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What are Archives and Museums?

If you’re interested in donating your materials to an archival or museum institution, it’s important to know what each of them can do for you:

Museums…

  • Are typically not-for-profit institutions that focus on collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting objects (referred to as artifacts.)
  • Prioritize preserving their artifact collections, however, they use those collections to educate the general public. 
  • One of the main ways museums use their collections to educate the public is by curating exhibits.
  • Most museums consider their collections to be held in the public trust.
  • This means museums consider their collections to be rightfully owned by the public.
  • Museums view themselves as the stewards of their collections, preserving and interpreting them for future generations. 
  • Note that many museums may have an archive or special collections branch.”

Archives:

  • An archive is a repository for materials created by different creators. Archives can hold diverse materials, from government records to private records of significant individuals or organizations. These records are sources of evidence, documenting important events and everyday life.
  • Records can include textual documents (such as letters, reports, notes, and correspondence), audiovisual materials (such as photographs, film, and tapes), building plans, and occasionally artifacts (such as posters and plaques).
  • Materials are donated to or collected by an archival body in accordance with their mandate, which is a document that outlines an archive’s guiding principles and gives boundaries on what they will or will not collect.
  • In an archive, materials transfer ownership so that archivists gain both physical and intellectual control of the materials. 
  • The main goal of an archive is preservation and accessibility.

How Are Museums Different From Archives?

Types of Artifacts

  • Museums mainly collect three-dimensional artifacts, and will only take small collections of two-dimensional records. If you have a larger collection of documents, you may find it useful to deposit them with an archive.

Target Demographic

  • The main target demographic of museums is the general public, although occasionally researchers may find materials in museums useful for their research. Conversely, archives are generally not open to the public. If an individual wants to view materials or conduct research in an archive, they must first speak with an archivist and request the materials. 

Exhibits

  • Creating and hosting public exhibits is a main function of museums. Although some archives occasionally mount exhibits, this is not their main function.

Sources:

Museums:

Archives