planning, and access (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems [CCSDS], 2012). File formats should be open and widely supported (e.g., TIFF, PDF/A, WAV). Storage should follow the LOCKSS principle—“Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe”—with geographically dispersed backups and checksum verification (Harvey, 2007).
Archivematica, Preservica, and Rosetta are trusted systems for automating digital preservation workflows. Archives must monitor obsolescence and migrate files as needed to ensure continued usability (Harvey, 2007).
Infrastructure and Storage
Whether digital or analog, archives require purpose-built environments to ensure long-term survival of materials. For physical collections, compact shelving maximizes space efficiency, while powder-coated steel shelving resists corrosion (NEDCC, 2018). Vaults should include fire suppression systems, environmental sensors, and security monitoring.
Digital infrastructure should include redundant servers or cloud-based systems with RAID arrays, fixity checking, and disaster recovery planning (Harvey, 2007). Network security, firewalls, and encrypted backups are mandatory for safeguarding sensitive or irreplaceable files.
Storage planning should consider projected growth over 5–10 years. A scalable infrastructure ensures continuity without disruptive or costly upgrades.
Access and Discovery
Access is a cornerstone of archival practice. Archives must balance openness with ethical and legal responsibilities. Access policies should define standard practices, restrictions, reading room rules, and procedures for handling sensitive materials (ICA, 2016). Archives should aim for the widest possible access, limiting only what is necessary for privacy, security, or legal compliance (SAA, 2020).
Discovery begins with well-described finding aids and continues through online catalogs, digital repositories, and union catalogs like ArchiveGrid. Systems such as ArchivesSpace and AtoM provide public user interfaces linked to EAD finding aids. For digitized materials, platforms like CONTENTdm or Omeka enable users to browse, search, and view primary sources directly (Pitti, 2008).
User services must include reference assistance, reproduction policies, citation instructions, and reading room guidelines. Staff should be trained to provide equitable access and accurate information to all users (ICA, 2016).
Legal and Ethical Considerations
Legal compliance in archives primarily concerns copyright, privacy, and ownership. Copyright often remains with the creator unless explicitly transferred. Archives must determine whether items can be shared or digitized under fair use, public domain status, or explicit permission (Dryden, 2008).
Deeds of gift legally transfer ownership and clarify access rights, reproduction permissions, and donor restrictions. These agreements must be clear and binding (SAA, 2020).
Ethically, archives must protect individual privacy, especially in sensitive collections like medical records, student files, or personal correspondence. Access policies must comply with laws such as FERPA, HIPAA, or GDPR, depending on jurisdiction (Dryden, 2008).
Archives must also address cultural sensitivity, particularly when stewarding materials from Indigenous communities. The rights of communities to manage, restrict, or contextualize cultural materials must be respected (Christen, 2012). Archives should collaborate with community representatives when deciding how to store, describe, and grant access to culturally significant records.
Archivists are ethically bound to preserve authenticity, avoid censorship, document provenance, and serve users fairly (SAA, 2020). Transparency in actions—such as reprocessing or digital migration—is essential for maintaining trust and accountability (Jimerson, 2009).
Staffing and Roles
With unlimited resources, archives should hire a team of specialized professionals to manage functions effectively. A lead archivist oversees policy, planning, and compliance. Processing archivists handle appraisal, arrangement, and description. Digital archivists focus on electronic records, metadata, and preservation workflows (Note, 2019).
Preservation specialists monitor environmental conditions, handle conservation treatments, and advise on storage. Reference archivists provide user services, manage reading rooms, and guide researchers. Outreach and education archivists promote collections and develop public programs. IT staff or systems archivists ensure platform maintenance and data integrity.
All staff should have training in archival standards, ethics, and tools. Continuing education, conference participation, and certification (e.g., Certified Archivist) should be encouraged (Jimerson, 2009).
Volunteers and interns can supplement staff in non-sensitive areas like transcription, indexing, or digitization projects. They also serve as community liaisons and advocates.
Software and Tools
Software infrastructure must support description, access, and preservation. ArchivesSpace and AtoM are robust archival management platforms supporting DACS and EAD standards. They manage collections, locations, accessions, and user requests (Pitti, 2008).
Archivematica automates digital preservation tasks, including file normalization, metadata generation, and checksum validation (Harvey, 2007). Preservica offers an integrated platform with storage, preservation, and discovery tools.
Omeka and CONTENTdm provide user-facing access to digital materials. These tools support metadata standards and permit item-level browsing. Digital asset management systems should be interoperable with cataloging and preservation platforms for seamless workflows (Harvey, 2007).
Other essential tools include OCR software for digitized documents, barcode systems for shelf tracking, and environmental monitoring tools for physical storage.
Outreach and Engagement
Outreach ensures visibility, encourages use, and drives donations. Archives should host exhibitions, tours, lectures, and scanning days to engage the public (Caswell, 2016). Educational partnerships with schools or universities can integrate archival materials into curricula. Class visits, research fellowships, and hands-on workshops build new generations of archival users.
Social media platforms amplify visibility. Regular posts featuring archival materials, behind-the-scenes activities, or community stories foster interest and connection. Blogs, newsletters, and press releases should highlight acquisitions, milestones, and projects.
Community archives initiatives—particularly for underrepresented communities—should prioritize shared authority and collaboration. Archives must act as facilitators, not gatekeepers, empowering communities to preserve their histories (Caswell, 2016; Christen, 2012).
Feedback mechanisms and impact metrics (e.g., user statistics, citation tracking, testimonials) help assess success and inform future programs.
Conclusion
Starting an archive from scratch is a complex but rewarding undertaking. With strategic planning, ethical frameworks, and modern tools, archives can preserve invaluable records while empowering researchers, communities, and institutions. By adhering to professional standards in description, preservation, and access—and fostering public engagement—new archives can build resilient, responsive, and respected repositories of knowledge.
References
Caswell, M. (2016). The archive is not neutral: Designing participatory archival spaces for social justice. The American Archivist, 79(1), 1–28.
Christen, K. (2012). Does information really want to be free? Indigenous knowledge systems and the question of openness. International Journal of Communication, 6, 2870–2893.
Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS). (2012). Reference model for an open archival information system (OAIS). https://public.ccsds.org/pubs/650x0m2.pdf
Dryden, J. (2008). Copyright in the real world: Making archival material available on the internet. Archivaria, 64, 77–104.
Harvey, R. (2007). Preserving digital materials (2nd ed.). Neal-Schuman Publishers.
International Council on Archives (ICA). (2000). ISAD(G): General international standard archival description. https://www.ica.org/en/isadg-general-international-standard-archival-description-second-edition
International Council on Archives (ICA). (2016). Principles of access to archives. https://www.ica.org/en/principles-access-archives
Jimerson, R. C. (2009). Archives power: Memory, accountability, and social justice. Society of American Archivists.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). (2022). Managing archival and manuscript collections. https://www.archives.gov
National Park Service (NPS). (2021). Museum handbook, part I: Museum collections. https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/handbook.html
Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC). (2018). Preservation 101: Preservation basics for paper and media collections. https://www.nedcc.org
Note, M. (2019). Creating family archives: A step-by-step guide for saving your memories for future generations. Society of American Archivists.
Pitti, D. V. (2008). Encoded archival description: An introduction and overview. D-Lib Magazine, 14(9/10). https://www.dlib.org/dlib/september08/pitti/09pitti.html
Society of American Archivists (SAA). (2013). Describing archives: A content standard (2nd ed.). https://www2.archivists.org/standards/DACS
Society of American Archivists (SAA). (2020). Code of ethics for archivists. https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-core-values-statement-and-code-of-ethics
Society of American Archivists (SAA). (2020). A guide to deeds of gift. https://www2.archivists.org/publications/brochures/deeds-of-gift